Post Match report for the Wolves game - Saturday, 27th October 2018
PREMIER LEAGUE; Brighton v Wolves
ALBION LEFT UNSCATHED IN DANCES WITH WOLVES
VENUE; the Amex, Falmer - 5th home match of ten fixtures to date.
RESULT; 1-0 ~ Murray . (h-t 0-0) . SHAPE; 4-4-1-1 . REF; less frustrating than some decisions made by hosts.
OVERTURE; as October entered its final week, Brighton fans assembled at the community stadium with a majority wearing coats. Gone were those warm opening weeks of this season but we were now ready for a winter campaign, albeit with a slight siege mentality at our city-border fortress.
RIP - A moments applause would celebrate the life of broadcaster Peter Brackley.
GATE; 30,654 - ground record . WEATHER; sunny intervals, breezy, cold but dry.
CHRIS HUGHTON had Propper & Gross still in rehab. Murray went through medical protocols following concussion from last Saturday and wanted to play. Starting changes were thus un-necessary.
Steel got reserve gloves, substitutes were otherwise self-selecting.
TEAM; . . . . . . . 1 Ryan
. . 2 Bruno, 4 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong
. 16 Jahanbakhsh, 6 Stephens, 7 Kayal, 19 Izquierdo
. . . . . . 20 March, . . . . 17 Murray
BENCH; 23 Steele, 30 Bernardo, 14 Balogun, 10 Andone, 9 Locadia, 8 Bissouma (71), Knockaert (81).
GOAL; 48 - 1-0. MURRAY tapped in a Bruno off-target attempt to register goal number one hundred playing for BHA. And hardly ever had one been netted quite so routinely.
INCIDENTS; 41 - Duffy rose at a set piece but his header glanced off a post and he ended down in the net without the ball.
78 - Dunk heads away a dangerous, fierce f-k taken from outside the D in desperate, do or die, death or glory fashion.
YELLOWS; 52 - Kayal tried gamesmanship at a f-k. 77 - Dunk took one for the team as visitors threatened. 90 - Knockaert is named by Ref as time runs out for discretion.
SUBS; 71 - March gave way to Bissouma as a version of 451 prevailed. 81 - Izquierdo came off for Knockaert on left flank.
ANALYSIS; lucky Albion, unlucky Wolves. After a dismal first half display Seagulls caught travellers still on their coffee break to take a crucial lead in a game with nil-nil written all over it from not too long from kickoff.
The defence should collectively be awarded employee of the month following a third clean sheet. But midfield got overrun and lacked wherewithal to link from back to front, by turning defensive into offensive motion.
Wingers were chasing back against threatening wingbacks, although seemed reluctant to take them on for pace going the other way and then hit the target. The up for grabs no.10 role perhaps needs a two footed player able to feed, or feed off, the point man.
On balance Hughton has yet more questions to ask than answer.
MoM = Murray, post war goal-scoring record.
CONSEQUENCE; this fixture completed the first quarter of our second PL campaign. The current figure measuring ongoing state of the season is 1.40pt/gm. That projects to a final points tally of approximately 53pts.
In the event, 40pts is the milestone to reach for safety during a typical year. An average of the last 5 years totals for surviving in seventeenth place has produced a benchmark target of 38pts.
1ST FAN; +they were all over us. But Ryan and the back line were entrenched with a, they shall not pass attitude. Onwards and upwards through November & December+
2ND FAN; +easy, easy! Well, in truth another result ground out this month. Perhaps Chris with three consecutive victories will get nominated as best gaffer+
3RD FAN: +thank heaven for Glenn. He was knocked out last week but cleared his head and did what only he does here and that is to find the net again & again+
Fatmanslims