MORGAN’S SO MERRY AS CURRIE IS COOKING

A FIRST senior hat-trick by 19-year-old birthday boy Callum Morton set the seal on the Iron’s biggest win of the season and three valuable points in their bid to avoid relegation.

Morton, on loan from West Brom, said: “It all went great today on my birthday and I can’t really believe it, but I felt we were well worth our win and I’ve already got the match ball in my bag.”

Iron manager Hakan Hayrettin was delighted with his side’s win, as well as full of praise for the youngster, adding: “He’s worked really hard up front for us since arriving and got his reward today, but I was also pleased with the whole team’s performance. They were excellent.

“We now need to keep up this consistency and I believe we can now start picking up wins to get us away from the relegation zone.”

Bees boss Darren Currie was scathing of his players, saying: “We were crap, simple as that – a total embarrassment to me and the club and I am totally shocked at the way we failed to show any fight, any determination and any hint of playing the type of football we have been showing.”

Barnet, who play Brentford in the FA Cup next Monday, were not helped by the third-minute sendingoff of goalkeeper Mark Cousins for hauling down Morton after the youngster had harried him into losing the ball.

“It was a disgraceful piece of football by our player, but it wasn’t the reason we lost this game because that was down to all the players out there – they were pathetic and the home side had the freedom of the park.” This morale-booster for the Iron was fully deserved as time and time again they split the Bees defence wide open with the best attacking display of football seen at Cressing Road for some time. On 33 minutes they duly added a second from a superb through ball by Courtney Richards into the path of Morton, who took two touches to drill a great shot into the net off the underside of the bar. The second half was a repeat of the first with the Iron totally dominant, and they added a third on 59 minutes when a high ball into the Bees area was brilliantly controlled by Morton only to be bundled over by Craig Robson, leaving the youngster to drill home the spot kick to complete his hat-trick. The Iron kept up the pressure, and they added a fourth on 83 minutes when substitute Ifeanyi Allen picked up a nicely weighted through ball from Morton before slotting home. The win still keeps the Iron at the foot of the table but Hayrettin added: “We must keep playing as we have in the past three league games – keeping clean sheets, and we can stay up.”

STAR MAN: Callum Morton (Braintree) ATT: 700 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Carl Brook 7/10