LONDON - FORMER England midfielder Darren Anderton marked his final game as a professional footballer by scoring the winning goal in fourth-tier Bournemouth's 1-0 victory over Chester City on Saturday.

Anderton, 36, struck two minutes from time with a 20-yard shot that secured a win at Bournemouth's Dean Court ground against a Chester side who played the last eight minutes down to 10 men after Tony Dinning was sent-off.

Victory gave the Cherries a positive points total 19 games into the season after their League Two campaign was all but wrecked from the outset by a 17-point deduction for a failure to comply with the English Football League's insolvency policy.

Anderton, who made his name along the south coast at Portsmouth, also played for Tottenham, Birmingham and Wolves and won 30 caps for England, appearing in the 1998 World Cup in France, during the course of an 18-year career.

In all, he featured in 568 domestic matches, a fair return for a player nicknamed 'Sicknote' because of his injury-induced absences at Spurs.

Anderton, who is retiring to pursue interests in property development and a solar-powered mobile phone charger, told the Bournemouth Echo before his final match: 'It's a tough decision and Saturday will be a sad day.

'I've been lucky to come to Bournemouth and have really enjoyed it. It's been a great way to finish my career.' -- AFP