Brighton 1 Derby 1

[Schrödinger's Toad]

Goal by Mark McCammon (Brighton) right-footed (bottom-right of goal) from right side of penalty area (18 yards).Brighton 2-2 Derby.

That's an interesting interpretation of it ...

Alternatively: Goal by Mark McCammon (Brighton) left-shinned (bottom-right of goal) from centre of penalty area (12 yards). Brighton 2-2 Derby.

 

[London Irish]

Oh well

Entertaining? Well, yeah. The bouncebackability by Albion was terrific - we had so many chances, about 4, to get the 3-3 at the end.

But *sigh* how appalling was some of that defending by us today? I guess a bad defensive performance has been coming, but we could have made an excellent Derby team sweat hard today if we'd just shown the composure and discipline of the past six weeks.

Derby were terrific today though, it's the football gods rewarding a fine footballing team. Even without some of their best players like Reich and Peschsolido, their movement and running off the ball was the best we've seen at Withdean for ages.

McGhee did something unexpected by altering his favoured 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 with Hinsh in a man-marking job of their Spanish playmaket Idiakez. It worked to the extent that the guy barely got a kick, but unfortunately that good work was wasted by the rest of the team performing poorly.

Both our fullbacks had bad days. The goalie had a nightmare for the second. Our midfield were second best, we missed the kind of forward positioning and passes to the front men that Charlie Oatway had made his trademark contribution this season. No one stepped up to that job, Chippy was outgunned, Harding had the odd good moment but Nicolas was still too defensive in hanging back all the time.

In those cicumstances, the front men should have had nothing to play with, and Leon did indeed look inert in the first-half. The Big Mac, however, made things happen with his presence, his first goal showed great perserverance after his fine turn and shot had been parried away.

The attacking move of putting on Jonah and OGH in the second half worked straight away with a cross that got the Derby defence badly in trouble. Big Mac closed down the defender well and his foot moved towards the path of the ball as it was cleared and we got a fortunate ricochet, but great work by the Big Mac to earn his luck.

Didn't see the sending off, but the thing is, fine passing sides don't get disrupted by losing one man. Derby just took it in their stride and were the better team still. The third goal is the one McGhee will be the most unhappy about, it came about through disorganisation and defenders not picking up players, not by straightforward individual errors like the first two.

We've done well to steal or peg back games in the final 10 minutes recently, and luckily Derby sat back and let us come at them. We had 3 or 4 excellent chances, Jonah particularly influential, but it wasn't to be. Never mind, the goals against the Gills and Watford were more important in earning 3 pts than one earning a point today.

I think we don't have to be too sad about today, Mayo and Reid have got bad games out of their system, hopefully that's just a one-off from Yelldell and Big Mac was a wonderful plus. My only concern for the next few games will be the link between our midfield and forward line without Oatway's influence. Jonah is doing a lot for a recall in that regard.

 

[dougdeep]

Jonah is doing a lot for a recall in that regard.

I agree with that. He should be pushing for a place as our permanent wing-back, after all he is the best crosser from the left we have now Currie has gone.

 

[Beach Hut]

I agree with that. He should be pushing for a place as our permanent wing-back, after all he is the best crosser from the left we have now Currie has gone.

A further benefit might be Leon in the box more often for the cross

 

[Yorkie]

I think Nicolas was trying to impress that much that he was running all over the midfield which actually left a gap. Oatway tends to stay in the centre and block anything that comes that way.
Don 't get me wrong, Nicolas did win some great tackles but the midfield were struggling a bit which left our defence with more to do.

Having said that I feel that despite the mistakes we didn't do too badly.

I cannot believe one cross right at the end which went straight across the penalty are with three of our players who only needed a toe or to breathe on the ball for it to go in

 

[Beach Hut]

I cannot believe one cross right at the end which went straight across the penalty are with three of our players who only needed a toe or to breathe on the ball for it to go in

Sadly from K block it was heart breaking, contact was all that was needed.

Entertaining game but for two mistakes we would have had all the points.

I am in no way dis-heartened by today.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

My only concern for the next few games will be the link between our midfield and forward line without Oatway's influence.

You're going to be a broken man the day Oatway leaves us LI........the way you carry on about Oatway, you'd think we have a Roy Keane, a Bryan Robson in our midfield, not bleeding Charlie Oatway

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I am in no way dis-heartened by today.

Quite right Beachy!

Our endeavour was brilliant today, and Derby will have gone home thanking their lucky stars that a couple of Albion mishaps saved their day. They were fortunate to say the least. They're in the promotion places, we're in the survival battle. But we more than matched them today. DO NOT BE DIS-HEARTENED!!!

 

[London Irish]

You're going to be a broken man the day Oatway leaves us LI........the way you carry on about Oatway, you'd think we have a Roy Keane, a Bryan Robson in our midfield, not bleeding Charlie Oatway

Congratulations on writing a post that doesn't contain the word "wanker" or "twat"

And as for being a broken man, with Charlie's newly-signed contract and captaincy of the club, I can put off thinking about that dreadful day for a fair while yet

 

[mona]

Perhaps we wouldn't have lost if Hinsh had played his usual role in the first half rather than shadowing their Spaniard.

 

[Half Man Half Biscuit]

I think yesterday *clears throat* football was the winner.

 

[Gwylan]

That's right, HMHB, it was a cracking game - best I've seen at Withdean for a couple of seasons.

I didn't feel too downhearted about the defeat; Derby are a great footballing side and yet we weren't too far behind them.