DAVID Seaman might not be able to save corner kicks, but he proved as elusive as ever when the post-mortem into his latest calamitous error was being conducted.

Having failed to keep out Artim Sakiri's corner at the St Mary's Stadium, he gave the waiting journalists the slip by hauling his increasingly vulnerable 39-year-old frame through a side exit and away into the Southampton night.

But although Seaman kept his counsel following his mistake, his teammates mounted a loquacious defence of the man whose international career might finally be over after 13 years and 75 caps.

Gary Neville, England's most eloquent player, was adamant that Seaman remains his country's best goalkeeper, despite his ever-expanding catalogue of gaffes.

And Sol Campbell angrily turned on his Arsenal colleague's tormentors in the crowd on the south coast, who booed him and sarcastically cheered every time he caught the ball after his early error.

Set alongside Sven-Goran Eriksson's staunch support for Seaman, the man known as "Safe Hands" is clearly still considered an indispensable member of the England squad.

Neville argued that no goalkeeper in the world would have kept out the in-swinging corner from Sakiri that embarrassed Seaman on Wednesday.

Certainly, it was well struck by the Macedonia midfielder, but just as happened with Ronaldinho in Shizuoka and Gareth Farrelly last month, Seaman brought about his own downfall.

He took a step towards the ball and then found himself stranded with his weight forward when he should have been back-pedalling.

Neville exonerated Seaman from any blame, though, and argued he had instead been the victim of a "freak" goal.

The defender said: "David has been the best keeper in the country for the whole time I've been playing for England.

"There was nothing David could have done about the Ronaldinho goal and it was the same situation with the corner against Macedonia.

"After the Brazil game, people said a keeper shouldn't be beaten from there, and they'll say the same thing now.

"But that's a load of rubbish. I've never seen a corner kick hit like that in my life.

"It's the first time in 11 years of playing for Manchester United and England that I've seen someone score from a corner.

"That strike was absolutely incredible. You shouldn't be looking to blame anyone for that, and instead you should give the lad who hit it credit. How he did it, I don't know. It was a freak goal.

"Inevitably, people will want to criticise David, but I don't think any keeper in the world would have saved that. If you asked the other keepers in the squad, they would have said the same thing."

As Neville demonstrated his unwavering faith in Seaman, Campbell accused a significant section of England fans of showing the veteran keeper a lack of respect.

One felt sorry for Seaman, who made his international debut under Sir Bobby Robson and has served his country with distinction, as the supporters ironically applauded him.

Yet, the fans' response showed that many believe Eriksson must now call time on Seaman's England career.

Campbell said: "I can't talk for everyone in the crowd, but as a fellow professional I can say that what happened wasn't nice because he's doing his best.

"There's got to be a little bit of respect for David when he's out there because he's an unbelievable keeper.

"David's an experienced player and he's big enough to rise above it if he's booed. But everyone should be getting behind England.

"Nobody can play the perfect game every single time. Sometimes you can play perfectly, but you can't do so on a regular basis.

"David's been a fantastic player for his country and he's pulled saves out of the bag at important times.

"He's been there for us when the chips have been down, and David has had some fantastic games in the league this season.