Seagulls stand up to bully boys (From The Argus)

Seagulls stand up to bully boys

3:30pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

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Albion proved again that they can be more than a match for the top teams in League One, at least away from Withdean.

The Seagulls emphasised once more what an improved side they have become under Gus Poyet by stretching their unbeaten run on their travels to seven matches.

That sequence has included a draw at second-placed Leeds, a victory at third-placed Charlton and now a stalemate in front of the Sky cameras against fourth-placed Colchester.

It could have been more. Ben Williams made fine saves to foil Adam El-Abd and Inigo Calderon in the first half and Albion also had a couple of decent shouts for a penalty.

Colchester tried to bully their way to victory but were made to look extremely ordinary. Peter Brezovan had little difficulty completing consecutive clean sheets, with Tommy Elphick and El-Abd in particular outstanding in front of the giant Slovakian.

Albion were unchanged following their overdue home victory against Exeter in their previous outing. New loan signing Diego Arismendi made the journey to Essex but a slight knock ruled Stoke’s Uruguayan midfielder out of the squad.

Colchester made three changes to the spine of the team beaten at Bristol Rovers, their first defeat in six matches. Captain Magnus Okuonghae returned to the centre of defence, Kemal Izzet to the centre of midfield and Kayode Odejayi upfront.

Those giving way included Phil Ifil, who scored the first of two early goals for Colchester in their somewhat fortunate 2-1 victory at Withdean in December.

There was never any danger of Albion losing the game inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour this time. They began brightly and almost had a swift goal to celebrate themselves, Glenn Murray heading narrowly wide from an Elliott Bennett free-kick.

Skipper Andy Crofts, back from international duty with Wales, also fired over from 20 yards from a poor clearance by Odejayi, back helping his defence.

Colchester’s uncompromising and direct approach was always going to provide a test for the central defensive pairing of Elphick and Adam El-Abd, especially with the powerful Odejayi preferred to the more lively Steven Gillespie to partner Clive Platt.

El-Abd and Elphick stood up to the challenge well, the former intercepting a probing low cross from Platt and the latter getting his head to several of Marc Tierney’s long throw-ins.

Calderon was cautioned, a little harshly, midway through the first half for holding Odejayi when the centre forward was backing into him and doing his fair share of tugging as well.

The punishment provoked Poyet into animated conversation with fourth official Steve Cook, the referee who sent the Uruguayan off at Leyton Orient last month.

Colchester’s propensity to hoof high and often aimless balls made the home fans restless. It was difficult for the Seagulls to get their contrasting passing game going on a pitch brimming with bare patches.

The wide men, Bennett and Kazenga LuaLua switched flanks at one stage in the first half but it was from another set piece that Albion should have taken the lead in the 33rd minute.

Bennett’s free-kick found El-Abd unmarked towards the far post but his header from close range was blocked by keeper Ben Williams.

The Colchester custodian produced an even better stop five minutes later, his right hand diverting Calderon's effort from an acute angle over the bar after the Spaniard had been released deep inside the area by a lovely pass from Gary Dicker.

In-between Williams’ exploits, Murray had a strong claim for a penalty rejected. The robust Okuonghae appeared to bring Murray down as he turned back away from goal.

Poyet was perplexed that a spot-kick was not awarded by referee Tony Bates and the Albion bench were pretty unhappy with some rough treatment dished out to Murray by the Colchester defenders.

The high-flying home side offered very little in the first half, so much so that the Albion supporters behind Peter Brezovan’s rarely threatened goal mocked their crude and wayward approach at every opportunity.

Brezovan only had to make one meaningful save in the opening 45 minutes, John-Joe O’Toole volleying straight at him after another long throw, this time from John White, had been helped on.

Colchester chief Aidy Boothroyd made a double change for the second half, which said everything about the way the game had gone up to that stage.

The introduction of Kevin Lisbie in attack for Platt and Ashley Vincent in midfield for O'Toole injected a bit more pace and life into the home team.

Albion could not get the fleet-footed LuaLua on the ball as much as they would have wished. The on-loan Newcastle winger was encouraged to drift into more central positions from the right after the break.

It was once again the dead ball deliveries of Bennett on the opposite wing which promised to produce a breakthrough for the Seagulls.

Murray could not get enough of a touch on another dangerous Bennett free-kick to bother Williams.

LuaLua has still to last the full course. Chris Holroyd replaced him to lend more support to Murray in the final quarter of the contest.

The Seagulls did not just sit back to try to preserve a hard-earned share of the spoils. Instead they pressed forward in search of a winner.

Marcos Painter abandoned his customarily sound defensive duties in one instance to supply a low cross which Murray stepped over in the vain hope that Crofts would reach it.

There was a further suspicion of a penalty when Murray was clipped in the aftermath of a move in which Bennett pulled the ball back from the far post just behind Holroyd.

Gillespie cut inside to force Brezovan into routine action with a low shot late on but Colchester frankly never looked like scoring and Albion were well worth their point.

It sets them up nicely for Saturday’s visit by Swindon, another of the promotion contenders.

ALBION (4-5-1): Brezovan; Calderon, El-Abd, Elphick, Painter; Bennett, Navarro, Crofts, Dicker, LuaLua (Holroyd, 63); Murray. Subs not used: McNulty, Forster, Walker, Hart, Carole, Hoyte.

Yellow cards: Calderon, (23) foul, Murray (45) unsporting behaviour, Dicker (85) foul.

Colchester: (4-4-2): Williams; White, Okuonghae, Heath, Tierney; Prutton, O'Toole (Vincent, 46), Izzet, Wordsworth; Odejayi (Gillespie, 80), Platt (Lisbie, 46). Subs not used: Cousins, Batth, Henderson, Ifil.

Yellow Cards: Prutton (33) foul, Izzet (42) foul, White (55) foul.