Bridcutt's stunner for Albion

ALBION have often been described this season as the Arsenal of League One.

Now they have turned into the Manchester United of League One.

The campaign has, for the most part, been memorable for Gus Poyet’s passing style of football.

The Seagulls are still trying to play from the back, it’s just that they are not playing very well at the moment.

But like all good sides they are still managing to win games.

After seemingly throwing away two points, they needed an unlikely hero to grab all three.

Liam Bridcutt’s game has never been about goals. He sits in front of the back four in the middle of the park and makes Albion tick.

Bridcutt had never scored in 53 previous league appearances for Yeovil, Watford, Stockport County and the Seagulls.

His only goal in 67 outings overall, spread over three years, was for Stockport in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy last season.

Albion have been trying to get Bridcutt into scoring positions just outside the area from a corner routine in recent games.

Unfortunately, the 21-year-old former Chelsea trainee’s shooting had, up to now, been in keeping with his modest record.

Not any more. Bridcutt will probably not score a better goal throughout his career than the one he struck deep into stoppage time to ensure an extraordinary end to an extraordinary match.

A left-foot volley from 20 yards was struck so sweetly that Adam Collin, the Carlisle goalkeeper, did not have time even to move before the ball was past him. Substitutions sometimes work in mysterious ways. Gus Poyet had earlier brought on Radostin Kishishev at the expense of Glenn Murray.

The introduction of the veteran Bulgarian meant Bridcutt was pushed into a more advanced midfield role He said: “We’ve had back to back games and there have been a few tired legs. The gaffer put Kish on to control the game and slow the game down and he did that perfectly.

“When he came on it just gave me an opportunity to push a bit further forward. It might have been Kish on the end of it otherwise!”

Bridcutt’s stunner spared the blushes of a defence missing the suspended Adam El-Abd. They had conceded for the third time only a minute earlier, a misplaced clearance by Inigo Calderon and mis-hit shot from Frank Simek falling for substitute Harry Arter, making a dream debut on loan from Bournemouth, to fire Carlisle level.

Arter seemed certain, at that moment, to have done a considerable favour to his parent club in the race for the Championship until Bridcutt capped another fine performance to further strengthen his case to join El-Abd in being awarded a new contract.

“It’s all down to the manager and chairman,” he said. “If they’ve seen enough in me I think they are going to be happy to give me a contract. It’s up to them, all I can do is keep playing and hopefully it will work out for me.”

Many more matches like this and Poyet’s jet-black hair will turn grey or fall out. He loved it as much as the fans when Bridcutt provided the perfect finish but he had hated it up to that point.

It was crazy and uncontrolled, which is not the way Poyet likes it, but Albion have responded well to that insipid defeat at MK Dons nine days ago by grinding out a narrow victory at Yeovil and recording a seventh straight win at Withdean, one of them in the FA Cup against Portsmouth.

Poyet said: “In November and December we were playing much better than we did in the last two games but we didn’t get the points. Now we are not playing as well as that but we are getting the points.

“It was the character and belief of a team which is used to winning. at Withdean. I hated the place last year. I have no words good enough for it this season, because we have been absolutely fantastic at home.

“They were not the prettiest or nicest games to be watching but six points from the last two games is magnificent. We just have to start playing a bit better because if not I’m going to start losing my hair and I’m still young!”

The Fergie hairdryer is not Poyet’s style either but he would surely have had plenty to say to his players if Carlisle had escaped back to Cumbria with a draw.

His table-toppers squandered a hatful of chances again after conceding an early goal which exposed their set piece frailties once more, Tom Taiwo finding the roof of the net from the edge of the area after a corner had not been properly cleared.

Glenn Murray was the main culprit, although by no means the only one. He equalised midway through the first half, latching onto a pass hooked into his path by Ashley Barnes to poke home his 17th of the season. Murray could easily have doubled that tally by now. He had three other good opportunities before half-time, while central defenders Gordon Greer and Tommy Elphick both wasted free headers soon after the break.

Such profligacy will surely be punished more regularly in the Championship where openings will not be so easily created.

There was nothing wrong with Barnes’ finishing. He had two chances and took them both. He put Albion ahead early in the second half, driving in his 15th of the season after Bridcutt’s pass put him through.

That should have signalled another comfortable home victory but Stoke loanee Ben Marshall was allowed room to exhibit clever footwork and level with a left-soot shot from just inside the box.

Barnes moved to within one of Murray’s tally by controlling a defence-splitting pass from Greer to restore the lead with the outside of his right foot via a post.

It should have been more than enough but the late drama at both ends guaranteed that this game will have a pemanent place in Withdean folklore.

Albion (4-1-3-2): Ankergren; Calderon, Greer, Elphick, Painter; Bridcutt, Dicker; Bennett, Noone (Wood 57); Murray (Kishishev 70), Barnes (Sandaza 90).

Subs not used: Brezovan, Sparrow, Taricco, Dunk.

Goals: Murray (23), Barnes (53) and (63), Bridcutt 90.

Yellow card: Elphick (73) foul.

Carlisle (4-1-2-1-2): Collin; Simek, Livesey, Murphy, Robson; Berrett; Taiwo, Noble (Arter 61); Marshall; Curran, Loy (Zoko 46).

Subs not used: Borrowdale, Madden, Caig, Cooper, Wells Goals: Taiwo (3), Marshall (60), Arter (90).

Yellow card: Curran (77) foul.