WHEN Cherries inside-left Mike Burgess retired to the dressing room following his two-goal salvo against Southampton in October 1958, he probably did not regard the 2-1 victory as being of particularly great significance.

Of course, he was delighted to have grabbed a late winner for his team in front of more than 18,000 screaming supporters at Dean Court, but the notion the club’s fans would have to wait another 58 years for a win over their neighbours was virtually inconceivable.

Burgess certainly did not expect the unconventional congratulation he received in the dressing room afterwards, when trainer Arthur Cunliffe proved he was more pleased than most at a thrilling Third Division win.

“I was sitting there having just taken off my boots,” said Burgess. “I don’t know where Arthur had been but he was late into the dressing room.

“As he came in, he said ‘well done, Mike’ and put his arm round my shoulder and gave me a big kiss! He then picked up my right boot which was the one I had taken the winning shot with, and kissed that as well!

“I don’t think at that stage I would have believed it would be another 58 years before Bournemouth beat Southampton again – it was a regular occurrence back then.”

But happen it did. And a lengthy wait finished on Tuesday when goals from Steve Cook and Benik Afobe ended nearly six decades of hurt for Cherries supporters.

The Premier League is a far cry from Burgess’s playing era, one which the 83-year-old Verwood resident recalls with great fondness and clarity.

The Montreal-born marksman moved to Cherries from Newport County for £1,000 in June 1957 and made a serious impression in his second full season at the club.

He started the campaign as part of the Cherries rearguard but was shifted forward by manager Don Welsh, a move which paid off in droves.

Bradford-raised Burgess scored eight goals in his first 11 appearances in a more advanced role and went on to register 25 goals in 45 appearances that season to earn the title of top scorer.

And the Saints fixture is one that sticks in the memory.

Burgess nodded home a John Arnott cross midway through the first half and although John Hoskins levelled with a powerful strike 18 minutes from time, there was to be another twist.

With five minutes remaining, Mike Lyons’s free-kick was helped on by Ronnie Bolton and Burgess spun away from his man on the edge of the box and drilled low into the net.

“I was quite proud of that one because I beat the centre-half who was trying to push me a bit,” said Burgess.

“I turned, pushed the ball forward and then smashed it into the net. It was a really hard shot and low down. No goalkeeper could have stopped it.

“As far as I’m concerned it was a very good goal and brilliantly taken. I know I’m saying that myself but it was!”

Burgess went on to total 34 goals in 109 league outings for Cherries prior to joining Halifax Town in July 1961.

And his two-goal feat against the Saints may have played its part in Tuesday’s victory over Ronald Koeman’s men, according to Jason Tindall.

The Cherries assistant boss, who met Burgess for the first time yesterday, told the Daily Echo: “It was really nice to meet Mike and when you listen to him speak you can see the memories are still fresh in his mind and that is a nice thing.

“We used that game in our team talk because it had been a long time since Bournemouth beat Southampton.

“It was a big result for us and maybe what we said beforehand gave the lads a little bit of a spur to go out and win.”

As well as Cherries and Newport, Burgess represented Bradford Park Avenue, Leyton Orient, Halifax Town, Gillingham and Aldershot and Canterbury City during his playing career.

Away from football, he made integrated systems for Elliotts in Rochester, worked on flight simulators at Crawley and Heathrow and also spent 18 years as an electronics technician on defence projects for Plessey in Poole and Christchurch.