James Beattie might have been on target 23 times in the Premiership last season.

But playing kick-about in Bournemouth's Lower Gardens the Saints player-of-the-season accidentally hit an Austrian tourist on the head, breaking his glasses.

Mannhart Heinz was just two hours into his first ever visit to the town when he ended up on the receiving end of some wayward shooting from the England striker.

Mr Heinz, 60, of Vienna, who is staying at the Grosvenor Hotel in Bath Road, Bournemouth, said the footballer failed to apologise and walked off, leaving him lying flat out on the ground.

Beattie, 25, who just missed out on the Premiership's Golden Boot last season, shouldn't have been playing football in the Lower Gardens in the first place as a local bye-law bans all ball games.

Mr Heinz said: "We were standing in a group and then in a moment there was a ping and my glasses were broken.

"The football hit me on the head. I ended up with a cut to the nose. I don't know who it was.

"He didn't apologise, there was nothing. He went away."

Wife Christina, 60, said: "It was our first day in Bournemouth. We were only in the second hour.

"Someone from the beach first aid came but my husband was able to go to the hotel and lie on the bed for half an hour and then he was okay. We still like Bournemouth."

The couple who are on a sightseeing holiday in the south are staying in Bournemouth until tomorrow when they will travel on to Newquay.

A spokesman for Southampton Football Club said that Beattie admitted the incident had taken place, but as far as he knew the tourist was "fine".