Ex-Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Coventry man ends eight-and-a-half month hunt for a goal - with brilliant 24-minute hat-trick
A former Pompey player ended his eight-and-a-half month wait for a goal in style - with a 24-minute hat-trick.
Bryn Morris was the unlikely scoring hero for Newport County in their stunning 6-3 success over MK Dons on Saturday.
Last term the midfielder found the back of the net eight times in an impressive maiden season since arriving at the League Two club on a free transfer from Grimsby in the 2023.
However, after 19 appearances during the current campaign, including 17 league starts, Morris had frustratingly still to register.
That was until the Exiles welcomed MK Dons to Rodney Parade, with the 28-year-old ex-Fratton Park man claiming a stunning first-half hat-trick.
Morris opened the scoring after 12 minutes with a thunderous left-footed shot from the edge of the area which entered the net via the bar.
He made it 2-0 just four minutes later when Luke Jephcott’s shot was saved by Tom McGill, with Morris pouncing to capitalise on the rebound.
Bobby Kamwa made it 3-0, before Morris completed his hat-trick in the 36th minute when he netted from the penalty spot after MK Dons had been punished for a handball inside the box.
Kamwa would go on to also register a hat-trick in the 6-3 success as Nelson Jardim’s side collected their first win in nine matches to climb into 16th spot in League Two.
The Exiles have provided the most settled spell of the much-travelled Morris’ career, with 77 appearances and 11 goals since joining in June 2023.
The former England under-20 international has racked up 12 different clubs since starting his career at Middlesbrough, including Pompey.
His two-and-a-half years at Fratton Park were not a success, blighted by injury problems and form issues in a forgettable stay.
The Blues had paid an undisclosed fee to land him from Shrewsbury in January 2019, as Kenny Jackett sought to strengthen their grip at the top of League One.
However, injuries restricted him to just five starts during the second half of that season as Pompey slipped to fourth, before losing to Sunderland in the play-offs.
Morris subsequently didn’t make a single league appearance in 2019-20, only to be surprisingly selected ahead of skipper Tom Naylor for their League One play-off semi-final against Oxford United.
With Pompey losing the two-legged fixture on penalties, he started the 2020-21 campaign alongside Naylor in the centre of midfield, before being loaned out to Northampton.
After 28 Pompey appearances and one goal, Morris was handed a free transfer in the summer of 2021 and would later represent Hartlepool, Burton, Grimsby and now Newport County.
And clearly he is revelling in life at Rodney Parade as a first-team regular and now hat-trick hero.