Michael Owen thanks Stoke City, Southampton fans

Retiring Michael Owen has thanked the supporters of both Stoke City and Southampton for the reception that he received at St Mary's Stadium this afternoon.

When the 33-year-old was brought on as a substitute during the second half, his name was sung by both sets of fans, who stayed behind once the match had concluded to applaud him off the pitch.

"Wow! Where do I start? Huge thanks to the Stoke fans. They sang my name non stop and gave me a send off I will never forget," he wrote on Twitter.

"Special word for the Southampton fans too. To be clapped off by a whole stadium was amazing."

The match ended in a 1-1 draw as Owen's introduction failed to spark Stoke into finding a winning goal.