Sittingbourne 2-2 Leatherhead - Brady taken to hospital following freak head injury

But football paled into insignificance following a horrific freak head injury to assistant-player manager and top-scorer Richard Brady, which left the former Queen’s Park Rangers striker carried from the field with a deep gash to his forehead.

The incident happened just before half-time, with the score at 1-1.

Brady chased a seemingly lost ball towards the open end of Bourne Park, and as the ball beat him and a defender into touch, the pair “collided” sending Brady, not just into the advertising boards, but through it, and onto the concrete standing area behind.

He was carried to the first aid room, where upon a rapid response paramedic dealt with the initial injury, but was heard to say to club officials “he’s going to need a lot of stitches.”

Speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game, Brickies’ boss Gary Abbott was clearly concerned for his number two.

He described the scene, he saw at half-time, but in the interests of our readers that are squeamish we will decline to publish Abbott’s actual remarks, but the Brickies boss did admit that Brady’s eyebrow wasn’t where it should be.

The injury aside, masked arguably the Brickies’ best performance for some time, yet Abbott was still seething.

“We’ve given them two stupid goals and we know if we are going to make that fifth place, we’ve got to win games like this.

“We were so much better than Saturday, and I couldn’t fault any of the players for the way they played, but the two goals we gave away were simply inexcusable.”

It all began so well for Sittingbourne, as Brady himself (with his 18^th goal of the season), had given them the lead after only 12 minutes.

Hicham Akhazzan did well down the left and his pull back was guided into Brady’s path by Mark De Bolla and the striker made no mistake from 12-yards.

They could have doubled their lead eleven minutes later - Brady was denied by a fine Chris Lewington save and from De Bolla’s corner, Tom Bradbrook thundered a header against the bar.

On the half-hour mark, Bradbrook again went close, with a drive across the face of goal, after a delightful through ball from Colin Richmond.

However, totally against the run of play, Leatherhead equalised on 34 minutes, when Steve Goddard headed home an in-swinging right-wing corner - a goal that left Abbott fuming with the lack of defensive coverage.

Shaken by Brady’s injury, the Brickies’ then handed Leatherhead the lead, ninety seconds after half-time, when following a series of defensive clangers, keeper Matt Reed failed to gather a cross and Ryan Palmer gleefully but the visitors’ in front.

The former Tonbridge Angels keeper held his head in disbelief as the ball hit went through his legs to hit the net.

A stunned Sittingbourne hit back immediately.

Bradbrook was denied by a fine Lewington block, but in the ensuring melee, managed to force the ball to Akhazzan, who managed to stabbed the ball home from eight-yards.

The Brickies were now rampant.

Matt Bourne had a header following De Bolla’s corner just over; Bradbrook volleyed straight at the keeper following a super ball from Nick Reeves; Mark Green then had a shot beaten away by Lewington - the keeper doing well as the shot came through a crowd of bodies - and then De Bolla was denied with a brave save following Bradbrook’s flick.

However, in a rare counter attack, Leatherhead substitute Jas Henry almost won it for the visitors, but Reed this time excelled, stopping the shot with his legs.

In stoppage time, following another De Bolla corner, the ball just wouldn’t drop for Rio Alderton and the visitors’ scrambled the ball to safety.

Reflecting on his side’s performance, Abbott conceded, “If we had won tonight we could have taken four points from our next two away games (Saturday at Walton Casuals and next Tuesday at Dulwich Hamlet), but after drawing tonight we’ve got to get six points now.

“Don’t ask me how many points we need to get that fifth spot, I really don’t know,” shrugged the Bourne boss as he disappeared into his car to go and see his number two Brady at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham.

Whilst this was an entertaining game for the fans’ to watch, our thoughts must be with Brady and his family tonight and we wish him a speedy return.

Sittingbourne: Matt Reed, Nick Reeves, Joe Dowley, Matt Bourne, Billy Manners, Rio Alderton, Colin Richmond, Mark De Bolla, Tom Bradbrook, Richard Brady (Mark Green 45, Bradley Spice 90), Hicham Akhazzan.
Subs: Elie Kayembe, Joe Horlock, Pat Gradley.

Goals: Richard Brady 12, Hicham Akhazzan 51

Leatherhead: Chris Lewington, Devon Williams, Sacha M’Baye, Ian Henry, John Cartledge, Stuart Holmes, Tom Horley, Ryan Palmer, Tom Hutchins (Tom Williams 86), Steve Goddard (Jas Henry 45), Ben Shannon.
Subs: Matt Jones, Dave Hyatt.

Goals: Steve Goddard 34, Ryan Palmer 47

Booked: Steve Goddard 18, Sacha M’Baye 79, John Cartledge 85.

Attendance: 142
Referee: Mr Dave Buck (Istead Rise)
Assistants: Mr Guy Marley (Bexleyheath) Mr James Macey (Bexley)