Brighton & Hove Albion 0 v Charlton Athletic 2

Mercifully, we were spared a downpour last night at the Withdean Stadium and there wasn't a wind blowing off the Channel. The 890 Addicks who got tickets were witnesses to Charlton's first away win for fully three months, although the manner of the win was probably not what many were expecting. The view from the temporary golf stand erected 60 yards behind the goal and the running track, but just in front of the sandpit, was as poor as anything I have seen before. We were in the second row from the front which obviously didn't help. It really was a strange experience, trying to follow a game in 2-D.

The match was very short on quality or goalmouth action and can be summarised very easily; Brighton hit the bar from a header from a corner and the dropping ball looked to me like it was clawed out from over the line, but what could I really see? The fact is none of the Brighton players claimed and their much better positioned fans on the side of the pitch didn't complain either. Other than that we had two penetrating first half attacks and scored from both which settled the match as a contest. The second-half was a repeat of the first but with only one real scoring opportunity for either side when David Mooney got on the end of a superb cross from Lloyd Sam and saw his thumping header beaten out somehow from six yards by Smith in the Brighton goal. He had the audacity to save the follow-up as well.

That really was all there was to report. Brighton had much more possession than us throughout the game although we did up the ante after the break and a ten minute spell where we penned them into their box as we knocked the ball around. I thought Brighton's approach play was excellent and they moved the ball across the pitch very well with players supporting the ball-carrier but the final ball into the box always looked more hopeful than anything else and you lost count of the number of times it came rebounding back out as Charlton held firm.

This was an Addicks back-line without Youga and Richardson but Basey was superb for Youga and Omozusi had a much better game at right-back. The rest of the side was as expected, with Sodje returning for Llera and Wagstaff getting the other wing role ahead of Racon or Shelvey. Bailey and Semedo deserve praise for the protection they offered in the centre, although both were booked and I think will miss the Southend game which will cause us a few problems.

The goals then; the first came after ten minutes and was a much better finish than it looked from 200 yards away at ground level. I had the benefit of seeing it again on the local news in a pub after the match. Nicky Bailey flighted a lovely free-kick into the box and Deon Burton headed down powerfully to see the ball bounce high and past Smith. It was reminiscent of his goal at Norwich earlier this season. The second came about ten minutes from the break and owed much to the overlapping charge from 21 year old Grant Basey who took the ball on from Lloyd Sam, ran into the box and played a ball to a clutch of players rushing to the near post which included their keeper. Mooney, I think was one of them and he either dummied or touched the ball on across the goal where Scott Wagstaff was arriving all alone and had the simple task of scoring on his first full appearance.

That really was all there was to say about the match. In the car on the way home we talked about the performance in terms of it being a disappointment that we hadn't played more convincingly or taken the game to Brighton but concluded that going one-up probably caused us to defend for twenty minutes and we were then two-up without breaking stride. The fact that Brighton failed to get back into the game may have discouraged anymore risk taking in terms of our attacking, but I am sure we didn't look anywhere as near impressive a side as some of the other six sides who have won there this season.

Still, a win's a win and with Colchester losing at Brentford and Huddersfield being held at home by Tranmere, we find ourselves four points clear of third place Norwich with Colchester six adrift and Huddersfield 9 behind. Roll on the Southend game.