Sport 28-10-2002 Beattie Back On Form With Hat-Trick who: Fulham FC what: Lose 2-4 to Southampton where: St Mary`s Stadium, SOUTHAMPTON when: Yesterday snippet: "Saints striker James Beattie fired a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Fulham," reports the BBC, "and then admitted his recent drink-driving conviction affected him more than he expected." Southampton came from two goals behind yesterday to maintain their unbeaten home record and move into the top half of the table, says The Guardian`s Paul Weaver. "As the final whistle went Beattie reached up and caught the ball from a long, windswept goal-kick from Antti Niemi, before walking from the field with it stuffed proudly under his shirt." Lee Clark and Steed Malbranque gave the visitors an early advantage, says The Telegraph, but Beattie put them back in the game with Beattie`s his second successful penalty in a week on the 26th minute. He scored the second just before half-time and another, from Anders Svensson`s free-kick, on the 54th minute before Southampton`s Brett Ormerod scored the fourth. "It`s been a very difficult time," Beattie tells The Sun, looking back on a month in which he has been convicted of drink-driving and fined two weeks` wages. "I always thought I was mentally strong and that it wouldn`t affect me that much. But it did. I know what I did was wrong and I`m sorry. I`ll never do anything like that again." [... more]

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