Danny Cadamarteri (Everton vs Liverpool, 1997)
Cadamarteri was a product of the Everton youth academy and a player of much promise when he scored during the 2-0 win against Liverpool in October, 1997. His goal was a beaut, too. The forward previously only known for his dreadlocks barged past one defender and jinked around another before poking the ball home.
Sadly, this solo effort was about as good as it got for Cadamarteri. The striker, with three England U21 caps to his name, failed to score for the rest of the season and only managed four the following campaign in a promising six-game run. Then, in September 2001, he was found guilty of assault after punching a woman in the face during a "late-night fracas".
"Obviously, I'm disappointed with the result," said Cadermarteri, clearly mistaking court reporters for Sky Sports' touchline chatterbox, Geoff Shreeves. "But pleased the judge has recognised it was not an unprovoked attack, and that she had tried to punch me in the face."
His career then developed into a Michael Portillo-style whistle-stop tour of the north's biggest railway hubs, including Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield United, Doncaster and Carlisle, among others.
Skip to 4:10 for Cadamarteri's big moment
Danny Rose (Spurs vs Arsenal, 2010)
When Rose smacked a 30-yard drive that ripped past Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, the "Where the bloody hell did that come from?!" look on his face said it all. The then 19-year-old left-back was barely a fringe player when he made his debut against Spurs' most hated rivals; the closest Rose had previously come to landing an appearance arrived when he was asked to warm up in a game against Pompey.
"I was confused really," he said of his stunning introduction after Spurs won 2-1, with the youngster taken off at half-time because of a knee ligament "niggle". "[The boss, Redknapp] has thrown me in against Arsenal, third in the league, a north London derby. It doesn't come much harder than that," quipped the excitable teen.
Rose has since netted twice more for the Lilywhites following various loan spells, with both coming last season. It remains to be seen how much longer he'll remain at White Hart Lane, however – though he's kept his place so far, Mauricio Pochettino signed Swansea's Ben Davies in the summer.
David Oldfield (Man City vs Man United, 1989)
Despite scoring two goals in City's infamous 5-1 demolition of Manchester United in September 1989, midfielder Oldfield was regarded by most fans as a pretty unremarkable player. Certainly manager Howard Kendall thought so when he was appointed successor to Mel Machin in 1989. Less than a month after his arrival, Oldfield was shifted from Maine Road in an exchange deal with Wayne Clarke from Leicester. The swap was valued at £650,000.
That 33% of his six City goals (one of which was a pretty soft tap-in, it has to be said) came against their loathed neighbours will always be valued by the blue half of Manchester, with this fixture proving a highlight for Oldfield. Later he managed to forge a fairly steady position for himself at Leicester where he stayed for five years, helping them to Premier League promotion in 1994 via play-off victory at Wembley.
Bernard Lambourde (Chelsea vs Spurs, 2000)
In Chelsea's history of expensive signings and glamorous superstars, it's unlikely that the name of defender Lambourde will have featured on too many replica shirts. During his four years at Stamford Bridge, Lambourde only made 40 appearances (between 1997 and 2001), and scored twice. The fact that one of those strikes was the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Spurs at White Hart Lane probably makes him alright to a lot of Chelsea fans.
Once the Blues had tired of him a loan spell at Portsmouth in 2000 was arranged, though it didn't cement his position in English football and Lambourde was later sold to Bastia. Had it not been for his smart-thinking lob, which looped over foppish Tottenham keeper Ian Walker to finish off their London rivals, he might well have been long forgotten.
Michael Owen (Man United vs Man City, 2009)
Forget the turbo-boosted Owen of his early career – the one with operational hamstrings, frightening acceleration and an eye for goal that would make Diego Costa bow in admiration. The Michael Owen of Manchester United was, sadly, a spent force. A shadow of his former self; an "impact sub" (also known to most managers as "the last throw of the dice in a game with defeat written all over it").
And so it was that Owen scored the winning goal in the 4-3 thriller against City, having come on in the second half. Craig Bellamy had equalised for the Blues just before full-time, but the timing of Owen's strike was even more memorable: it arrived six minutes into time added on (when only four had been put on the fourth official's board). But this was Fergie's United, this was Old Trafford – and there was a whiff of the inevitable about it.
More injuries restricted Owen to 52 appearances and 17 goals during his Old Trafford career (in all competitions), though he did play enough games in 2010/11 to warrant a Premier League winner's medal. Judging by Owen's reaction during the City game, though, that goal must have felt like a title win all on its own.
Ruud Gullit (Newcastle vs Sunderland, 1999)
How not to make an impact during the local derby. After Gullit's arrival as manager in the north-east, it didn't take long for the St James' Park heavies to become a little miffed. The reason? Spats with local legend Alan Shearer and crowd favourite Robert Lee, twinned with a string of poor results soon had the stadium spitting expletives.
The final straw came five games into the 1999/2000 season and a match against neighbours Sunderland. To make a statement, Gullit dropped both Shearer and Duncan Ferguson to the bench, instead calling upon Sunderland-born Paul Robinson to lead the line in only his second start. Newcastle were beaten 2-1 (with Robinson setting up the goal, but refusing to celebrate it against his boyhood club), and Gullit resigned three days later. Now that's what you call going out in a blaze of glory.
Ugo Ehiogu (Rangers vs Celtic, 2007)
When detailing the career of defender Ehiogu, it's unlikely his time at Ibrox would feature heavily during a highlights showreel. Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and those four England caps, yes. But that nine-game stint at Rangers? Unlikely.
Until you remember the fact that, with his career very much in the autumnal phase, Ehiogu scored the winning goal in a 2007 Old Firm game. And what a goal it was too. The centre half, not previously noted for his guile or dexterity, reacted to an impromptu game of head tennis in the Celtic penalty area, swivelling instinctively to meet a looping pass with a brilliant overhead kick.
With the ball bobbling in the back of the net and the fans going nutso, Ehiogu's receipt of the Rangers' goal-of-the-season award was assured. His position at the club, sadly, was not. Manger Walter Smith picked Carlos Cuellar and David Weir in his subsequent team selections and Ehiogu was shipped to Sheffield United.
Benjani (Man City vs Man United, 2008)
Talk about playing the party pooper. When City travelled to Old Trafford for this fixture against the Premier League champions, they were supposed to roll over and play nice. This was a game that marked the anniversary of the 1958 Munich air disaster, after all. The emotional significance of that event should have been enough to stifle City into submission.
Except nobody told debutant Benjani. The striker set up City's first goal and scored the second to seal a 2-1 victory, but what was unusual about this man-of-the-match performance was that, for much of his subsequent City career, Benjani resembled a narcoleptic in the throes of a snooze. This showing was possibly his finest at the City of Manchester Stadium. Benjani scored only four goals in 23 outings before being moved on to Blackburn Rovers in 2010.
Benjani the predator at 1:08
Gary Cahill (Aston Villa vs Birmingham, 2006)
Sure, Cahill might have won a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, the Europa League and earned loads of dosh while playing for Chelsea (while becoming the backbone of an England defence of jellyfish dimensions), but during his emergence at Aston Villa he didn't have a lot to write home about.
Injuries to others allowed him some fleeting spells in the first team, but overall he was considered surplus to requirements, loaned out to Sheffield United and later sold to Bolton. Still, Cahill managed to show the briefest glimmer of his exceptional technique during that time – not with a match-saving tackle or a commanding performance in the face of a superior talent, but with a gravity-defying scissor kick that sealed a 3-1 victory over Birmingham.
Dan Gosling (Everton vs Liverpool, 2009)
Little-known Gosling might have scored a 118th-minute winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round, but his decisive act carried a bittersweet aftertaste. The good news: his goal marked him, briefly, as a Goodison hero. The bad: ITV – who were screening the game – cut to an ad break moments before the goal was scored (the only one of a dreary game), wiping his moment from our screens. Cue much moaning and griping from fans all over.
Given that his 15 seconds of fame were missed by everyone, it's unsurprising that Gosling's career failed to attain lofty altitudes. Amid several injuries he was transferred to Newcastle in 2010, but was unable to break into Alan Pardew's first team before being loaned to Blackpool. There was controversy, too. In March 2014, Gosling admitted to "an FA charge in relation to multiple breaches of Rule E8(b) for misconduct in relation to betting." The scoundrel.
