The final game of this season’s Maccabi Masters Football League saw Brady end the season with silverware as they beat EHRS Stonegrove 2-1 to claim the Jack Morgan Trophy.
Having lost out to double winners Lions in the final of the Nathan Horwitz final, Brady started their second final of the year in bright fashion – once they saw goalkeeper Trevor Racke tip over James Cartmell’s strike which threatened to give EHRS a first-minute lead – Scott Ansher creating three decent chances in the first quarter of an hour.
Brady’s pressure paid dividends soon after when David Rose’s 25-yard shot bounced in front of EHRS goalkeeper Bernard Jarvis and nestled into the bottom right corner. Brady looked to extend their lead, Ben Kent coming close, before Jarvis produced heroics turning away Jon Holman’s interception to save his blushes of scoring an own goal.
However, with half-time fast approaching, Dan Hode’s superb 30-yard free-kick struck the angle of crossbar and post, and with Racke rooted to his spot, Mark Kingston was on hand to fire home the equaliser.
The second half produced few chances, the most notable of which saw Cartmell strike the woodwork. The only other real action would be the winning goal, and it was one worthy of deciding such an occasion.
Neil Kochane drove through the middle of the pitch, his searching pass into the right-hand channel slid perfectly into the path of Ansher, whose pinpoint low cross found Adam Brand, who finished clinically from close-range. With little other goalmouth action, Brady held on to clinch the trophy and put to bed the disappointment of three weeks ago.
