Match Reports
18/02/08
Oxford University 3-2 Men's 1st XI
After a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home to Oxford University, Brighton & Hove are leading the calls for Premier League Chief Richard Scudamore to take over the running of the South League. With league games running out, they hope that Scudamore will be successful in introducing an extra 23rd match to be played around the globe to give them an extra chance of earning the points that will keep them up. South Africa were interested in hosting Brighton's match until they found out that Craig Carolan, Greg Nicol, Charl van der Merwe and Lloyd Norris-Jones no longer play for the club and if Scudamore's delicate negotiations with the Isle of Wight fall through then it looks like Brighton have only five games left to earn enough points to lift them to safety.
After the performance of the season in winning away at Chichester 2-0, Brighton should have been fired up to take another 3 points with a win against Oxford. Matt McNeill decided to miss the Chichester game to travel to Oxford and do a scouting report on them. Brighton thought this would give them the edge and an elongated team talk centred around Oxford's two best players. How McNeill must have laughed when he walked out onto the pitch and found these two were injured and could not take to the field.
Brighton made one change to the team, Sam Forster left out of the side for returning late from the African Nations' Cup. This certainly had an effect on the pre-match banter with goalkeeper Neil Burlinson, forced from his lucky corner in the changing room, afraid to make a joke without the knowledge that at least the inebriated Forster will laugh. The team talk started with only the defenders and left-back Tom Langston appeared confused when he originally walked in for the defensive team talk, then was sent back out to join the attackers who had taken the opportunity to play a game of pool. Andrew Acott netted a tricky black to show a tidy finish to continue his scoring form, although the defeat seemed to effect Ben Butlin who was so distraught that later he was hauled off at half-time and did not return.
Langston remained confused in the opening stages when he stopped the ball with the back of his stick and was duly sin-binned. Langston was distraught at the absence of Forster, after spending hours alone in their bedroom perfecting their goal celebrations, but he must have been relieved that Forster was not there to see his yellow card as Forster would have been laughing.
Langston's yellow card was the highlight of Brighton's half as they let in three soft goals to trail 3-0. Captain Richard Baker was sporting new trainers after his old ones had been worn out due to the ball hitting them so much and it was a controversial call against him that led to the third goal. A short corner was awarded when the ball struck Baker's hand but the unsighted umpire assumed it had hit his feet. This is generally a correct assumption but in this instance it had hit his oversized glove, the only decent save made by a Brighton player all afternoon. The short corner was duly scored on the rebound and left Brighton a mountain to climb in the second half.
The half-time team talk was led by the returning Bram van Asselt and his changes led to a renaissance in the second half. Brighton began to move the ball around well and were rewarded when Acott, Brighton's very own Paul Scholes, linked up well with McNeill to score his third in two weeks.
Brighton were on the ascendancy and a sin-binning for McNeill did not stop them as they continued to create chances, mostly from short corners.
However, their short corners this season have been as useful as a chocolate teapot and the chances came and went. With the umpires saying there were just seconds left, Hugh Salter followed up from a Gareth Lendrum short corner strike to net from several inches for the first goal from a short corner since Christmas. As the centre was about to be taken and the umpires saying there were five second left, Lendrum shouted out to Brighton that "it was the biggest five minutes of the season." Sadly he was no Doctor Who and the final whistle went immediately to signal another Brighton defeat.
The results from the other games also went against Brighton with Maidstone, Oxford Hawks and Purley Walcountians all winning. With Bromley & Beckenham plunging down National League South, it raises the possibility that the fourth from bottom side could go down so this Saturday they know that anything less than three points against Lewes will leave them staring relegation in the face.
Will Forster be recalled to bring back much-needed banter? Will Lendrum, who some say can walk on water, be able to turn five seconds into five minutes? Will Salter ever go a game without passing the ball to the opposition centre forward? Will Brighton ever find a short corner that works? Will Acott continue to dominate Butlin on the green baize? Will Mooney still be confused? What Brighton will turn up?
Only one thing is for certain, and that is with this Brighton side nothing is certain. As Ronan Keating would say, life is a roller coaster and Brighton are currently on board a big dipper and just hope that it does not turn into a ghost train.
Author: Neil Burlinson (Goalie)