GOAL king Alan Lee forgot to buy his younger brother Ross a birthday present.The lad came over from Ireland to watch his sibling in action - and asked Alan to present him with a goal.

By Elvin King

GOAL king Alan Lee forgot to buy his younger brother Ross a birthday present.

The lad came over from Ireland to watch his sibling in action - and asked Alan to present him with a goal.

“I am so glad it worked out,” said the 28-year-old, who scored a second half hat-trick in Ipswich Town's 5-0 mauling of outplayed Luton Town.

He has now scored eight goals in his last seven games, and feels that his three goals make up for forgetting Ross' big day.

“I did not think I was having a good game,” added Lee. “I felt lethargic and was sloppy with my play and passes.

“After the interval I felt better, and the chances fell for me.

“My last hat-trick was five years ago in the old Second Division for Rotherham against Oxford, and the ball is certainly running for me.”

Lee revealed that he needed no second invitation to take the 90th minute penalty to complete his trio.

“I suppose previous takers like Matt Richards and Simon Walton were ahead of me, but when Alex Bruce posed the question I thought he was having a laugh.

“I would rather have given the penalty to a steward than Alex!”

Lee feels there are more goals in him at Plymouth tomorrow now that his confidence is sky high.

“We did well. We were tough and kept a high line across the pitch. I have never had a good run like this before.”

Goalscorer Sylvain Legwinski said: “I really enjoyed the afternoon. We were always in control and it was great to score another goal.”

Gary Roberts, who came on and gave a good impression in the latter stages, said: “The pressure was off me because the game was already won.

“I missed a good chance to score, but was pleased to be involved in the penalty when I was brought down in the box.

“We have showed that we are capable of reaching the play-offs, and with the match being shown on live television we also gave warning to the clubs above that we are coming after them.”

LUTON boss Mike Newell revealed after the match that 27-year-old left back Sol Davis had suffered a stroke on the team coach yesterday.

“It is impossible to tell how much it affected us,” said the manager. “Sol had a blockage on his brain, and his left side was paralysed and his speech impaired.

“He is in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge and was a little better on Sunday. It will be three to six months before he returns to the team.”

Town manager Jim Magilton paid this tribute: “The result paled into insignificance, and everybody at Ipswich Town wishes Sol a speedway recovery.”

IPSWICH beat Avenir Beggin from Luxemburg 8-1 in the UEFA Cup in 2002. Although they have matched 5-0 scores since then they have not beaten in the league the 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United on March 1, 1980.