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Murray's super strike wins it: Brighton 1-0 Oldham
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Posted by David Snowball
at
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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ALBION gave themselves and their nervy fans a welcome confidence-
booster with a well-deserved win over Oldham.
New £300,000 signing Glenn Murray scored the only goal of the game,
and what a superb strike it was.
Matt Richards made a fantastic surging run through the middle and
found Murray with a neat pass as he moved out to the left of the
penalty area.
Murray coolly drew Mark Crossley off his line, rounded him, and
slotted with supreme confidence from a tightish angle.
It was the former Rochdale hitman's fourth goal in four games for the
Albion and his all-round performance raised expectations for the run-
in to the end of the season.
Once again, Murray's partnership with Nicky Forster looked highly
promising and, although the experienced ex-Ipswich forward didn't
score, it really can only be a matter of time before his industry,
movement and skill is rewarded with a lucky break.
In truth he could - and maybe should - have had two goals as Albion
carved out plenty of chances.
Dean Bowditch, sporting a new shorn look, set him up with a delightful
threaded pass but Crossley was equal to Forster's effort. And a header
from a left wing cross went well over when you'd have fancied him to
hit the target.
It was Albion's failure to capitalise on their chances which was the
only downside of the afternoon. Oldham, to their credit, tried to get
on the scoresheet themselves and came very close on several occasions.
With Albion defenders still caught upfield following a corner, their
best effort came when Craig Davies found himself through one on one
with Michel Kuipers but a desperate last-ditch lunge by Tommy Fraser
was maybe just enough to make him send his shot well over. Davies
injured himself in the process and had to be replaced and Fraser also
limped off before half time. A word for his replacement, David Martot,
who slotted into the left central midfield berth very effectively and
was quickly into the thick of the action. It was the best I had seen
from him in an Albion shirt.
There were a few harum scarum moments in the Albion penalty area as
Oldham pushed for an equaliser, but Tommy Elphick and Adam El-Abd,
together with Michel Kuipers, managed to keep them at bay.
It was frustrating to see Dean Cox trying to wind down the clock by
playing keep-ball in the corner with 13 minutes still to play, but the
ploy, also picked up by Forster and substitute Jake Robinson (on for
Bowditch) had the desired effect.
When Forster was replaced by Lynch close to the end, he earned a warm
ovation as he left the field.
Albion had to wait a long time to secure his services but he has been
worth every penny of the £75,000 fee paid to Hull.
Optimists will look at the league table and note Albion are now only
seven points adrift of the play-off places with three games in hand.
Many more performances like this one and the dream may yet become a
reality. But there is still a long way to go and Albion have a tough
month ahead, starting with Orient at home next Saturday.
Player scores out of 10:
Kuipers 8;
Whing 7,
Elphick 8,
El-Abd 7,
Richards 8;
Bowditch 7,
Fraser 5,
Thomson 7,
Cox 8;
Murray 9,
Forster 8.
Subs:
Martot (for Fraser) 8,
Robinson (for Bowditch),
Lynch (for Forster).
Not used: Mayo, Hart.
By Nick TurrellLabels: League One, Nick Turrell, Oldham
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Delirious scenes of delight: Oldham 1 - 1 Brighton Match Report
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Posted by David Snowball
at
Sunday, January 13, 2008
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OUT of sorts captain Dean Hammond's ninth minute dismissal at Boundary Park threatened to make it a miserable afternoon for the 317 visiting Albion fans.
But a battling performance and some shrewd tactical changes by manager Dean Wilkins brought an unlikely reward with a last-gasp equaliser from substitute Nathan Elder.
The small but noisy Albion contingent behind Michel Kuipers' goal erupted in delight and the Dutch 'keeper himself was so fired up that he came mighty close to being arrested by the police for his pumped up celebrations.
It was hardly surprising there was such an outpouring of joy after reaping some reward at the end of a tough week for the Albion which had looked like getting tougher with that early sending off of Hammond.
The skipper couldn't really complain, though. With such a high focus on two-footed challenges right now, the referee had little option.
From there on in, huge credit has to go to the remaining 10, plus three subs, for the part they all played in coming away from this bleak corner of the North West with a point.
Not surprisingly, Wilkins rewarded Wes Fogden for his impressive debut at Swansea with a first league start at right back; Andrew Whing starting at left back in place of the injured Joel Lynch.
Unfortunately, once Oldham had a one-man advantage, they started to put Fogden under a lot of pressure, and Wilkins quickly changed things round, withdrawing the youngster and putting the experienced Kerry Mayo on at left back, with Whing reverting to the right.
I have never been a big fan of Mayo, but I have to take my hat off to a truly excellent professional performance. He used his experience to try to lessen the impact of Oldham's extra man through his passing and movement off the ball and credit to him for giving the manager a reminder he can still do a job.
The only one blemish to record was a horrendous full body check he did on Oldham goalscorer Lee Hughes which was rather like that assault Steve McQueen does on a German guard in The Great Escape just before 'Ives' gets shot. Astonishingly, Mayo didn't even get booked, let alone sent off.
Nicky Forster took the captain's armband once Hammond had walked and led by example with his lone running up front. As others have mentioned elsewhere, I think Forster would be a good candidate to keep the armband as he is a genuine leader on the field, constantly encouraging the youngsters. Especially now Hammond will miss three games for the automatic dismissal.
Adam El-Abd had one of his best ever games for the Albion with an assured display alongside Tommy Elphick.
Alex Revell worked hard when having to drop back to help the depleted Albion midfield and it was no surprise that Gary Hart took his place towards the end to ensure tired legs didn't spoil the tremendous effort in keeping Oldham's lead to only one goal.
Oldham hadn't won at home since the end of September last year, and you could see why. They appeared nervous and jittery and, apart from Hughes' clinically taken goal just before half-time, didn't look too likely to add to their score, save for a couple of efforts from set pieces.
The unlucky Nathan Elder, who must have splinters in his backside after the length of time he has spent on the bench, was thrown on with only five minutes remaining (minor moan, here.....why such a short time?.....surely it would be better to give him 15 mins at least). With the sign for added on time already having been brandished, Dean Cox whipped in a corner from the left. Forster got to it first and the ball cannoned off the bar. An almighty scramble ensued and the next we knew the ball was in the back of the net. It was difficult to see from our vantage point at the opposite end who had applied the finishing touch, but word quickly got round that it was Elder.
There was barely time for Oldham to restart the game before the ref blew the final whistle to cue delirious scenes of delight from the Albion faithful and players - and the skirmish between Kuipers and the stewards!
By Nick TurrellLabels: League One, Nick Turrell, Oldham
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Oldham Report: A Rant!
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Posted by David Snowball
at
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
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Albion's catastrophic end to the season continued with yet another home defeat, this time to play-off candidates Oldham. Fortunately other results have gone our way and we will be playing league 1 football again next season; however one has to think that if the season had another 2 or 3 fixtures to go, we would be in serious trouble.
In my opinion, unless serious investment is put into the side for next season, this current terrible run may continue into next season and yet another relegation battle will begin. Dick Knight and the board will be made to look very foolish if at the beginning of next season, we make an indifferent start and are in the bottom four after 10-12 games. By giving an unproven manager a three-year contract they have certainly placed all their eggs in one basket. Knight has already set a precedent by sacking the more proven Mark McGhee and Bob Booker. Of course, the Albion's coaching team has been weakened and not replaced this season. With Dean White moved to assistant manager from head coach and Dean Wilkins to manager from first team coach at least two full-time positions need to be filled over the summer. Ian Chapman has come in on a part-time basis and I presume this will become permanent in the summer, however, if he is allowed to continue under the current circumstances next season I will be very disappointed. Dick Knight can talk about challenging at the top of the division but for a full-time professional club to employ a part-time first team coach is not adequate. How can he coach players to improve he doesn’t see the matches?
The game on Saturday for me very quickly became a blur among a sea of poor home performances. While Dean Cox scored another fantastic goal – and credit to him for his dedication and hard work – but it was not what the seagulls deserved.
Like Dean Wilkins has said after the match, Brighton was bullied all over the pitch. He talks about conditioning and strength building but for me it is not just physical but psychological as well. Next season, they must learn from experienced players like Sean Gregan, who without being dangerous or nasty was highly effective throughout. The team desperately lacks experience and this cannot be gained by players aged between 19 and 22 overnight. In my view, Brighton could do with 3 or 4, experienced campaigners at this level, who can offer leadership, strong tackling and decent aerial presence. Of course, a goal scorer is an absolute necessity. In Saturday’s performance the play in the final third was woeful as, on the brief occasions the ball was actually in the final third, the seagulls never looked like scoring and never seriously tested the Oldham 'keeper. The return of players such as: Oatway, Hinshelwood and Reid will help but question marks have to be held over at least two of these, Oatway and Hinshelwood; who seem to have been injured for a long time.
I never had the fortune to see Dean Wilkins play, as he was in his Albion pomp about the time I was born so I can't relate to the 'Wendy Wilkins' tag but, from the snippets of information I can find it seems that this tag could be cast over many of the current Albion side. Gifted players who are 'cultured' with the ball, but when the physical stuff kicks in, struggle to express themselves. Let’s face it, glamorous football might look alright but it won’t get you promoted in this division. Scunthorpe proved that when they came to Withdean. They played not fantastically but still came away with a point.
Wilkins has a long hard summer ahead and in my opinion has some big decisions to make about contracts and employing new players. It may seem harsh, but he must be ruthless and discard nostalgic reputations or previous glories and focus on what has to be done to improve next season. Otherwise he may not have a job by Christmas. By Rhys Turrell Labels: League One, Oldham, Rhys Turrell
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