A VIEW FROM WEST STAND LOWER

"Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen, our bending author hath pursued the story"

Football League Championship

Play off semi-final (second leg)

Brighton and Hove Albion (0) 0

Crystal Palace (0) 2
Zaha 70 and 88

Attendance: 29,518

It has to be said, although the words stick in my throat! Crystal Palace were worthy winners of the Championship play off semi-final. The street-wise boys from the smoke came down to the seaside for the day and gave Gus's flairistas a lesson in how to win a one-off winner-takes-all game. 

Palace's desire, commitment, hard running and tactical nous linked to Zaha's flair presented a puzzle the Albion were unable to fathom. Ian Holloway is sometimes derided as a manager

They might regret the hair dos in the morning!

but he certainly outwitted Gus on Monday night.

For me the turning point of the tie came at half time in the first leg at Selhurst Park. For 45 minutes Palace had retreated in the face of the Albion and given them time and space to pass the ball around and build attacks. The visitors should have been ahead - Ulloa and particularly Hammond spurning good opportunities. 

Holloway changed tactics. He matched Brighton's 4-3-3 formation and played a much higher line. Every Albion outfield player had a marker, Kuszczak could no longer play the ball short to allow attacks to build from the back and the Albion were forced to hit the ball longer. This meant more 50/50 challenges for the ball and more often than not Palace's greater physical strength won out. This was not critical as the Seagulls doggedly dug in knowing there was a second leg to come.

Palace employed the same tactic at the Amex and the Albion were unable to respond. For a team which likes to keep the ball tight and the game under control the match became far too open and more often than not Ulloa was left to battle on his own to win balls in the air against 2 defenders, sometimes assisted by the midfield holding player. 

Gus commented on this after the game but during it the Albion were unable to find a Plan B that would put Palace under real pressure. Barnes' arrival helped but why didn't Gus put Crofts on to stiffen up the midfield and play LuaLua and Buckley more centrally and use their pace on the break to put pressure on the Palace back four? Instead that was what Palace did and they gave early warning in the second half of their intent when they broke at speed when a David Lopez free kick was cleared, Williams ran away from the Albion's defence to put the ball just past Kuszczak's right hand post when he should have hit the target.

Another break in the 70th found Bolaise with space and time wide on the left. He turned past Calderon and Zaha, with space in the middle, emphatically headed home past Kusczak.

There was still 20 minutes to go but the Albion were unable to mount a concerted response and chances were limited to a powerful header from Barnes but straight into Speroni's grateful arms.

With 2 minutes to go Zaha turned past Greer as if he was not there and smashed by ball home off the underside of the cross bar.

As in the first game the Albion had chances to go ahead and take control of the game. They were finding space down the sides of the Palace defence which they were unable to do in the second half. David Lopez saw a shot deflected narrowly wide, Orlandi fired a cross into Speroni's arms and a fine centre from the left was headed clear from almost

Sadly no service to Wembley

under the cross bar. The best chance fell to Buckley who robbed Zaha on the edge of the penalty area but saw his low shot diverted away for a corner. If that had gone in I doubt Zaha would have emerged as hero for the day.

With  Barnes' first touch he chipped the ball over Speroni who managed to get a hand on the ball which diverted it on to the cross bar. Barnes held his head in disbelief. From the resulting corner Barnes headed the ball powerfully past Speroni only to see it headed off the line by Delaney. 

The first Palace goal arrived soon after and Albion maintained their long record of being unable to win once they have fallen behind. 

Palace have leaked 19 more goals than the Albion this season but in 2 games they were unable to find the net once. Ulloa manfully fulfilled the lone striker role with limited support either from Mark Clattenburg or  his fellow players. Perhaps the failure to find a replacement striker for the injured CMS and Hoskins in the transfer window finally took its toll.

The Albion just did not tick as a team particularly as the second half wore on. Palace's tactics disrupted them. Bridge did not look fully fit and played with a heavily bandaged left thigh. David Lopez's passing boots seemed to have deserted him but he ran himself into the ground as usual. Hammond faded away as the game progressed and Buckley saw less of the ball the more the game progressed.  

So it all ended in a great night of disappointment. Expectations were raised and then dashed. Football can be a cruel game. To their great credit many Albion fans did not forget the 4th place finish - the 7th best in the Club's 112 year history and best in this Division since the late 1970s - and remained behind to give the players a deserved round of applause for the season's efforts. 

Gus was right to point out that if the season had finished on 4th May it would have been heralded as a great sucess but now if feels like a waste.

Gus was also right to ask the question if this was as good as it got for the Albion or were the play offs a stepping

Will Gus and Tano be sitting here next season?

stone to greater things? It was his timing and doing so in public that was questionable.

So that is my final game blog of the season - I so wanted to write just one more with the words "as Brighton and Hove Albion ran out on to the Wembley turf for the first time since 1991" but it was not to be. 

I also have to put away my Henry V and searches for a quote to suit each game.

I am sure next August 30,000 of us will turn up at the Amex to welcome a new season of endeavour focussed on getting into the Premiership whoever the manager might be.

MAGIC MOMENT: In the second half Buckley flipped the ball over Delaney's head and ran around him and away down the wing.

REF WATCH: In both games the players did not allow the occasion to get to them and played in a competitive but sporting manner. This made controlling the games much easier for both refs. Clattenburg had a quiet but authorative game only failing to protect Ulloa from the mauling provided by the Palace centre backs but penalising him whenever he asserted himself physically.  

ALTERNATIVE MAN OF THE MATCH: My nomination goes to Will Buckley. Whenever in possession he was a threat to the Palace defence. Unlucky not to score in the first half.