Brighton v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Football League One

Brighton :
Flinders, Lynch, Butters, O'Cearuill, El-Abd, Cox, Bertin, Hammond, Robinson, Revell (Gatting 83), Savage
Subs not used:
Kuipers, Loft, Rents, Elder

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Mulligan (Morris 87), Crosby, Foster, Ridley, Taylor (MacKenzie 87), Goodwin, Hinds, Sparrow (sent off 90), Beckford (Butler 89), Sharp
Subs not used:
Lillis, Baraclough

SULSESC REPORT

by Martin Thorpe at Withdean Stadium

THE many punters here watching United for the first time this season might have been expecting to see a team in its full pomp and majesty, threading passes with a dismissively superior air and enforcing a domination that befitted such long-time table-toppers.

Instead Nigel Adkins’ men in black were as bereft of ideas as colour. Misfiring, stuttering and dominated, by the final whistle United must have greatly puzzled those first-time onlookers. How could a team that struggled to string one pass together, never mind two, have been lording it over the mighty likes of Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and Oldham for most of the year? Perhaps by mistake United had sent their reserves to Brighton thinking it was a Johnstone’s Paints cup tie.

The answer to the mystery lay in the detail. Despite being comprehensively outplayed, conceding possession 65/35, United still managed more shots on target than Brighton – six to five – and came away with yet another point to extend their unbeaten run to a club record 16th game.

Whatever you put it down to - doggedness, self-belief, team spirit or even luck – United’s ability to accumulate points this season come what may has to be admired. Even if the Brighton crowd were not keen on doing so.

It was obvious from the off that this was going to be one of those difficult afternoons, and not just because of the bitter cold. Though the sun shone, United’s faithful were closeted in the only stand in the shade. Then Billy Sharp got wound up, first by the referee, then the home crowd, before finally seeing yellow for applauding the ref for giving us a decision. Near the end the ref then sent off Matt Sparrow for what looked like a fair tackle, after which the midfielder promptly got in a row with one of the Brighton players that later landed him an extra three-match ban.

And during all this, United’s play was as poorly constructed as Brighton’s ground. The midfield was anonymous as a creative force and, indeed, in the second-half the decision seemed to be taken to by-pass them altogether and hoof long balls up to the strikers. As Torps was still out of the team injured, this was a pointless tactic and the ball just kept coming back on United’s already hard-pressed defence. No, we did not like to be beside the seaside that day.

So how did we manage to get a point against such a lively and inventive Brighton side? Well, we started brightly, but once the Seagulls took over, United had to rely on a combination of dogged defending and basic luck to keep the home team down to one goal.

We had our chances too, but it took another exhibition of high-class virtuosity from Jermaine Beckford to give us the lead, somewhat against the run of play. On 64 minutes, the on-loan Leeds striker turned his marker on the edge of the area and with a speed that not surprisingly deceived the long-distance eye of the away end, fired inside the keeper’s far post for his sixth goal in 10 games for United. Iron World revealed it was another Beckford stunner. Thank goodness Dennis Wise doesn’t rate him.

United’s lead was short-lived, however, as the impressive Bas Savage took advantage of confusion in the United defence to pounce on a long punt forward and lob Joe Murphy with a delicate touch that belied his giant frame.

By the end Adkins looked happy to escape with a point and dream of better performances to come. But the key factor was that we did get a point.