WHEN a new member of the Saints-mad Berry clan was born earlier this month, they wanted to honour one of their heroes.

Mum Kathleen bowed to pressure from husband Steve and their four other football fanatic children to name the little girl after the family's favourite player, goalkeeper Antti Niemi.

But the act of homage could have turned into a bit of an own goal.

The Finnish international has not made a first team appearance since the birth of his number one fan.

Now Niemi's oldest sister Emma-Louise, 14, has appealed to manager Gordon Strachan to pick him to prove it's not a curse.

In a letter to the Daily Echo she wrote: "I'm contacting you because I wish you to get a message to Gordon Strachan. On September 4 my mum, Kathleen Berry, had a baby and we named her Niemi after the Saints goalkeeper.

"However, since September 4 Niemi has not played. Can you please tell Gordon we would appreciate it if he played."

Childminder Kathleen, 34, was the talk of the operating theatre when she underwent a Caesarean section at Southampton's Princess Anne Hospital.

She said: "We wanted to call her Niemi because I don't think they would have got where they are now without him.

"I'm a Liverpool supporter, it's the dad and the kids that are Saints supporters."

She added: "We went through all the names and we thought Niemi was quite a pretty name and he's done so well for the club."

Kathleen, who lives with Steve and children Emma-Louise, 14, Nathan, 12, Aaron, eight, and Stephanie, five, in Fritham Road, Harefield, Southampton, went through a similar situation when her previous child was born.

She said: "My last daughter was born in the middle of the World Cup and they wanted to call her Shearer. I changed my mind at the last minute, but we still call her Shearer - it's her nickname."

No one from Saints was available for comment.