By Tim Hodges at the Amex
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Hull City 0
The Albion stopped the rot of conceding soft goals this evening as they drew with Hull City in a pulsating match at the Amex.
Matt Sparrow may have been selected as Gus Poyet’s enforcer for the game as Craig Noone dropped to the bench.
And the first chance fell to Albion’s former Scunthorpe man as from a Gary Dicker corner Sparrow hit a rising volley that took a deflection from the head of a Hull defender and rebounded out of play.
Soon after another corner this time from Vicente Rodrigues on the left was met by Lewis Dunk who directed the ball the wrong side of the post.
Albion weren’t having it all their own way as the impressive Rosenior was striding through midfield all too easily and nearly set Maclean away as the game reached the quarter hour mark.
Hull’s Brady was also beginning to give Marcos Painter a torrid time both in terms of pace skill and at times tried to intimated the Albion full back with some clever ridicule.
The Tigers were getting their teeth into the game and a super challenge from Liam Bridcutt denied Fryatt with Casper Ankergren already committed the other way.
A while later Bridcutt whipped a cross in to the Hull box that fell to surprised Ashley Barnes who sidefooted well wide.
Before half time Craig Mackail-Smith forced Basso in to a good save and at the other end Fryatt again, after good work from Rosenior, had a super chance but Dunk produced a brilliant tackle and required treatment afterwards.
Both teams were unchanged at the start of the second half although it was soon apparent Vicente was playing a little wider for the Albion.
Every time the Albion feed Vicente the ball they are immediately on the attack, he turns and weaves almost like a young Maradona , the Hull players seemed mesmerised by his skill, he gets the Albion moving forward quickly with very little effort in pace.
No wonder Leicester want David Beckham. He must be second choice after they missed out on Vicente.
However, Albion weren’t having it all their own way, as Koren broke and fed Maclean and although Dunk had a chance to clear, the Hull forward forced Ankergren into a superb almost point-blank save and the ball rebounded to safety
On 76 minutes Vicente working well with Sparrow and at times Inigo Calderon on the overlap, took the ball effortlessly in his stride, whipped in a superb cross from the right, which was met with a powerful Mackail-Smith header, which Basso grabbed in mid-air.
It was end to end stuff and soon after Maclean rapped a shot against the Albion bar then Ankergren pushed Brady’s fierce shot around the post.
Albion were breaking out of defence finding Vicente and quickly turning defence into attack, Mackail-Smith on the right hand side of the area produced a sublime snapshot which Basso palmed over.
Noone, on in place of Dicker, was replicating Vicente on the left, from his cross Mackail-Smith nodded down for Barnes, who blasted over from the edge of the penalty box.
Almost at the death Koren hit a twenty yarder against the bar and Maclean blasted the rebound high and wide from just outside the six yard box.
Albion: Ankergren; Calderon, Greer, Dunk, Painter; Bridcutt; Dicker, Sparrow; Vicente; Barnes, Mackail-Smith. Subs: Brezovan, Vincelot, Harley, Noone, Hoskins.
Hull: Basso; Rosenior, Chester, Chester, Hobbs, Dudgeon; Brady, Koren, Evans, Pusic Cairney, Adebola. Fryatt. Subs: Gulacsi, McShane, McKenna Cairney, Adebola
Referee: James Linington (Newport, Isle of Wight).
