Wolves salvage point against ten man Brighton
Wolves 1 v Brighton & HA 1
You may or may not be aware that Brighton & HA featured in the news recently though for issues other than the performance of their players on the pitch. A group of sociology students from that fount of academic excellence, Varndean College, (I know I’d never heard of it either) were encouraged to study the behaviour of, or as Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times described them, “uneducated, illiterate, right wing working class-scum”, by mingling with Millwall fans at close quarters during their game against Brighton a couple of weeks ago. Rod was less than enamoured with the pretext on which this research was being conducted deeming it to be yet another example of how those entirely disconnected from the working class roots of the game are attempting to ridicule it - and by implication sanitise - by demonstrating that it is indeed followed by folk whose arms drop beneath their knees. At times I too have been guilty of joining the sociology students of Varndean by using the phrase “Cerebrally challenged” to describe a certain section of the Wolves support. But if everyone were like me the Molineux would be a morgue and the game a lot worse for it. Football, as Desmond Morris in his book The Soccer Tribe demonstrated, is a tribal game and it is the unity engendered by the tribe which gives it its one eyed passion. There is still something rather wonderful about being surrounded by thousands of people who all want the same thing even though you might not necessarily invite them for dinner. Anyway we move on…..
Since my last missive Wolves had mustered a rot stopping win on the road at Sheffield Wednesday. One hoped that this would rekindle the confidence that had so clearly evaporated during the five game loss run. But any sense that this might occur soon evaporated when on ten minutes the visitors opened their account with a beautifully worked goal. It followed a period of good possession which saw the ball moved through a series of passes to the exotically named Inego Calderon. His low curling cross from the right was perfectly weighted for the advancing Darren Bent whose diving head powered it past Carl Ikeme. Thereafter Brighton continued to dominate possession aided by some disjointed Wolves play. It would not be until the half hour that the home side created a chance but David Edward’s could do no better than direct his header wide. Eventually with five minutes of the half remaining Wolves woke from their slumber Bakary Sako at the centre of the action. Three times he was denied the first a well struck volley from a good cross from James Henry which was hit straight at David Stockdale the second hitting an upright following a mazy run and the third well saved by Stockdale diving to his right.
Half time discussion lamented the lack of a Teddy Sherringham playing in the hole. Perhaps Coach Jackett had been privy to this conversation because out for the second half came Nouha Dicko and Jack Price (in place of Danny Graham and James Henry) allowing David Edwards to occupy the hole. “We are in for fireworks” I declared somewhat hubristically. Whether correct or not the second half was certainly lively. Jack Price provided the quick passing that Wolves had so lacked in the first half. Dicko offered more pace up front and within three minutes of the restart went down in the box, having seemingly been tripped by keeper Stockdale. But no. Unlike the van la Parra sending off the referee decided to consult his linesman who overruled him, Dicko going from hero to villain as he was booked for diving. Four minutes later Bruno Salter was shown a red card following an over the top tackle on Kevin MacDonald.
Though they now had numerical advantage Wolves could do little more than huff and puff Dicko’s one on one with Stockdale following a lovely through ball from Price being the only chance of note. But with the clock moving ever closer to ninety minutes the home side found some momentum which would eventually see the Brighton dam burst. In the 88th minute a goal mouth scramble, following a Sako corner, saw the ball fall to Danny Batth who poked it home from just outside the six yard box. The relief in the stands was palpable as much for the point it secured as the joy that keeper Stockdale, a grade A irritant if ever there were one, had been beaten.
It is never easy playing ten men and in fairness to Wolves they never gave up. They played their best football when they moved the ball quickly. Get some squares marked out on the training ground Kenny, play two on one and make it one touch only until it becomes second nature.
Wolves: Ikeme 6, Iorfa 6, Batth 7, Stearman 6, Hause 5, Henry 6 Sub Price 7, MacDonald 6, Edwards 6 Sub Clarke, Sako 7, van la Parra 6, Graham 6 Sub Dicko 6
Brighton & HA: Stockdale 7, Bruno 6, Dunk 6, Halford 7, Bennett 6, Forster-Caskey 7, Calderon 6, Teixeira 7 Sub Ince, Holla 7, Bent 6 Sub Colunga, March 6 Sub Gardner
Attendance: 22,882
Referee: Darren Bond 7
MB