Jonathan Walters looks back on the game where he scored two own goals, kicked the ball off his own face AND missed a penalty

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Every player has a bad game on occasion - but Jonathan Walters had the most-nightmarish match possible in 2013

Jonathan Walters of Stoke City put his penalty kick over the bar (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

When Stoke City hosted Chelsea at the Bet365 Stadium in January 2013, the game looked like a potential banana skin for the Blues as they chased down Premier League leaders Manchester United. 

What transpired, though, was a comfortable match in which they ran out 4-0 winners - largely courtesy of Stoke City forward Jonathan Walters.

Scoring two own goals, missing a penalty and smashing the ball into his own face, Walters had arguably one of the worst games in Premier League history. Fortunately, the Irish international is able to laugh about his misfortune when reflecting on it now. 

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"I laugh about that game," Walters tells FourFourTwo. "With the first own goal, I ran past two of our players trying to cover them, so I was actually working my socks off. It was a great diving header! 

"For the second, I was marking Frank Lampard from a corner and as soon as I took my eye off the ball, I headed it in: 2-0 down with two own goals. Earlier on, I’d even kicked the ball into my own face, trying to cross it. 

In the last minute, I won a penalty and thought, ‘I’m just going to smack it right down the middle’. Petr Cech dived out of the way – but it hit the bar. I didn’t actually have that bad a game, but add those things together and it’s one of the worst performances ever, which I’m reminded of quite frequently."

Jonathan Walters of Stoke City put his penalty kick over the bar (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

Walters smashed the ball into his own face, as well as over the crossbar in a penalty (Image credit: Getty Images)

The torture didn't stop there for Walters, though.

"I came home and my kids just started laughing at me. They put Match of the Day straight on that night!"

Despite that performance-to-forget, Walters did enjoy seven strong seasons at Stoke City between 2010 and 2017. 

Scoring 62 goals in 273 appearances in all competitions, Walters helped the Potters survive and thrive in the Premier League during his time at the club, even reaching an FA Cup final and appearing in Europe. 

Jonathan Walters of Stoke City put his penalty kick over the bar (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

It was certainly a day to forget for Walters (Image credit: Getty Images)

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Ryan Dabbs
Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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