LFL: BHA

When a big chunk of added time was announced, I wasn’t alone in thinking that we wouldn’t score if we played all night. We had a few decent chances to find the back of the net in this match but there was a lack of confidence in attack and our defending at times was hair-raising. Hopefully we’ll have more players to choose from for next Sunday’s match but we’ll have to do a lot better than we did today if we want to get a result. Let’s hope Dan Ballard’s injury is nothing serious.

BEFORE

Last weekend's miserable cup exit has certainly taken the wind out of our sails but I don't share the very gloomy feelings of other correspondents on several SAFC sites, who seem to think that the season's over and Regis Le Bris has blown it etc. I certainly hope that I'm feeling the same way at full time this afternoon. A result and especially a win will do a great deal to restore positive feelings but it's not going to be easy. Brighton are currently three points below us and have had very mixed fortunes of late. I really like Danny Welbeck and he's still in great form and will always be a danger so he'll have to be very well marked today. It looks like Brian Brobbey will be returning and that's a great bonus while Dennis Cirkin may also be back. Hopefully we'll see more of Granit Xhaka than we have of late but he's being eased back into things and won't be rushed. I'll be at the game and my match prediction is a 3-1 win for us.

I called into A Love Supreme on my way to the game and, on checking the team news, I saw that there were four changes from the Port Vale game with Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, Trai Hume and Brobbey coming in for Enzo Le Fee, Nilson Angulo, Luke O’Nien and Eliezer Mayenda. It was great to see Xhaka and Brobbey back again but both Le Fee and Angulo were injured and that was bad news indeed. Cirkin was on the bench. Welbeck was starting for them, as expected. I said hello to Attila the Stockbroker, great poet and Brighton fan, outside the ground and I’ll be seeing him later this evening at Diego’s Joint. I was in my seat in the Upper East Stand at 2:30. My friends' match predictions were: 1-0, 2-1 and 2-1. As kick-off approached there was a display in the Roker End at the centre of which was a banner saying, ‘Show Racism the Red Card’.

THE MATCH

It was bright and sunny as we kicked off and both sets of fans were making a good racket. From the off Brighton looked unsure at the back as they gave away two unnecessary throw-ins. We won the first corner in the fifth minute but couldn’t make anything of it, though we soon had another. We wasted that one by putting it straight out for a goal kick on the other side. In the ninth minute, I thought that we’d gone behind but the ball bobbled just wide of our right post for a corner. We fumbled to get it clear and then a follow-up shot went just wide of the other post. Next thing, Chemsdine Talbi had a shot blocked on their line so it was all going on. It felt like a goal wasn’t far off, somewhere. Omar Alderete had a low long-distance shot in the 16th minute but it didn’t really trouble Verbruggen in goal. We were continuing to live dangerously at the back and there were cries of frustration from some home fans as attacks broke down. Still, as we entered the second quarter of the match, the game remained wide open.

Chris Rigg was doing well down the right and he was getting some good crosses in but nobody was there to get on the end of them. Brighton showed that they could break quickly and Welbeck, of course was always, there threatening. Brighton got another corner in the 26th minute and we managed to hoof it clear. There was a short break in play after Sadiki was injured but he was able to continue. Rigg just failed to get his foot on a low cross from the left before a defender intercepted but that was more like it. We put together a promising move in the 35th minute, when a long pass from Alderete was met by the on-running Ballard, who fed Talbi in the box but, instead of having a shot, the latter hesitated and the chance was gone. As half time approached, we were enjoying a decent period of pressure and a goal would set us up very nicely. Lutsharel Geertruida had a powerful shot on target and Bart Verbruggen had to push it out for a corner. Nothing happened from that one but we soon had another that led to yet another. We couldn’t make anything of that and then two minutes of added time were announced. There was modest applause as the whistle went.

Julio Arca came on for a bit of a chat during the break and received a good ovation.

There was an even bigger ripple for Sir Bob Murray, who also came on for a quick interview.

There were no changes as we kicked off again and we didn’t take long to go ahead, or so we thought at any rate till VAR ruled Rigg’s effort out for offside. Diego Gomez became the first recipient of a yellow card but nobody could get on the end of the resultant free kick. After more faffing about at the back, Brighton landed themselves in trouble but a shot from Brobbey went just over the bar. Anyway, our fans were getting roused at last and a goal seemed to be on its way. Hume gave away a corner rather needlessly in the 57th minute and it resulted in Brighton going ahead, when Minteh slotted a low shot in from the right. One of our players, Habib Diarra, had gone down while the corner was taken but there was no VAR check and that was that, much to the anger of our fans. The large Brighton contingent were making all the noise for a while. Ballard was injured just after the hour mark and was soon replaced by O’Nien. My friend said, “Here comes trouble.”. Hume had a decent shot from outside the box that wasn’t far wide and we had plenty of time to get an equaliser or more.

Gomez had a great chance to put them further ahead in the 68th minute but, fortunately, he skied his shot. We were starting to faff around at the back too and I could certainly have done without that. Yankubah Minteh was booked for a foul on O’Nien in the 74th minute and the free kick for that immediately led to another right near the right angle of their box. Referee Thomas Kirk was coming in for a lot of stick for not being firmer. A further free kick was the result of all that and there were more chants of, “You’re not fit to referee.”. We then switched Brobbey for Mayenda. There were ten minutes to go when we won another corner but could we make it count for a change? No, I’m afraid. Talbi hadn’t had a good game and, with six minutes left, he was replaced by Cirkin. Brighton were sitting back and we weren’t coming up with much in the way of attacking ideas while time was running out quickly. There was a cheer when eight minutes of added time was announced. Welbeck was subbed in the 94th minute and received a warm ovation from our fans. Next thing, we were awarded a free kick close to the left angle of their box but it only resulted in a throw to us on the far side. That was the cue for many of our fans to make for the exit. The whistle soon went and we’d lost 1-0. Appropriately, a large flock of seagulls swarmed near the area hosting the Brighton fans.