9  Top footballer (4)

10 4 cuts out conquests? (10)

11 Coming across Father Brown outside pub (6)

12 Protected invention of Dr. Moreau (8)

13 Practitioner's 151 in return caught by Botham (9)

15 Blue fish swimming around Cuba (4)

16 Covet new volume, you might say (4)

17 Market closing with a lift on initial offering, perhaps? (9)

21 8's vistor - he's in 11, right out of place (3,5)

22 Jumbo driver? (6)

24 Petulant 23, or mum's cooking (10)

25 Somewhat rough-spoken expressions of disgust (4)

26 Keats work initially involved minor revisions (6)

27 Run over in pedigree race (6)

 1/2/23/19               Ooh! Fateful hot flushes here? Grotesque tale by 8 (3,4,2,3,5,2,5)

 3  As poison? (7)

 5  Run off when copper, having sprayed pepper-spray, retreats (6)

 6  Exciting stuff - last-minute scramble blocking Messi's second (9)

 7  23 in order? (7)

 8  Author's strangely angered about every unfinished verse (5,5,3)

14 21's refrain is always the same - or less (9)

16 Emissions tax (7)

18 Supply period paint (7)

19 See 1

20 Composer's vodka cocktail with a dash of red-bull (6)

23 See 1