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Murray strikes in big win

9:58pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in Albion By Brian Owen

Glenn Murray gets in front of Szczesny to head in Albion's first (photos Simon Dack) Glenn Murray gets in front of Szczesny to head in Albion's first (photos Simon Dack)

Glenn Murray ended his year-long wait for a Withdean goal as Albion enjoyed their biggest home win of the season tonight.

The Seagulls striker, who has netted 12 times away this term, set the ball rolling in a 3-0 defeat of Brentford.

Subs Adam Virgo and Nicky Forster made it safe in the closing minutes afer the hosts had endured some nervy moments.

Murray headed into the top corner to give the Seagulls a 34th-minute lead after lively Elliott Bennett whipped in a superb free-kick from the right touchline.

A quiet first half saw Albion gradually get on top, despite losing Kazenga LuaLua to a hamstring injury after 20 minutes.

They defended well as the Bees showed more ambition after the break, with home keeper Peter Brezovan being forced into his most testing save by a mis-directed Gary Dicker header.

Virgo headed the clinching second as the game entered four added minutes.

Then lively sub Forster drove in a penalty after Alan Bennett handled and was sent-off.

It was a flattering final score but few in a crowd of 5,539 complained as Albion completed a clean sweep of home wins over last season's four promoted sides.

Comments(32)

Living in the real world says...
10:08pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Result, and if we had been turning over the clubs that are with us in the lower half of the table like this week in week out we could have been a force to reckon with this season
To the other 5538 poor souls who have waited for this lets hope this is a start of a home run and not a flash in a pan

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mark by the sea says...
10:08pm Tue 16 Mar 10

we have played better and lost this season! so thats a great sign! clean sheets are becoming a regular thing, think back to pre gus days and we gifted goals every game.. obviously forster should have come on for lua lua.. but 3-0 is as good as you can get.. not fantastic tonight , but 6 months ago we would have lost that 2-0.

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RyFish says...
10:17pm Tue 16 Mar 10

mark by the sea wrote:
we have played better and lost this season! so thats a great sign! clean sheets are becoming a regular thing, think back to pre gus days and we gifted goals every game.. obviously forster should have come on for lua lua.. but 3-0 is as good as you can get.. not fantastic tonight , but 6 months ago we would have lost that 2-0.
In which way was it obvious? He brought on Holroyd and we won 3-0 - seems to me it was obvious he got his tactics spot-on. Some people are never happy... maybe you'd like to comment again on how much some of the players earn?

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davyboy says...
10:33pm Tue 16 Mar 10

well done, good result. don't quite think we are safe yet, but very nearly. clean sheets are a necessity now, and we seem to be getting there.

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Bowmanc says...
11:08pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Allow me to reminisce. Many Albion fans will recall a lovely sunny afternoon 15th August when 1650 of us created an electric atmosphere in side Griffin Park and then Sussex Sharks won the 20 20 final that evening.
The only down side was that there was no Albion goal to celebrate.

That all changed today !!

Well done to all the Albion staff for an entertaining evening.

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deancoxissexy says...
11:22pm Tue 16 Mar 10

mark by the sea, I agree with some of what you say but 3-0 is not "as good as you can get". 4-0 is better and so is 5, but I think that would be greedy after our home results this season! And I think Holroyd did pretty well.
It was interesting that Gus put on a striker (sexy Chris) rather than a winger (Carole) when Lua Lua went off. Which again makes me wonder why Carole is on the payroll.
The 2nd goal may eventually go down as an own goal - I don't think it was going in until it hit the keeper.
Overall though, I'm just happy with a convincing scoreline and the breathing space we haven't had all season. Calderon man of the match again I think.

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The Phantom says...
11:54pm Tue 16 Mar 10

Good solid performance. Played better in the first half on Saturday and lost but that is the way football goes. Final scoreline obviously a little flattering but deserved the win nevertheless. Brentford rarely threatened and always felt Brighton were fairly comfortable. Have to admit that the forward play went up a level when Forster came on - Holroyd has some good things about him but ultimately rarely threatens to score a goal. Forster caused problems as soon as he got on the pitch and deserved his goal.

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Hector66 says...
12:03am Wed 17 Mar 10

Bowmanc - yes i was there at Brentford and thought we should have won and also thought we should have won soon after that when drawing at Millwall. Now if you look at Brentford's and Millwall's home records you'll see they have only lost three games between them. So we clearly have lots of ability in our squad and just have to get it showing itself at home. For me, as I have said before on here, it is the dismal home crowd's abusive attitude which plays a significant part in our poor home form while, in contrast, the away supporters are roaringly uplifting and are a huge boost.

So come on you Withdean knockers, get behind the team.

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Claude Back says...
1:05am Wed 17 Mar 10

I agree. We need more knockers at Withdean. ;-)

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russellsnr says...
6:05am Wed 17 Mar 10

Don't care because at the end of the day we won, 2 more games in the next 2 weeks that we should or could take 6 points from. I can only follow the games via the Argus or BBC sites, and according to the Argus the biggest cheer of the night whent up as Forster came on that must say something to Gus and to Forster himself, wanted at the club for at least another season not only for his goal scoreing but also for his experience to pass on to players like Holroyd, good result lets keep it going.

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mark by the sea says...
7:40am Wed 17 Mar 10

RyFish wrote:
mark by the sea wrote: we have played better and lost this season! so thats a great sign! clean sheets are becoming a regular thing, think back to pre gus days and we gifted goals every game.. obviously forster should have come on for lua lua.. but 3-0 is as good as you can get.. not fantastic tonight , but 6 months ago we would have lost that 2-0.
In which way was it obvious? He brought on Holroyd and we won 3-0 - seems to me it was obvious he got his tactics spot-on. Some people are never happy... maybe you'd like to comment again on how much some of the players earn?
its obvious because forster is a goal scorer, holroyd has talent, but reminds me of a winger converted. forster when he came on, made things happen.. when he grabbed the ball, its clear it was out of a goal scorers hunger, for the pen.. not knocking holroyd. but if you need a goal? as i say not great performance , but three points and a clean sheet.

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Lawro woz God says...
8:09am Wed 17 Mar 10

mark by the sea wrote:
RyFish wrote:
mark by the sea wrote: we have played better and lost this season! so thats a great sign! clean sheets are becoming a regular thing, think back to pre gus days and we gifted goals every game.. obviously forster should have come on for lua lua.. but 3-0 is as good as you can get.. not fantastic tonight , but 6 months ago we would have lost that 2-0.
In which way was it obvious? He brought on Holroyd and we won 3-0 - seems to me it was obvious he got his tactics spot-on. Some people are never happy... maybe you'd like to comment again on how much some of the players earn?
its obvious because forster is a goal scorer, holroyd has talent, but reminds me of a winger converted. forster when he came on, made things happen.. when he grabbed the ball, its clear it was out of a goal scorers hunger, for the pen.. not knocking holroyd. but if you need a goal? as i say not great performance , but three points and a clean sheet.
Holroyd will only improve if he plays at this level. Happy that Forster got on the score sheet but still feel Holroyd is the future. If he is offered a new contract can Forsters legs last for 50 games next year? Hope the injury to Lua Lua is not too serious he gives us a new dimension.

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mark by the sea says...
8:16am Wed 17 Mar 10

Lawro woz God wrote:
mark by the sea wrote:
RyFish wrote:
mark by the sea wrote: we have played better and lost this season! so thats a great sign! clean sheets are becoming a regular thing, think back to pre gus days and we gifted goals every game.. obviously forster should have come on for lua lua.. but 3-0 is as good as you can get.. not fantastic tonight , but 6 months ago we would have lost that 2-0.
In which way was it obvious? He brought on Holroyd and we won 3-0 - seems to me it was obvious he got his tactics spot-on. Some people are never happy... maybe you'd like to comment again on how much some of the players earn?
its obvious because forster is a goal scorer, holroyd has talent, but reminds me of a winger converted. forster when he came on, made things happen.. when he grabbed the ball, its clear it was out of a goal scorers hunger, for the pen.. not knocking holroyd. but if you need a goal? as i say not great performance , but three points and a clean sheet.
Holroyd will only improve if he plays at this level. Happy that Forster got on the score sheet but still feel Holroyd is the future. If he is offered a new contract can Forsters legs last for 50 games next year? Hope the injury to Lua Lua is not too serious he gives us a new dimension.
agreed he needs a goal, the confidence would then flow, murray is one booking from a ban, i personally would have forster on the bench next season, but with 6-7 players coming in, if they are of the same quality as caldi, and painter then fantastic... both good enough for championship... lets hope they both stay.

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St Ives Seagull says...
8:19am Wed 17 Mar 10

Just a thought, but if we play both Lua Lua and Bennett it seems we cannot have 2 strikers. When Forster came on against Swindon Lua Lua cut down the middle a couple of times and had a great chance to score. Forster quite often picks up the ball out wide.
For all the running Lua Lua does it seems to be Bennett who gets in the crosses that lead to goals.
So, can the team afford to play both Bennett and Lua Lua with only one striker.
Be interesting to see on Saturday who starts if Lua Lua is not fit.
Great result last night though whatever.

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bha1901 says...
9:07am Wed 17 Mar 10

Even though Forster only came on late, what a difference he made to the forward play and the team as a whole. They all moved up a gear and in my view clearly want him in the side. Poyet needs to finally bury their previous problem and play him.

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Big Fan says...
9:15am Wed 17 Mar 10

Anyone fancy mentioning the superb performance from the back four? Calderon and Painter were excellent and Elphick and El-Abd were very, very strong.

A Brighton win based on a solid back four and (say this quietly) two Brighton youth products? Surely not...

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old codger75 says...
9:21am Wed 17 Mar 10

I don't think Poyet has a personal problem with Foster - just a tactical one. As other poster have said, how do you fit Murray and Forster into a 4-5-1 with a lone striker and two fast wide mid-fielders. At the moment we need points and the format with a lone striker is getting them. To accommodate Forster Gus would need to change to 4-4-2 , which he apperas reluctant to do as a starting line up.

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mark by the sea says...
9:24am Wed 17 Mar 10

Big Fan wrote:
Anyone fancy mentioning the superb performance from the back four? Calderon and Painter were excellent and Elphick and El-Abd were very, very strong. A Brighton win based on a solid back four and (say this quietly) two Brighton youth products? Surely not...
your right of course, the two centrebacks were excellent, but i still reckon a centreback will come in the summer, be interesting to see if cox can get on bench saturday with the injuries in squad.. as i say i believe the youth must be better, some thing the club feel or else they would not have taken on brown and now lloyd..

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lancingseagull says...
10:10am Wed 17 Mar 10

Well played lads. Looking forward to another clean sheet on Saturday. Swindon nicking another away win at St Mary's last night puts a bit more perspective on last Saturday's disappointment.

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batray says...
10:18am Wed 17 Mar 10

I was at the game - great result. We are playing 100% better than early season, but I feel there is more to come. Forster superb when he came on - Murray and Forster still Brightons best pairing - my view is we must play them together whenever they are both fit. The fans did there bit last night to show Nicky hes still wanted. Still a class act ! People will say that the formation is the key - but its strikers like Nicky that get goals when the going gets tough.

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remy heath says...
10:28am Wed 17 Mar 10

Forster must always get the nod ahead of Holroyd when coming off the bench.

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lancingseagull says...
10:38am Wed 17 Mar 10

I'm wondering if it's a sign that Forster won't be in Gus's plans next season. Is there still some undercurrent from the contract spat that one or the other hasn't got over it yet?

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Perkino says...
10:42am Wed 17 Mar 10

From what I could see Holroyd played upfront in a 4-4-2 formation when he came on, as Dicker was out on the left after LuaLua went off injured.
So Forster coming on was not a change of formation just of personel, which worked a gem. He changed the game and looked superb.

3 goals with a 4-4-2. Forster comes on to give life and then Virgo replaces Navarro to give everyone the confidence that we won't concead, pushing everyone higher up the pitch and resulting in 2 quick goals

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kumquat says...
10:47am Wed 17 Mar 10

Perkino wrote:
From what I could see Holroyd played upfront in a 4-4-2 formation when he came on, as Dicker was out on the left after LuaLua went off injured. So Forster coming on was not a change of formation just of personel, which worked a gem. He changed the game and looked superb. 3 goals with a 4-4-2. Forster comes on to give life and then Virgo replaces Navarro to give everyone the confidence that we won't concead, pushing everyone higher up the pitch and resulting in 2 quick goals
Think you're right. You called this a long time back and as some of us were saying before the game, 4-4-2 for the home games may be a better option. I actually supported navarro playing in a 4-5-1 and I still think that was right while the defence was shaky but now they have got their confidence back i think we have to play two strikers.

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farside says...
10:59am Wed 17 Mar 10

"................but now they have got their confidence back i think we have to play two strikers."

....and start leaking goals again?

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farside says...
10:59am Wed 17 Mar 10

"................but now they have got their confidence back i think we have to play two strikers."

....and start leaking goals again?

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wiltshire seagull says...
11:02am Wed 17 Mar 10

"sexy Chris"!? What happened to sexy coxy !? I see a change of name coming on here :-).
Didn't see the game but a great result, good to see NF get a goal at last. Things just seem to happen when he's on the pitch. Definitely worth another year IMHO.

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russellsnr says...
11:10am Wed 17 Mar 10

I also beleive that Murray is one yellow away from a 2 match ban please correct me if I am wrong, so on that alone GP & NF must sort out there problems now if they still have any, I would rather see NF on with his obvious experiance in front of Holroyd. Anybody no the extent of the injuries picked up last night?

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deancoxissexy says...
11:52am Wed 17 Mar 10

wiltshire seagull wrote:
"sexy Chris"!? What happened to sexy coxy !? I see a change of name coming on here :-).
Didn't see the game but a great result, good to see NF get a goal at last. Things just seem to happen when he's on the pitch. Definitely worth another year IMHO.
Coxy is as sexy as ever but not in the squad :-(
Chris is almost as sexy and will take Coxy's crown as our hottest player if the worst happens at the end of the season. While we're at it, Tommy Elphick is well hunky and Peter B has a nice smile :-)

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kumquat says...
11:56am Wed 17 Mar 10

farside wrote:
"................but now they have got their confidence back i think we have to play two strikers." ....and start leaking goals again?
Errrr... did you miss the words "now they've got their confidence back"? You quoted it! Just don't think we will let goals in the way we had been now. Problem was the back four wasn't settled then. Nobody knew what the other was doing. They are solid now. We've got to score more goals and we have struggled to do that.

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cmrbrightwell says...
12:37pm Wed 17 Mar 10

Firstly it was a great win last night which puts us in good stead for the run in

Very interesting to see last night after danny Wilson blamed the withdean pitch last weekend for his two injuries to see us lose two players to the same kind of injury last night which could be a worry as given murray's forthcoming ban an injury to Forster would leave us with no attacking options

the only gripe I have at the moment is Reading the argus this morning it has given Adam el abd 8/10 for last nights performance. Maybe I am watching a different game to them but his backpasses in the last two games have bordered on suicidal and in fairness I think if we look at the replay from last night we will see we were very lucky not to have given away a penalty!

all in all a much better performance 6 points from Oldham and tranmere and I think we are pretty much home and dry and can look forward to league one football next season

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Gentleman Jim says...
7:11pm Wed 17 Mar 10

Although well overdue, but welcome none the less, last nights win has come too late to get us out of Div 1,this plus playing only one striker up means at least another season before I pay to see them play.

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