A VIDEO of a footballer missing a gaping open goal at a Waltham Abbey game has become an unexpected internet smash hit watched by more than three million people in just five days.

The footage of the howler, shot during Abbey's 5-3 home defeat to Harrow Borough on Saturday, has been described variously as "the miss of the century" and "the worst miss ever in football".

The clip, uploaded to popular website YouTube.com, shows the moment when Harrow striker Rocky Baptiste dribbles round Abbey's keeper in the dying moments of the game, only to blast the ball embarrassingly wide of the goal.

The numbers viewing the video have been steadily rising since it was put on the internet on Sunday, with the clip topping the three million mark earlier today - a number which could fill Abbey's Copershotts ground 857 times over.

The club's vice chairman, Dave Marrion, said: "We've all been having a chuckle about it, but it's crazy how popular it has become.

"When the game finished we told the guy that was filming it that he should put it on Youtube, but we never expected it to get around so much.

"When it happened I don't think anyone could believe it. Even the referee gave a throw-in to their team at first because he thought it had come off a deflection.

"I suppose it has helped put Waltham Abbey on the map."

Captain Lee White said he was amazed by the response to the video.

He said: "It's quite incredible that it's got three million hits.

"When it happened I was just shocked. You don't expect someone to miss from a yard out - I think my first reaction was that I was glad he missed because we were losing as it was, I didn't want them to get six goals.

"Rightly or wrongly it has got our name out there, but at the end of the game we were more concerned about losing the game than the miss."

Club manager Glen Alzapiedi declined to comment.

Click here to see the video.