THERE is something about Shefki Kuqi's Ipswich Town debuts and freak goals.When the Finland international striker pulled on a Blues shirt for the first time current manager Jim Magilton netted the winner with what like an intended cross at Vicarage Road, Watford on September 27 2003.

Elvin King

THERE is something about Shefki Kuqi's Ipswich Town debuts and freak goals.

When the Finland international striker pulled on a Blues shirt for the first time current manager Jim Magilton netted the winner with what like an intended cross at Vicarage Road, Watford on September 27 2003.

And on Saturday - when Kuqi returned to the Ipswich team after starting a loan from Crystal Palace - it was Owen Garvan who scored a spectacular goal with what looked like a driven cross.

Neither Magilton nor Garvan will admit their goals were not meant - with the Blues boss adamant to this day that he meant his chip to beat former Town keeper Alex Chamberlain who was in the Hornets goal.

And Garvan is still keeping his options open after Saturday's opener at Portman Road in a 2-0 victory over Charlton.

“I looked up and saw the keeper off the line,” he said. “I will leave you to guess the rest.”

Kuqi, who is expected to be back in a couple of weeks after straining a hamstring on his Town return, scored after 52 minutes of his first Town debut - after coming on as a second half substitute for Ian Westlake. Pablo Counago replaced Alun Armstrong at the same time.

Evening Star photographer Ashley Pickering took two superb simultaneous pictures of the Garvan goal.

He explained: “I've a camera that sits on a tripod and located behind the goal. It was manually set up with a device on top that's a wireless trigger.

“There's another wireless transmitter that sits on the camera I was using in the photographers' pit.

“When I used that, it worked the other camera at the same time.”

Pickering believes Garvan's goal was more a product of accident than design. He said: “It was a fluke. I think it was a cross that just went in. There's no way it was a shot.”

And Charlton striker Chris Iwelumo said: “If Owen meant that as a goal what is he doing in the Championship?”

ASHLEY Pickering used a Nikon D2X with a 20mm lens behind the goal and a Nikon D3 with a 70-200mm lens to get the shots. Pocket Wizard transmitters were used on each camera.