Huddersfield 3 Brighton 1
There is a memorable episode of The Likely Lads when Bob does his best to avoid knowing the result of a match he has recorded. I felt much the same yesterday as I had arranged a dinner with a young executive Melissa whom I mentor at Sussex CCC. I passed a taxi rank near to my home and one of the drivers, an Albion fanatic, shouted out “Ivan, are you watching tonight’s game on SKY?”
This was the first I knew that the important clash with Huddersfield was to be televised. I thought of rearranging the dinner, offering my chesty cold as an excuse, but I hate late cancellations so I decided to record it and hoped no one would tell me the result. There was a chance that the TV was on in the Argentinian steak house where I had reserved a table, or that the taxi driver taking me home would speak of the result as the Albion are well supported by the taxi fraternity, or that I might receive a text or email referring to the result. We finished our dinner at 9-40. Being many years her senior there was not going to be an offer of coffee at hers and she disappeared into the night. The steak was good, richer and tastier than an English one, but I only had one small glass of Malbec and large black coffee to keep me awake as the greatest risk of all was that I fall asleep. I also gave Melissa some event ideas so I had discharged my mentoring duties.
Coming home there was no way I could sit through to midnight to watch the whole game. So I fast forwarded the first half, no doubt Brighton would wish to delete it altogether as the best defence in the Championship conceded 3 goals. Huddersfield under Jurgen Klopp’s number zwei at Borussia Dortmund are an attractive, successful team. They pass slickly and in the Australian Mooy have one of the best players in the division. Aside from Stockdale weakly palming a cross that led to the second goal, the other two were more well-worked than defensive errors. Brighton equalised when Hemed exploited a Huddersfield slip to go on to score. However the Terriers scored twice more before half time. I watched the entirety of the second half but Brighton’s chances of recovery were diminished when Lewis Dunk was red carded for his second bookable offence. Lewis Dunk is at the moment the best defender in the championship and this will be his fifth red card of his career. Crucially we lost him in the play-offs so he needs to address this indiscipline. It was a bad lunge and he might have stayed on the pitch but it was his second yellow card. Chris Hughton switched to a three at the back with Bruno but he never will take too many risks and throw too many forward and you can end up thrashed 5-1, so the 3-1 score line was played out.
This if you included Lincoln is the Albion’s third successive away defeat. We are still top of the league, enjoy strong home form and, until the end of this month when we play Barnsley, Reading and Newcastle, have some easy looking fixtures ahead so no reason to panic. A bad day at the office but a good night at the Latino American steak house then.
