Former Crystal Palace defender Adrian Mariappa ended a five-year long wait for a goal in English football in dramatic fashion on Saturday.
The 36-year-old netted a stoppage-time equaliser for League One strugglers Burton Albion against table-toppers Plymouth Argyle. The Brewers found themselves 2-1 down heading into the final seconds of the game before Mariappa thundered a header into the back of the net in the 97 th minute.
Goals for the 36-year-old defender have come few and far between throughout his career. Mariappa had scored just seven times during spells with Watford, Reading, Crystal Palace and Bristol City before spending a season in Australia with Macarthur FC last term.
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The Jamaican international scored three times for the Sydney-based club, but his last goal in English football came way back in August 2017 when he netted for Watford in a Carabao Cup clash against Bristol City.
Palace signed Mariappa from Reading in the summer of 2013 and he would go on to make 49 appearances for the club over a three-year spell. He scored a consolation goal for the Eagles in a 4-1 defeat against Fulham in October 2013, his only goal for the club.
Three years later, Mariappa returned to Watford for a second spell, enjoying four years at the Hornets before his release at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. He had a brief stint with Bristol City in the Championship before he was let go by boss Nigel Pearson in June 2021.
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