Rhys Healey and Vakoun Bayo, paired in attack and delivering a stoppage-time goal.
The strikers combined six minutes into time added on yesterday to earn Watford a draw against Southampton. But something similar has happened before, although hardly anyone was there to see it.
Wind the clock back to September 26, 2020 – football was being played behind closed doors due to restrictions forced upon the world by the Covid pandemic.
However, on that Saturday afternoon Toulouse hosted Auxerre in a Ligue 2 match in France, at the virtually empty Stadium Municipal.
Bayo started the game in attack, having headed to the French side on loan from Scottish Premier League Celtic.
Meanwhile Healey had also moved from the British Isles, leaving MK Dons for Toulouse for a fee of €500,000 after his 12 goals in 21 appearances for the League One side had attracted attention.
The Manchester-born forward started on the bench that day as he awaited his first start for his new club.
After a goalless first half, Auxerre went ahead in the 58th minute, but Toulouse levelled 11 minutes later from the penalty spot.
At that point, Healey was sent on in place of Janice Antiste – and for the first time, he and Bayo formed a strike partnership.
Midfielder Steven Moreira gave Toulouse the lead in the 86th minute and then, three minutes into stoppage time, they made sure of the points when Healey scored on the counter-attack.
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Just like yesterday, it was his first goal for the club.
Despite that, Healey had to wait a little longer before making the starting XI – that came on November 28 in a home game with Chamois Niort when he scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory.
Once again, Bayo was also up front, having come on as a substitute midway through the second half.
That goal was the start of a superb run for Healey, scoring seven goals in six consecutive games with Toulouse winning five and drawing the other.
He ended that season with 15 goals in 36 appearances, although when you consider he only started 17 of those it underlines just how prolific he was.
Bayo wasn’t far behind him, netting 13 times in 36 outings.
The pair played together for the final time in the second leg of the Ligue 1/League 2 play-off. Bayo scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Toulouse, that made the aggregate score 2-2 over the two legs.
However Nantes retained their Ligue 1 place on away goals having won 2-1 in Toulouse.
At the end of the season, Bayo returned to Celtic who sold him to Belgian side KAA Gent for €1.6m.
Healey stayed in France, and the following season his 22 goals in 37 games helped Toulouse win Ligue 2 by four points, taking them to Ligue 1.
Injury then restricted him to just four games in Ligue 1, but he still managed to score twice including the winner in a 2-1 victory at Monaco on the final day of the season – and surprise, surprise, it was another stoppage-time goal after coming off the bench in the 87th minute.
It was clearly Healey’s 39 goals and seven assists in 77 appearances for Toulouse that led Watford to bring him to Vicarage Road this summer.
His opportunities have been very limited so far, but a goal and an assist in a mere 51 minutes of football suggest the 29-year-old has plenty more to offer.
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