"Follow your spirit....."

A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

Football League Championship

4th May 2013

Brighton and Hove Albion (2) 2
LuaLua 4 and 38

Wolverhampton Wanders (0) 0

Attendance: 30,003 (a new Amex record)

To their great credit Albion supporters resisted the opportunity to gloat over Wolves' misfortune - some club's supporters would not have been so kind (no names!). Perhaps too many home supporters have vivid memories of their team's years of struggle and our own double dip relegation. Albion fans have learnt the hard way to treat triumph and disaster as the imposters they really are.

Wolves looked and played like a team destined for relegation despite the millions of pounds of talent on show - substitute Sigurdarson cost £2.5million alone. 4 managers in a little over a year, selling the best players and replacing with inferior imports is a recipe for disaster and so it proved. Fans feel really hurt when they

Gus saves top players for the Play Offs

resort to booing their own players with Jamie O'Hara a particular target. He went straight off at the final whistle with no salute to the long suffering fans. I cannot recall Albion fans doing that since the distant days of Robert Codner.

The visitors looked neat and tidy in their approach play, had more than their fair share of possession and forced 9 corners but created few real chances and their defence looked fragile when LuaLua ran at them.

As always with relegated teams when the chances come along they go begging. Kuszczak pawed a first half corner away from under the cross bar and Wolves failed to bundle the ball in after a miscued clearance from David Lopez. This was after Sako had clipped the outside of the post. In the second half a dangerous inswinging centre from the right was headed down by Roger Johnson into the ground and over the cross bar.

In between these chances LuaLua had won the game almost single handedly. In the 4th and 38th minutes he seized on passes from the impressive Crofts, ran straight at the terrified defenders and thumped the ball past De Vries. The first with his right foot and the second with the left. Each was a class goal. The first a curling shot into the top corner as LuaLua cut in and for the second a lighting turn of speed and step over that left Gorkss flounding and the ball in the back of De Vries' net. LuaLua celebrated with a trade mark somersault.

Gorkss, as a Reading player last season, had played like an impenetrable man mountain but in the Amex Spring drizzle looked slow and isolated. 

LuaLua had ended the game as a contest and the second half was a bit of a non-event.

A touch of Spain on the terraces

The Albion played in second and third gear and decided to settle for what they had and save their energy for bigger battles to come. 

A mazy dribble from Vicente, a shot over from Ulloa and pile driver from Barnes well saved by De Vries were the only times they really broke sweat after the break.

The crowd (except the south east corner) were in party mood with lots of touches of Spain to be seen (pity the weather did not oblige) and a well observed Mexican wave. On 70 minutes a spine chilling chant for the Albion rang around the stadium. Everybody celebrated the record Amex attendance (the Albion's highest home attendance since the old Division 2 days in 1979) and gave the long suffering visiting supporters a hearty round of applause. 

The sudden arrival of an army of stewards and police in front of the Wolves' supporters seemed an over reaction but possibly the consequence of social media rumours.

While wishing Wolves a speedy return to the Championship (the Prem League parachute payment should help), for the Albion the whole season now boils down to 2 nerve racking encounters with Crystal Palace. On form the Albion should win through but Palace have history and tradition of their side. The play offs are a lottery and a team's whole season can turn on one mistake, missed opportunity or missed penalty. 

Whatever happens the Albion have laid down a marker - we are back as a challenging club. 4th in the regular season is the the seventh best finish in the Club's history.

MAGIC MOMENT: Vicente's mazy second half dribble past several defenders before he turned the ball over the ball.

REF WATCH: Mr. Hooper was quite tolerant and clearly did not want to inflame the day

Spanish happy families

by over using his cards. Wolves had a good shout for a foul before LuaLua's first goal but Hooper waved play on. Had little option than to book Johnson near the end for bringing down El-Abd.

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF MAN OF THE MATCH: My personal award goes to ANDREW CROFTS who had his most effective game since his return from Norwich. Combative in the midfield battle, his passing and covering was outstanding and laid on both goals for LuaLua.