TED MacDougall's legendary nine-goal haul has been hailed as "a feat that will never be matched" - almost 30 year's to the day since the Cherries ace made football history.

MacDougall set a new FA Cup goalscoring record when he put nine past non-league minnows Margate in a first round tie in November 1971 - a record which has never been broken. Now, just three day's short of that game's 30th anniversary, Cherries director of football, Mel Machin, has played down the chances of it ever happening again.

Former Dean Court star Machin, who also scored in Cherries 11-0 win over then Southern League Margate, says modern-day defences are too good for a striker to be able to score so many times.

Speaking ahead of Cherries' first round tie at home to lowly Worksop this afternoon (3pm), He added: "Even at non-league level defenders are too switched on for that ever to be a realistic possibility again.

"We have had players score five or six in a game, but non-league defenders today are so fit and so hard-working that it is tough just to get one goal against them let alone nine. If you watch our game against Worksop you will see that the current non-league side's make it so hard for strikers to get any space in the area.

"A lot of lower league teams are managed by ex-professionals so they know the game inside out which adds to the level of difficulty."

MacDougall, who scored 145 times during two spells at Dean Court, retired from the game in 1980 and he has since begun a new life in California, USA.

Machin does not believe we will ever see his like again, saying: "He was an outstanding finisher, we never used to worry about taking it slowly we'd just thump the ball up to Ted and let him take a shot at goal. He is one of the most selfish players I have ever played with, but his goal record speaks for itself. He is the best finisher I have ever seen.

"The only player who looks like he could score as many as Ted is Jermain Defoe. It is important to remember he is only 19, but he is a tremendous striker too. He will have to go some to better Ted though."