Leighton Hat-Trick Hero as Three Bridges Claim Huge Away Win

Three Bridges claimed a huge three points on the road on Saturday, beating Stanway Rovers 3-1 in the Isthmian Premier Division thanks to a superb late hat-trick from captain Noel Leighton.

With both sides battling at the wrong end of the table in the early stages of the season, the encounter was a crucial six-pointer. Facing a lengthy trip to Colchester and a difficult playing surface, Jamie Crellin’s men could have been forgiven for struggling to find their rhythm, but there would be no excuses from the visitors as they secured their first away win at Step 3.

Bridges started with real purpose, with both Leighton and Ade Adeyinka going close inside the opening five minutes, their efforts narrowly missing the target. The visitors came even closer to breaking the deadlock in the 15th minute when Dakara Wifa wriggled his way down the left before squaring for Rivera, whose effort struck the post.

Stanway responded immediately, with Charles forcing Roberts into a smart save before Ogebor struck the post from the resulting corner. Charles then tested Roberts again, with the Bridges goalkeeper standing firm, before Scott Malone went close at the other end, heading against the crossbar. Despite chances at both ends, the sides went into the break goalless.

The second half was a nervy affair, with quality at a premium as both teams appeared increasingly concerned about avoiding defeat. However, it was Bridges who finally found the breakthrough in the 79th minute.

After weathering pressure from a couple of set-pieces, the visitors’ defence remained resolute. A brilliant tackle from Rivera inside the box saw the ball break to Ferreira, who produced an outstanding pass over the top for Leighton. The skipper raced away from his own half, completing a remarkable 60-yard sprint before calmly rounding the goalkeeper and slotting home to put Bridges in front.

The visitors looked to hold on to their advantage but were undone by a defensive miscommunication in the 87th minute. A long ball over the top was poked against the crossbar by Santos before Toussaint reacted quickest to convert the rebound and restore parity.

There was little time for Bridges to dwell on the setback, however, as Crellin’s men responded almost immediately from the restart. Sam Bull delivered a superb long ball forward for Leighton, who battled past his marker, anticipated the bounce brilliantly and used his strength to get into position before beating the goalkeeper at the near post with a classy finish. With the clock showing 88 minutes, Bridges were back in front, and their captain had his second.

Stanway threw everything forward in search of another equaliser, but Bridges would have the final say. Deep into stoppage time, the visitors broke following a corner, with Charlie Bennett doing brilliantly to work the ball forward before finding Leighton on the edge of the box. The skipper made no mistake, guiding a left-footed finish into the far corner in the 95th minute to complete a magnificent hat-trick and seal a priceless 3-1 victory.

It was a superb result for Bridges, who showed resilience after conceding late and the character to respond immediately. More importantly, the victory marked their first away win at Step 3 and provides a valuable platform from which to build momentum in the coming weeks.

Attention now turns to a huge week at Jubilee Field, with three home fixtures in seven days. Lewes visit on Tuesday, 13 October, with kick-off at 19:45, before Enfield Town arrive on Saturday, 17 October, for a 15:00 start. Eastbourne Borough then complete the triple-header on Tuesday, 20 October, at 19:45.

Three Bridges line-up: Roberts, Irving, Malone, Bull, Ferreira, Spicer, Adeyinka (Bennett, 73′), Rivera, Velvick, Wifa (Hallard, 60′), Leighton (C).

Player of the Match: Noel Leighton – There were several outstanding performances, including a commanding display from Sam Bull at the back, but there could only be one winner after the Bridges skipper delivered a match-winning hat-trick. Last season’s Isthmian South East Golden Boot winner is already making his mark at Premier Division level, moving up to third in the league’s goalscoring charts with another statement performance.

			Home				Away				Total
			P	W	D	L	P	W	D	L	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
	1	Enfield Town	6	4	0	2	4	4	0	0	10	8	0	2	28	12	+16	24
	2	Welling United	6	6	0	0	5	2	0	3	11	8	0	3	20	10	+10	24
	3	Dartford	6	4	0	2	5	4	0	1	11	8	0	3	18	12	+6	24
	4	Lewes	5	4	0	1	6	3	1	2	11	7	1	3	17	12	+5	22
	5	Carshalton Athletic	6	3	0	3	6	4	0	2	12	7	0	5	18	20	-2	21
	6	Ramsgate	5	3	0	2	6	3	1	2	11	6	1	4	27	15	+12	19
	7	Eastbourne Borough	6	5	0	1	4	1	1	2	10	6	1	3	19	11	+8	19
	8	St Albans City	4	3	0	1	5	2	2	1	9	5	2	2	18	13	+5	17
	9	Dulwich Hamlet	5	4	1	0	4	1	0	3	9	5	1	3	18	12	+6	16
	10	Chatham Town	5	4	0	1	4	1	0	3	9	5	0	4	19	13	+6	15
	11	Leatherhead	5	1	1	3	5	3	2	0	10	4	3	3	18	17	+1	15
	12	Burgess Hill Town	6	3	3	0	3	0	2	1	9	3	5	1	16	11	+5	14
	13	Cheshunt	5	2	3	0	6	1	2	3	11	3	5	3	11	14	-3	14
	14	Cray Wanderers	5	2	2	1	4	1	1	2	9	3	3	3	19	14	+5	12
	15	Aveley	5	1	1	3	6	2	1	3	11	3	2	6	18	19	-1	11
	16	Wingate & Finchley	3	1	1	1	6	2	1	3	9	3	2	4	14	20	-6	11
	17	Brentwood Town	4	2	0	2	6	1	0	5	10	3	0	7	15	19	-4	9
	18	AFC Whyteleafe	5	1	2	2	6	1	1	4	11	2	3	6	13	21	-8	9
	19	Maldon & Tiptree	7	2	0	5	5	1	0	4	12	3	0	9	15	33	-18	9
	20	Three Bridges	4	1	1	2	6	1	1	4	10	2	2	6	19	29	-10	8
	21	Whitehawk	5	1	2	2	6	0	0	6	11	1	2	8	11	26	-15	5
	22	Stanway Rovers	5	0	0	5	5	1	1	3	10	1	1	8	8	26	-18	4