On This Day: Shaun Bartlett’s volley stunned Leicester and sent Charlton flying high 1 April 2001: The South African forward barely broke stride as he converted Graham Stuart’s inch-perfect diagonal to win goal of the season

Picture the scene: it is a muddy pitch at the Valley after a particularly long, wet winter and the ball is bobbling all over the shop.

Charlton Athletic are taking on Leicester City in a mid-table Carling Premiership clash and slowly grinding out a 1-0 win.

As the ball falls to Graham Stuart in midfield, Shaun Bartlett peels away from his marker.

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Two more meat-and-potatoes footballers you could not wish to meet.

Which is why what happens next stuns everyone watching.

There are volleys – and then there are *these* volleys ???? A Shaun Bartlett stunner continues the @TAGHeuer countdown to the new #PL season. pic.twitter.com/VPoXcotoIb — Premier League (@premierleague) July 25, 2017

Stuart drops his shoulder to leave two Leicester midfielders for dead, looks up and pings an inch perfect 50-yard diagonal onto Bartlett’s left foot.

The rangy forward, running at full speed by this point, barely breaks stride as he lashes the ball first time into the far corner past a stunned Simon Royce in the Leicester goal.

The strike would go on to be named Premier League goal of the season by the BBC, with Bartlett beating the likes of Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard to the accolade.

The Addicks would go on to finish ninth that year – their highest since the 1953-54 season – helping Bartlett earn a permanent switch from FC Zurich.

“Shaun has settled in well and we’re very pleased with his contribution to date,” said Charlton boss Alan Curbishley when that contract was signed. “He has already proven that he can score goals against the best teams in the Premiership and I’m confident that will continue.”

The prediction was near-enough correct with the South African going on to enjoy another five seasons at the Valley, scoring 24 goals in 123 appearances – although none of them as good as that volley on April Fools’ Day.

He would eventually leave Charlton in the summer of 2006, as Curbishley and a raft of club stalwarts were shown the exit.

“I think the vision of the club changed slightly,” Bartlett would later say. “They felt they needed to push on for Europe and see how they could take the club to the next level.

“I think, in hindsight, you might say that was a big mistake because everything pretty much went backwards from there.”

With the club suffering two relegations in the following three seasons and never returning to the top flight since, you have to say he was probably right.

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