Vital point to Brighton

Press, 4 August 1977, Page 6

Vital point to Brighton

By

DAVID LEGGAT.

New Brighton gained an important Rothmans National League point last evening when it drew 0-0 with Trans Tours United at English Park, in a match played in appalling conditions. If the match was to be judged merely on chances created. United would have won about

6-2. It spent the majority of the match on attack, and only the inability of its strikers to capitalise oh good work by Steve Sumner and Tom Sermanni prevented a sizable win. Brighton’s attacks were isolated, but it did deserve a point for a guts*. courageous performance. After a good beginning its performance tailed away until it was forced to concentrate almost entirely on defence. The match started at a fast clip, but the players wearied as the pitch became, in parts, little more than a bog. The conditions made skilful soccer difficult. The pitch was

greasy on top and the area around the centre circle cut up particularly badly . United had at least two clear cut chances in the first half to Brighton’s one. Kees Doomenbal shot straight at the Brighton goal-keeper, Richard Wilson, from 10 metres out when he found himself unmarked, and soon afterwards, Francis McKay, in his first full National League match for United, ballooned the ball high over the cross-bar from a similar position. Brighton’s best chance came from a left-wing corner. Graham Oacombes header landed at Johann Verweij’s feet two metres from the line, but his shot couldn’t find a path through the wall of legs and was cleared Doomenbal was the chief culprit of missed goals. When Sermanni *s shot deflected on to the post, with Wilson on the ground, his shot from close range was straight at Alan Smith's legs on the goal line. Mark McNaughton headed a clever Sumner chip on to the

roof of the net, and Just before the end he outsped the defence to a through ball, but his shot from just inside the goal area hit the side netting. At times Brighton tried to push the ball around when the best policy, under the conditions, would have been to hit the longer ball for Its quick striker, Mike Glubb, to chase

There was a lack of imagination from both teams in that they often tried to charge their way through the muddy patch of the field rather than push the ball wide to the flanks and try to get behind the defences.

The United right back, Ross Durant, was the pick of his team, using the ball intelligently and tackling well. Sermanni and Sumner tried hard to engineer a goal, but it was not their night For Brighton, Rab Brown had a solid game in the heart of defence and Verwelj and Dacombe battled well against a tough back line. united is in fourth equal position and Brighton ninth on the points table.