By Tim Hodges from the Amex
Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Derby County 1
The Albion beat Derby at the Amex this afternoon (Saturday 12 January) with goals from Ashley Barnes and Andrea Orlandi.
Immediately from kick-off, as Albion tried to set the tempo for the match, Derby, in the form of John Brayford and Conor Sammon, tried to close down the Seagulls defence.
However, this left a gap as Derby pushed up and, with barely two minutes gone, David Lopez crossed in for Barnes to side-foot home the fastest Amex goal so far and put the Albion 1-0 up.
The game had hardly found a pattern as a shell-shocked Derby chased around and Albion patiently passed the ball around.
Brayford, with No 2 on his back, and Will Hughes looked Derby’s most prominent threat. Dean Hammond was making some good tackles and Liam Bridcutt was clearing up every loose ball in his path.
With just 25 minutes gone Will Buckley, who just earlier made a super defensive clearance in Albion’s penalty area, whipped in a cross which was met with a perfect header from Orlandi. This had the Derby keeper Adam Legzdins pawing at fresh air as the Albion sailed into a 2-0 lead.
Derby’s main threat appeared to be Sammon, who tried to link up with Hughes, but this was being dealt with well by Adam El-Abd and Hammond.
Derby’s best chance of the half fell to Paul Coutts, who headed well over from a corner.
At the break Albion looked comfortable.
The Amex was buzzing as the second half started, a continuous chant of ”Gus Poyet’s blue and white army” emanated from the “upstanding” North Stand.
Barnes was no longer ploughing a lone furrow up front. Buckley was supporting as he drifted in from the wing. Buckley did almost get through the Derby defence on two occasions but was forced wide each time, although he did find a team-mate, but nothing was being achieved from Albion’s greater possession.
Derby introduced Jamie Ward as a substitute and he looked likely to give Derby fresh legs in attack.
And it wasn’t long before the pint-sized striker had turned, slipped Greer and El-Abd and fired narrowly over. This gave the Albion something to think about.
Then Lopez created one of the moves of the match. Winning the ball in the full-back position, Lopez carried it forward to almost halfway. The Spaniard released Buckley with an inch-perfect 20-yard pass but the midfielder cum striker couldn’t quite lift it over the Derby keeper as he approached the six-yard box.
Almost against the run of play, and from a free-kick, the ball fell to Jeff Hendrick, who fired past Tomasz Kuszczak from close range to put Derby right back in it.
With Orlandi booked and Buckley looking tired, Poyet replaced them with Gary Dicker and Kazenga LuaLua. This changed Albion’s shape a little and caused both Wayne Bridge and Inigo Calderon to push in from the touchline and allowed Derby more of the ball.
Ward and Sammon were working well together as Derby pressed for an equaliser.
But despite a few brief scares and some brave keeping from Kuszczak, Albion held on even though the referee playing nearly six minutes of injury time, instead of the advertised four minutes.
Albion move up to 8th place in the Championship.
Seagulls fans will be delighted how the season is going and will hope Vicente Rodriguez who was a non-playing substitute today, keeps fit and features regularly from now on.
Craig Mackail-Smith, who was omitted from the match-day squad, is being linked with a move to Norwich.
Albion fans will be praying this is just the Amex rumour mill working over time – and also perhaps for an Arsenal win next Wednesday.
Albion: Kuszczak; Calderon, Greer, El-Abd, Bridge; Bridcutt, Hammond, David Lopez, Orlandi; Buckley, Barnes. Subs: Ankergren, Dunk, Hoskins, Crofts, Vicente, Dicker, LuaLua.
Derby: Legzdins; Freeman, Keogh, O’Brien, Roberts; Coutts, Brayford, Hughes, Kendrick, Davies; Sammon. Subs: Fielding, O’Connor, Tyson, Ward, Robinson, Jacobs, Bennett.
Referee: Iain Williamson (Berskhire)
