Ever since the draw was made for this FA Cup 3rd round tie there has been a nervous excitement whistling round the Withdean but after the dust had settled several Albion supporters seem to be wondering whether all the furore surrounding tickets was really worth it.
Let's get it straight, the Albion were by no means embarrassed at Upton Park but it just seems that they let themselves down by never really put up much resistance to the Premiership outfit. At half-time, with the scores level, the young seagulls must have thought they stood a chance of forcing a replay put these dreams were shattered by two quick goals by the hammers. Mark Noble, who was impressive in the centre of midfield, finished of a decent move after a knock-down by the equally impressive Carlos Tevez.
And it was Tevez who instigated the host's second goal, his forceful run and cross from the right-side was initially left but debutant Boa Morte reached his centre and crossed for Carlton Cole to head from a seemingly offside position. Regardless, the Albion were now two goals behind and it is there reaction to this scenario that seemed to disappoint the vast Brighton faithful.
For the first-half a cautious approach was highly expected but they never failed to change from this tactic even when they conceded. True it is that West Ham relatively few chances on goal but neither did us and Robinson and Revell were starved of service. Albion's only particularly dangerous move was when Gary Hart, who replaced Tommy Fraser on 51 minutes, bent a delightful cross for Revell but he was unable to get a proper connection with a diving header. Apart from that move however, Brighton rarely held possession in the opposition half, and it was only with the brief introduction of Joe Gatting that we looked lively in the forward positions. Unfortunately Hayden Mullins headed in a ninetieth minute goal to give the game a false image - two goals would have been fairer - but he took his goal well.
Credit should be given to West Ham for their capitalisation of our errors and naivety and that would serve as a valuable lesson to our young side. Particularly young Tommy Fraser who looks to struggle when in the opposition's area - his first-half header was straight at goalkeeper Carroll - whereas Cole found the corner with his header from a similar situation.
Hopefully this young Albion side will learn many lessons from their first afternoon against a Premiership side, as did many of the Championship team that took on Spurs two years ago, and they of course stayed in the Championship that season.
A relegation battle seems a little unlikely but the seagulls must remain focused on the league campaign and get a decent 'second-half' under their belts to provide a springboard for promotion next season - in much the same way as Nottingham Forest did at the tail end of last years campaign. We are also in the semi-finals of the 'Paint-Cup' and at trip to Wembley could be a decent earner for the club as well as a magnificent experience for players and fans alike.
With this match now digested by the players perhaps the next time they face Premier League opposition they will do so with more purpose, compose and confidence.
They're only young and can only improve.
Match Ratings:
Henderson: 7 - Had surprisingly little to do but when called on did well and
distribution was good.
Mayo: 5 - Granted he was playing against one of the best players at the
World Cup in Tevez, but was not disgraced. As
wholehearted as ever.
Butters: 6 - Lead by example and won most balls in the air, handled
oppositions pace well.
Lynch: 6 - Looked composed and confident but concentration lets him down.
O'Cearill 6 - Solid debut at right-back and was confident and strong in the tackle.
Frutos 6 - Made a lively start and won a few tackles lacked compose in final
third.
Hammond 8 (MOM) - Lead the side well and carried what little forward charge
there was. Strong and decisive tackling left mark on midfield also.
El-Abd 7 - Improved in second-half and was well disciplined when tackling,
got caught in possession a lot, however.
Fraser 5 - Lacked decisiveness in forward position and can't offer natural
width.
Robinson 5 - Was possibly daunted by the occasion but was well marked and
subdued by the Hammers, suffered from poor
service.
Revell: 6 - His first shot went for a throw in and that seemed to knock his
confidence, however he improved later in the game and fought gallantly despite poor service.
Subs:
Hart: 7 - Came on and hugged right-touch line and generally was solid. Should be in contention for a start in the JPS tie.
Rents: 5 - Had little impact but the game was already over by the time he came on.
Gatting: (Not enough time) - The side seemed to miss his hold-up play and
possibly could have come on earlier.Labels: FA Cup, Rhys Turrell, West Ham
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