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Flying High
Report: (Brighton 2 - 4 Wigan) |
It
was a night to forget, a repeat of a weekend we were all hoping was just a
one off, but it wasn't. Before you even had time to take your seat, Wigan
had scored twice, and after less than 35 minutes they had doubled their
lead to 4 goals. Despite Wigan's poor record at Brighton, today they
showed everyone exactly why they should stay at the top of the league.
After
the first three minutes, where we had already seen a volleyed goal from
Jimmy Bullard, and another goal by Lee McCulloch you just knew it was
going to be a repeat of the weekend, and time to get the calculator out to
work out how many Wigan were ahead by. The only different from the
weekend, was this time we didn't even start well.
The
third goal came around 15 minutes later after Gary Teale got a perfect
shot into the bottom right corner. We were not 3-0 down, and Wigans top
scorers had not yet had a go! We could be in for a long night...
After
this point you could see that the team were trying, but it wasn't good
enough against the mighty Lactics. A header from Hart went wide, just
before Shaaban made save after Graham Kavanagh took a shot.
After
both teams trying for the goal, it was only a matter of time before the
next goal - and who would be first there? Jason Roberts with another goal
for Wigan, after a cross by Lee McCulloch.
Just
as we thought it couldn't get any better, it did, slightly. Less than two
minutes later, Virgo got us a goal after a low shot from the centre of the
penalty area.
Half
time arrived not soon enough, and only moments after a header by Mark
McCammon was caught by the Wigan goalie. There was no doubt that McGhee
would be having some words with the players during the break - but would
this help stop Wigan scoring any more goals?
The
second half started with Virgo taking another shot at goal - after missing
a couple of games he showed tonight he was determined to try his best,
even if the rest of the team were half asleep!
After
managing 10 minutes without a goal from the opponents, the game did start
to look up for the team, and eventually we were getting behind the ball.
Despite Wigan having shots at Rammi, we were starting to pull our weight,
but it still wasn't enough to get the ball in the back of the net. A
header by Dean Hammond missed, while another shot from Adam Virgo resulted
in open play.
If
we could not get the ball where it was needed, Wigan were only going to
get stronger, keeping Shaaban hot on his toes. He saved a header by Lee
McCulloch, who also got a shot over the bar just moments later. Top scorer
Ellington was also desperate for a piece of the action, but his shot was
caught by overworked Shaaban.
A
tactical substitution late in the game brought some power back to the
team, but this was too little too late. With less than 15 minutes
remaining on the clock, it looked like we had another humiliating defeat
on our hands. The closest we had come to another goal was when Chris
McPhee (replacing McCammon 71st minute) hit the woodwork, but it wasn't
over yet...
A
foul by Ian Breckin on Adam Virgo resulted in a free kick taken
left-footed by Paul Watson. Dean Hammond took his chances and headed the
ball in the back of the net to bring the score to 2-4. This paved the way
for a number of last minute scrambled chances, but nothing came from it.
The only positive note was that we won the second half, but we still had
less goals overall. 9 goals scored against us in 2 games, what's going on!
There
is no question if the lads can play at this level, its just why are we
suddenly playing so bad? The problem needs to be addressed immediately, as
we are not safe from relegation just yet. After a number of impressive
wins, too many fans were feeling confident that we would easily be staying
up - still feeling so confident now?
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Statistics |
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Possession:
Brighton 47%
Wigan 53%
Shots:
Brighton 12
Wigan 14
Corners:
Brighton 6
Wigan 5
Fouls:
Brighton 15
Wigan 19
Bookings:
Brighton 2
Wigan 2
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Managers
Comments: (Brighton) |
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"To go two goals down inside three
minutes left us with a mountain to climb and I can't easily explain what
happened.
"But this was a game we didn't
really chalk down for a victory beforehand.
"I was delighted with the
performances of Virgo and Mark McCammon, on their return to the side up
front, and I'm sure we can get goals."
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Managers
Comments: (Wigan) |
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"I'm not happy and I've had a right
go at my players - I've given them a pasting because we set our standards
high.
"We were tremendous in the first
half but a lot of aspects disappointed me after that.
"We were coasting and due respect to
Brighton and their supporters they kept going - we must guard against
this."
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Fans
Comments: (Brighton) |
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Tell
us what you think... Click Here
or
email us at report@bhafc.cjb.net
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Fans
Comments: (Wigan) |
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Tell
us what you think... Click Here
or
email us at report@bhafc.cjb.net |
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