Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club

Ipswich Town 0 Brighton 3

GUS POYET claimed all three points were heaven-sent as Brighton ended a miserable run of five games without a win.

Goals from Dean Hammond, top scorer Craig Mackail-Smith and former England full-back Wayne Bridge rocked Ipswich.

Seagulls chief Poyet admitted: “It was a much-needed win and comfortable in the end.

“In a recent game we had 27 shots, 17 on target and only scored one goal.

“But today we have had three shots on target and scored three goals.

“Is that normal? No, but something happened today — I don’t know if it was luck, God or the New Year.”

Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy refused to blame his players after just their third defeat in 13 games since he arrived.

He said: “I’m not going to criticise my players. I always see the big picture and they have been amazing.

“We haven’t played particularly well. But we have 30 points and that’s terrific. I really admire the players for the turnaround since I came here. It has been remarkable.”

Brighton took the lead with a training-ground corner in the 15th minute, Hammond running unchecked to head home Andrea Orlandi’s centre.

Tomasz Kuszczak’s flying save kept out Daryl Murphy’s effort for the home side. But Brighton extended their lead in the 34th minute when Ashley Barnes sent Mackail- Smith clear to drill his 11th of the season low past Stephen Henderson via the far post.

Bridge added a third in the 67th minute with a low drive from 30 yards.

Mel Henderson (The Sun)

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Brighton 1 Ipswich 1

Gus Poyet says Brighton have to become accustomed to teams looking to “nick” results at the Amex Stadium, after watching his side held to a draw by struggling Ipswich.

A first-half goal from striker Daryl Murphy gave the visitors the lead against the run of play, before a late Will Buckley goal rescued a deserved point for Brighton.

Poyet said: “I think everyone rates us higher than we think [of ourselves], because of the way teams come here to play. [Teams are saying] 'let’s nick a goal and defend for whatever time is left’. But we need to get used to it . I like it. It’s a compliment.”

It was the second in four days that high-flying Brighton had welcomed a team at the wrong end of the table to the south coast. Birmingham had frustrated Albion at the weekend and Ipswich arrived with an identical game plan.

For all Brighton’s early dominance, it was the visitors who took the lead on 27 minutes, captain Carlos Edwards’ deep right-wing cross finding Murphy at the far post to head home.

Brighton continued to control the game after the break but could not fashion a clear opening. However, their patience was rewarded on 80 minutes when substitute Buckley fired home from close range.

The Ipswich manager, Paul Jewell, told to resign by a fan as he stepped off the team coach at the ground, said: “We have taken a lot of flak and we can’t hide from that. But the lads have shown the spirit is there. We just need a victory and we’ll be on our way.”

Adam Carroll-Smith (Daily Telegraph)

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GET CRAIG MACKAIL-SMITH TO REALITY

CRAIG MACKAIL-SMITH helped Brighton to within touching distance of the play-offs – and then warned fans not to get carried away.

The Scot, who had his 28th birthday on Saturday, dampened hopes of a second promotion in a row for the Seagulls.

He said: “Yes, we’re just outside the play-offs, but we’re focused on each game, enjoying being in the Championship and playing good football.”

The unmarked striker slotted home from Will Buckley’s low cross from the byline, and in the second half Ashley Barnes curled one past keeper Aaron Lee-Barrett.

Ipswich fought back, but Barnes netted again two minutes from time.

Town’s Carlos Edwards blamed his side’s poor defending.

He said: “We were four games undefeated and we came here with high expectations, but give credit to Brighton – they’re a good team.

“But saying that, it wasn’t our day and we’ve got to put our disappointment of not winning consistently behind us. You win some and you lose some.”

Robert Dunford (Daily Star)

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Chopra brace clips high-flying Seagulls

Michael Chopra bagged a brace as resurgent Ipswich came from behind to see off Brighton and ensure there was to be no celebration for Albion boss Gus Poyet just 24 hours after penning a new five-year contract.

The Suffolk club have a new-found spring in their step having taken 10 points from a possible 12 in their last four npower Championship outings, coming after losing four of their opening six.

But they had to do it the hard way at Portman Road as former Spain and Valencia winger Vicente Rodriguez curled home a superb 53rd-minute effort to register his first goal for Brighton on what was his first start since his summer switch.

Yet Chopra, at fault for the opener having been dispossessed, redeemed himself with his first goal since the opening day just minutes later.

Centre-back Ibrahima Sonko got in on the act with his first goal in Ipswich colours to put the hosts in front before Chopra grabbed his second of a successful afternoon.

It left Poyet and his Seagulls side nursing a third defeat from their last four games and having conceded three goals in each of their previous three outings.

Both sides made a bright start to proceedings amid an unusually glorious October afternoon but it was the hosts who enjoyed the better chances from the off.

After Jimmy Bullard had seen his early effort land on the roof of the net, Chopra volleyed Carlos Edwards` cross goalwards and forced a great reflex save from Casper Ankergren, who would surely have been beaten had the strike not been fired straight down the middle.

Bullard, Jason Scotland and Grant Leadbitter all tried their luck but failed to seriously test the Seagulls stopper.

The tempo seemed to descend into somewhat of a pre-season encounter amid the summer temperatures.

But the Portman Road crowd were roused in the 28th minute as Chopra's perfectly weighted touch set up Scotland, who saw his shot well blocked by Gordon Greer.

Bowyer, twice, Leadbitter and Keith Andrews all let fly as Town continued to wrack up their tally of shots on goal, which read 11 to one come the half-time whistle following a harmless solitary effort from Vicente.

The opening stages of the second half were a tame affair until Vicente broke the deadlock in stunning fashion.

Chopra was robbed of possession in the middle of the park and the Spaniard charged goalwards, skipped around Bullard and curled a super effort into the top corner from 20 yards.

But Chopra redeemed himself just minutes later with his first goal on home soil since his summer switch from Cardiff, striking home from 25 yards after being given space to pick his spot.

Ashley Barnes, for the second time in three minutes, should really have done better for Brighton with a header from 12 yards.

At the other end, the lively Edwards crossed for Bullard, who saw his shot blocked by Romain Vincelot.

And from the resulting Bullard corner, Sonko rose to head Town into a 70th-minute lead.

And it was soon three for Town as Chopra, again afforded too much time, finished well from 12 yards.

Brighton pushed forward as they looked to get back into the game but they failed to seriously test David Stockdale.

Mail Online

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Brighton keep hopes alive

Brighton and Hove Albion survived to fight another day after deservedly snaffling three points from Ipswich, whose season, with the play-offs already well out of reach, is ending on a whimper.

With no fixed abode in Sussex and virtually no squad-strengthening funds, the battling spirit that Mark McGhee's side showed was commendable and in the elusive Colin Kazim-Richards they had easily the outstanding performer on the day.

Able to play without fear, Ipswich should have been able to produce the more considered football early on and so it proved. The first clearcut opening, in fact, came within three minutes when Darren Currie sent a volley dipping viciously just wide. Almost immediately Danny Haynes cut the ball back from the opposite flank but no team-mate was quick-witted enough to take advantage.

Not that the home side had it all their own way. Paul Reid, Albion's Australian midfielder, forced Shane Supple to make a fine save with his legs and Kerry Mayo was unable to get a clean shot in as the loose ball arrived at his feet.

Matt Richards had the travelling fans' nerves jangling again with a volley that matched Currie's for power but was also a yard off target.

In first-half stoppage time Kazim-Richards fed the ball through to Gifton Noel-Williams and the striker, on loan from Burnley, belied his strapping physique by spinning smartly to drill it low past Supple.

With confidence restored, Kazim-Richards embarked on another penetrating run just after the re-start, culminating in a near-post drive that embedded itself in the side-netting. Ipswich supporters, having seen their team lose 4-1 at home to Stoke the week before, were seeing their campaign fizzle out before their eyes.

Even so, it took a brilliant goal-line clearance by Paul McShane to prevent Haynes equalising after a defence-splitting through ball from substitute Nicky Forster. A minute later Noel-Williams thundered a drive against an upright at the other end and, from the corner that followed after the ball was scrambled away, Reid chipped over a cross that Supple failed to collect and Joel Lynch netted scrappily from close range. It was not at all pretty but the 18-year-old defender could not have registered a more crucial strike.

Just when Brighton thought they could relax a little, Alan Lee's back-header set up Forster to nod in and narrow the deficit with a minute to go. Suddenly it was hoof-it-anywhere time but the panic seemed to spread to Ipswich captain Jason de Vos, who presented Joe Gatting with an ideal chance to restore Brighton's two-goal cushion but he scuffed his shot wide.

Steve Thomson (Daily Telegraph)

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