Fabulous four for Murray gives Seagulls hope for 2010
AS I finally reached the Dreams Stand on Bank Holiday Monday all was not well! I confess to a black mood.
For a start it was 27 minutes AFTER kick-off! The big cheer I had just heard was bad news – Wycombe had scored!
We left Brighton in good time. Tom Tom told me we would arrive at Adams Park by 2 o'clock - plenty of time for programme, food, drink and savouring the ambience. Tom Tom got that wrong! M23, M25, and M40 all stop-start, then gridlocked a mere 3 miles from the ground as the 3 o'clock start approached.
To be honest it was brave of us (and over 1,000 Albion fans!) to follow the team after a pretty poor Boxing Day performance at Withdean against fellow strugglers Leyton Orient. A goalless draw failed to whet the appetite. The rain did the wetting - we got soaked!
Getting just one point from that particular "six-pointer" was disappointing. A decent crowd of around 7,000 turned out in atrocious weather to watch a lacklustre game with very few highlights or incidents. I was embarrassed having forecast no rain and a three-goal win to leapfrog us above Orient.
Worryingly the O's were the better side for much of the game and deserved their point.
Manager Gus Poyet in his wisdom (not shared by me!) stuck with big Peter Brezovan in goal and left Michel Kuipers, Glenn Murray and Dean Cox on the bench. Liam Dickinson worked hard upfront but only picked up a yellow card for his efforts. He missed the Wycombe game! Our captain, Andrew Crofts, went one better and collected two yellows to get himself sent off. That was very, very silly. He also missed the next game.
Poyet has to get to grips with our horrendous disciplinary record.
Albion looked more dangerous with 10 men. There wasn't much football to report. I'm afraid we trooped home lacking Christmas spirit, disappointed, frustrated, cold and wet. Even passing Falmer wasn't cheering as all work stopped when the snow came. Would we recover in time to brave the trek up to High Wycombe? Thank goodness we did!
Gary Dicker was back in midfield and Cox started. Poyet persisted with Brezovan but did at least start with Murray. As I mentioned above we were one down to a scrappy goal by the time my group arrived. At least I managed to avoid the wheel-clampers by parking in the snow in the Wycombe directors' car park!
Soon all was well as Murray scored with a fine overhead-kick (1- 1) as half-time approached. There was no danger as a Wanderers free-kick looped harmlessly off our wall to Brezovan. He casually caught and then DROPPED the ball at John Mousinho's feet for a tap-in gift.
It was back to bad-tempered muttering at half-time! We complain about Withdean but Wycombe's commercial side leaves a lot to be desired! No programmes! Hot dogs sold out! Massive queue for burgers! AND a keeper who drops the ball (almost as bad as Wayne Henderson throwing out the ball and then falling over in the 90th minute at Bournemouth a few years ago!).
Poyet must have said the right things at half-time. I wonder what Uruguayan swear words sound like? It did the trick. It was like the first-half at Southampton as our defence defended, our midfield pushed through the passes and our attack ran riot.
49 minutes – Gary Dicker broke on the right and Nicky Forster glided his flick past the helpless Shearer in the Wanderers' goal (2 – 2).
56 minutes – Forster provided the cross for Murray to head past Shearer (2 – 3) putting Brighton ahead for the first time.
70 minutes – Murray's hat-trick. It was Forster the provider again as Murray controlled, turned and shot home (2 – 4). By now the Albion fans were in good heart – and voice. "Shearer, Shearer what's the score?" We were almost relaxed as Forster failed to fire home after a great Dicker–Murray move. We enjoyed the panic in the Wycombe defence as Elliott Bennett seemed certain to add to our total. His rocket was well saved by Shearer. But Murray fittingly had the last word.
80 minutes – Bennett took the short corner, Cox crossed for Murray to nod home our 5th (FIFTH!) and his fourth. Murray grabbed the match ball at the end. He deserved it! MOTM possibly but Dicker was masterful in midfield. Poyet should be able to put together a strong, confident side for the FA Cup game this Saturday at Torquay!
My festive forecast was to be out of the bottom four by 2010. Against all the odds we are! Orient lost at home, we scored FIVE (I can't remember when we last did that!), meaning goal differences the same but us ahead on goals scored. So 20th it is and the 10 clubs above us within six points. Happy New Year to all!
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Weather for Lewes
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
