Match report: Northampton 0 Albion 2

10:21pm Sunday 1st April 2007

Bas Savage, according to a website contributor, had a worse goalscoring ratio than Peter Schmeichel when he arrived at Albion.

Now a record which Peter Crouch would be proud of has turned him into the Seagulls' saviour.

The unassuming gentle giant refuses to accept that accolade but, make no mistake, without his goals Albion could be embroiled in a relegation battle instead of sitting snugly in mid-table.

Savage did not make the best of starts. He was dropped to the bench for the defeat at Brentford in early February following a modest debut in a 0-0 draw at home to Rotherham.

Albion had tried and failed to sign three established goalscorers in Hull's Nicky Forster, Darren Byfield of Millwall and Leon Constantine from Port Vale during the January transfer window.

Savage looked a poor substitute and, with the limp loss at Brentford stretching a miserable sequence since Christmas to just five points from nine games, there was genuine concern that the Seagulls were going down for the second season in succession.

Transformation In the nine matches since that desperate afternoon at Griffin Park, Savage has been the focal point of a quite extraordinary transformation.

He has scored six goals during that period, including five in as many matches away from home. Without them Albion would be six points worse off than they are now and right in the brown stuff.

It is all the more remarkable because, prior to joining Albion, Savage had managed just two goals in total in a season and a half's worth of appearances for Reading, Bristol City and Gillingham.

The fans love him and it is easy to see why. They enjoy his eccentricities and they can relate to his deficiencies. His unorthodox mixture of the sublime and ridiculous provides cracking entertainment.

The second half encapsulated why Savage has so rapidly become a cult hero. A stylishly taken opening goal was followed by the crowd-pleasing moonwalk celebration which is his trademark and, later, by a series of step-overs which ended with him falling flat on his face!

He is poor in the air for such a big man and yet deceptively good at times with the ball at his feet. He is fascinating to watch, because you never quite know what to expect.

You suspect the opposition are similarly unsure, which makes him a dangerous customer when he is on his game and his strengths are exploited.

Savage shares top-billing in Albion's revival with a precious change of philosophy by manager Dean Wilkins.

He introduced a midfield diamond after the Brentford debacle and, to a degree, abandoned his cultured principles in the process. It has made his team into a more solid, direct and, dare I say, boring unit but it has produced the results that were needed.

The system is not, in fact, dull by design, and remains a work in progress. The reserves have been in free-scoring form using the same formation and the second-half performance on Saturday suggests Wilkins' first-choice players are beginning to get the hang of it as well.

He actually ditched the diamond to start with, Adam El-Abd pushing back into central midfield in Dean Hammond's absence and Dean Cox and Jake Robinson moving out to the flanks in a return to 4-4-2, partly designed to combat Northampton's use of wing-backs.

Wilkins, fearing Northampton were getting on top, restored the diamond midway through a sterile first half and, after the break, Albion looked much more threatening going forward than they have been of late.

Perhaps they should invest in a wind machine to improve their fortunes at Withdean, because the elements played a part in much the same way as they did in the 1-0 win at Chesterfield in January.

Just like at Saltergate, they got to half-time at 0-0 with few alarms, despite playing into a wind so strong that it was blowing the ball off its spot when goalkeeper Scott Flinders was trying to kick.

The turning point of the match was a glaring miss, nine minutes into the restart, by Northampton's on-loan Gretna striker Kenny Deuchar, who scooped an inviting low cross from substitute Simon Cox over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.

Albion capitalised on that let-off five minutes later with a set-piece move straight off the training ground. Kerry Mayo's free-kick was headed across the face of goal by Alex Revell for Savage to sweep in on the half-volley from close range.

Revell was also responsible for Savage's killer second goal in the 66th minute. His header from a cross by Robinson was looping goalwards when Savage forced it over the line via his shoulder.

Robinson, having reverted to the forward point of the diamond after starting on the right wing, ruined a lively second half performance with one of the misses of the season.

Northampton keeper Mark Bunn could only parry Revell's angled drive into his path but he hit the bar with the goal gaping. Robinson, without a League goal since his hat-trick at Huddersfield in October, must still be wondering how he missed. The contrast in fortunes between him and Savage could hardly be greater.

No matter. The points were already in the bag and lingering fears of Albion being dragged back into danger are now well and truly doused.

Dean Cox, substituted for the second game running, looks in need of a rest. Hammond's season could be over, a hamstring injury potentially hastening surgery to repair the double hernia he has been carrying all year, and Wilkins has an opportunity to give some of his frustrated fringe players a try in the remaining six matches.

Albion have Savage to thank for their relaxed run-in and, if Wilkins gets the financial backing to add a Forster, Byfield or Constantine to his strike force in the summer, then they could just be contending at the right end of the table this time next year.

Editor's Choice