JAMES Beattie's meaty goal against Middlesbrough has got the Saints striker in a big and bouncy mood.

Beattie goes into tonight's Worthington Cup tie against Gillingham in bullish mood after breaking his Premiership duck against Middlesbrough, and with a determination to snap a reputation levelled at him for a being a 'bus route' striker.

Ten of Beattie's 11 Premiership goals last season came in a red-hot ten-match purple-patch. Only one came outside that spell in 27 other Premiership appearances.

Beattie said: "I know that people say that I tend to score my goals in bunches and that I don't score consistently, but they weren't complaining last season when I scored those ten goals in that run.

"I have never lacked confidence in my ability, and with goals comes more confidence. It's a good upward spiral," says Beattie, who rates his second strike against Boro - a curling shot from a tight angle from the edge of the penalty area - up their with the best.

Beattie has scored some spectacular goals in his time, but he reckons: "The second goal against Boro was probably the second best goal I have ever scored, behind the one at Sunderland last season.

"I managed to steady myself and get a lot of curl on it and it needed that to get round Mark Schwarzer, who is a big keeper.

"I set the shot off outside the post and it came back in."

Beattie's strike double came after he squandered a good first-half chance when clean through, and the Saints striker says that strikers can't afford to be afraid to miss.

"If you dwell on missed chances and think about it when the next one comes along you'll probably have more chance of missing it.

"I should have scored that first chance, even though Ugo Ehiogu just clipped me.

"But you have to shrug that sort of thing off, and have the confidence to go and get on the end of the next chance."

Having broken his goalcoring duck for the season in the last round of the Worthingon Cup at Brighton, Beattie is looking for more of the same.

"The Worthington Cup has been a good competition for me so far this season, and I want that to continue.

"Gillingham are a big side, and Andy Hessenthaler has got them well-organised.

"We played at Gillingham in a pre-season game last season and I know that the Priestfield Stadium isn't an easy place to go.

"They'll fancy their chances but we're the Premiership side and we have to show our pedigree. We've played well away from home this season and the win at Middlesbrough has got the confidence really flowing through the camp."