[Official Site] LEWES 0 ALBION 5

Kazenga LuaLua celebrates.
Image by: Paul Hazlewood




LEWES ********************* 0
ALBION * * * * * * ****** 5
Calderon 36
LuaLua 41
Mackail-Smith 46
Fenelon 55,79

Goals from Inigo Calderon, Kazenga LuaLua, Craig Mackail-Smith and a double from Shamir Fenelon meant Sami Hyypia got off to a winning start in his first game as Brighton & Hove Albion manager.The Finn was welcomed by a large majority of the crowd in blue-and-white as he made his way along the touch line at the Dripping Pan - and the Albion fans among the 2,300 capacity crowd also got their first glimpse of new signing Nzuzi Toko; playing in a screening role just in front of the back four, he impressed with some nice touches and looked equally comfortable on either foot.
After few chances in the opening 30 minutes, Albion went close to opening the scoring just after the half-hour mark when LuaLua burst down the left and crossed for Will Buckley on the edge of the six-yard box. Buckley's deft back-heel brought the best out of home keeper Rikki Banks, whose excellent reaction save to his left kept parity.
However the Lewes resistance was finally breached in the 36th minute, after under-21 midfielder Charlie Harris's hard work helped force a corner. From the kick Kemy Agustien picked out Calderon, lurking at the far post, and the right-back controlled, picked his spot and fired back across goal into the opposite corner of the net.
LuaLua doubled the lead in spectacular fashion five minutes later, firing one of his trademark blunderbuss strikes: he cut inside from the left and unleashed a rising effort which flew past Banks into the net. It was a shot even his namesake Gordon, in his playing prime, would have struggled to keep out.

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Banks made routine saves from Leo Ulloa and Buckley from long distance, before making an impressive tip over from the latter just before the half-time whistle. Hyypia made eleven changes at the break, fielding a separate side for the second 45 minutes.Mackail-Smith wasted no time in showing the boss what he could do, making it 3-0 in the first minute of the second half with a terrific goal. picking the ball up on the edge of the box on the left, twisting and turning before curling a superb effort past Banks.
Under-21 striker Fenelon (nee Goodwin who changed his name for family reasons) - who spent the second half of last season at Torquay - made it four after robbing home full-back Alex Malins and then running into the box to drill low across goal, past Banks and into the bottom of the net.
Rohan Ince drove forward from his anchor position in midfield and saw a low and firm shot pushed away by Banks. Moments later a rash tackle by Jack Dixon on Solly March led to the Lewes midfielder being substituted, after a stern lecture from referee Tim Robinson.
Fenelon - who changed his name this summer - got his second and Albion's fifth, after a one-two with March, and then drove ball past Banks for a similar goal to his first to complete a five-star start for Hyypia.
ALBION (first-half): Ankergren (GK); Calderon, Greer, Maksimenko, Hunt; Toko, Agustien, Harris; Buckley, Ulloa, LuaLua.
ALBION (second-half): Walton (GK); Bruno, Rea, Dunk, Chicksen; Forster-Caskey, Ince, Asmundsson; March, Mackail-Smith, Fenelon.
ATTENDANCE: 2,300




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