14/02 Brighton 2nd Half

By: Tony Butcher
Date: 15/02/2004

COLDICOTT was replaced at half time by Delicious Des Hamilton, with the result that Town lost a bit of oomph. Well, a lot really. Des spent the first twenty minutes being Des, doing Des-like things, such as ducking under the ball, watching the wheels go by.

Grimsby Town 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 14 Feb 2004, Nationwide League Division 2 Daws eventually took on the midfield cruncher mantle, giving a nod towards his imperious October form. Brighton had the first effort of the second half, when they broke quickly down the right. The ball eventually fell to Carpenter, near the edge of the penalty area. Thank goodness for Tony Crane’s body, eh, as he threw himself in the way, the ball thudding into his soft bits and rebounding upfield. Town won a few free kicks around the penalty area and tried to do a Bolton, but it was totally ineffective, for Rankin and Mansaram, ran back too quickly. Brighton just left them to it. The rain still poured down upon this sorry scene. Hashing, thrashing away in the puddles the players seemed to be getting stuck in the mud, which seemed to suit Brighton fine, as they weren’t that bothered about passing the ball. Benjamin continued to spend his time needling the defence, whilst Knight forgot to fall over a couple of times. And then Town remembered things, a dim, distant memory of a past life. Anderson started to dribble at the defence, Crowe to overlap, a twizzle, a twist and Crowe was free behind the defence on the right. He looked up and clipped a super cross at head height to beyond the far post, where Mansaram stretched and nodded the ball into the Pontoon. That’s the way to do it. Don’t mention Mr Punch to the ‘keeper, Jones, who couldn’t punch, couldn’t catch and was a walking error. Poor lad, his jersey was soaked and it must have been weighing him down. The Pontoon quickly latched on to his fallibilities and waited for the moment to arrive, for it surely would. C’mon Mansaram wake up, he’s going to drop it at your feet! Mansaram seemed to have had a little snooze at half time, for he walked around in a daze in the second half. He barely challenged and his only contribution was when he ran after El- Abd, who was felled by a stray bullet. Mansaram was displeased, and even Culip came over to El Abd and told him to get up and stop embarrassing himself. And again sir, Crowe pounding free, released after some lovely one touch wall passing. Ah a Reesian flick from Rankin, and in the area again. Crowe clipped a fizzer in, Jones parried up in the air, a scramble and, fortunately for him, no egg on his face, ball hoofed clear by Butters. I can’t believe it’s Guy Butters. Mansaram’s final flurry was to receive a pass inside the area on the right, near the bye-line. Campbell ran inside, but the dazzler decided to turn to the touchline and drive in a cross. He just kicked the ball out of play, and then he was off, replaced by Jevons, who’d been sung for by his claque. They called his name, they knew who to blame for being unfair. We were only twenty four minutes from full time. And don’t you know Jevons ran around, lurking and linking well with Rankin. Town won a corner on the left, after Jevons roamed like a wildebeest, and Barnard chipped it in to the near post. Ford, about 10 yards out, headed goalwards and a Brighton player, stood next to the post on the goal-line, nodded the ball away. Frustrations mounted as the referee again showed a disinclination to look favourably upon Town. Anderson jinked about on the centre right of the area, tricking his way past a full back, who laid both hands upon our pint sized winger’s shoulders, pressed down, and watched and waited for the referee to point spotwards. He didn’t, play continued. A couple of minutes later Anderson again, this time near the byeline, surged past the same full back. The same two hands pushed, the same fall, the same non-result. Fury unbounded from the Pontoon .

Grimsby Davison Crowe Ford Crane Barnard Campbell Daws Coldicott Anderson Mansaram Rankin   Subs Hamilton 47 mins Jevons 67 mins Soames 86 mins Young Hockless   Attendance 3,673   Referee Roy Pearson (Peterleee)   Division Two League Table Reports/Fixtures Squad Stats Top Scorers Previews Predict-o-Meter   Man of the Match Vote for your Man of the Match Your Name (optional) Your Email Address (optional) Your Man of the Match Pick a player Davison Crowe Ford Crane Barnard Campbell Coldicott Hamilton Daws Anderson Mansaram Jevons Rankin Soames Nominations count towards the Player Of The Month shortlist.

Brighton may well have got into the Town penalty area at some point, but maybe not.

Daws flirted with danger by steaming across to dump Knight into the executive boxes. He missed and Knight was eventually bundled down by Crowe. Apart from that, Daws was beginning to run the show, popping up hither and thither, starting, stopping, tapping out a hesitant rhythm, like a granddad at a Christmas party. With a quarter of an hour to go Town launched an old-style Town move, tip left, tap right, surge, stop, move. Eventually Anderson drifted infield and received a pass from Daws. Anderson dribbled forward down the centre, checked out to his right and from about 25 yards out smacked a low shot at the ‘keeper’s feet. Jones scooped the ball to his right and the ball spun slowly towards the post as Jevons raced in. Jevons slid forward, Jones grabbed the ball and aquaplaned into the goal, given extra momentum by the late arriving white boots. Jones clutched the ball inside the goal whilst Jevons claimed a goal. The Pontoon erupted and eventually the goal was given, for it was a JONES own goal, a beauty too, that little bit of luck finally emerging from the cupboard.

The next ten minutes contained very little action in the goalmouths, but plenty of kicking and fighting in the middle. Brighton managed to become even more crotchety, with Benjamin losing the rag he never had, possibly at the sight of Delicate Des Hamilton getting stuck in, winning scooping tackles and making crossfield passes to team-mates. Definitely not what the scouts had told him to expect. Town’s confidence was up and it showed, for they looked more like a team, more like footballers. With five minutes left Soames replaced Rankin, who was given an appreciative ovation for his contribution to Town safety. Jevons and Rankin could be quite tasty. I have been a little unfair to Brighton, they did have a couple of shots, Knight screamed one out for a throw in, and someone else flailed a leg at the ball at some stage, with it going vaguely towards Davison for at least part of its amazing journey.

In added time Brighton managed to win a corner after Crowe completely miss-kicked his clearance when under no pressure, the referee having ignored a couple of handballs in the build up. We should be used to that by now. As the corner was being lined up an almighty rumpus erupted inside the six yards box. The players melded together in a splodge of arms and legs, with Davison emerging with Benjamin’s neck locked inside his hands. Crane seemed to have a fist fight, with Oatway involved in some minor off stage slappings. This way and that the splodge moved, uncontrollable mayhem. The result, a red card to Davison, who threw his jersey on the ground and walked off in a massive huff. He took Rodger’s implorings a little too literally, didn’t he. Or perhaps he believes that you have to fight for the right to party. No-one else was even booked, which displeased many inside Blundell Park. So who to don the muddy jersey? Step forward our hero, Deso. The corner was curled into the middle of the area and nodded on to the far post, eventually out for another corner. Again, curled in, again bodies travelled to the same point, with a Brighton head nodding a couple of feet wide. Game over. Yay!

Phew at last, another win. And it pelted it down the last time too. Do you remember that far back? A summary? We won? So what, who cares, the scores are on the Daws. Brighton were dreadful, mostly in attitude, Town weren’t. It’s a start, but weren’t there several false starts in the autumn. They’ve done it once, they have to do it again, don’t they.

Nicko’s Man of the Match

No-one was outstanding, but adequacy is something to cling to at present. Anderson was solid and reliable, being a pest to them in attack, whilst Rankin was a truly competent all round striker. If Stacy had stayed on the pitch longer the he would be the man. But he didn’t so his partner in destruction gets the nod. Mr Nick Daws, for it is important in these diluvial times to have a Humber barrier to protect the shallows.

Official Warning

R Pearson. History in the making, a fool and a gull, not worthy of the whistle. His mission, which he chose to take, was to protect Leon Knight’s psychic aura from disturbance. Any Town player within a yard shall be booked. And any stray Brighton elbow or boot, well, we must take account of the weather, mustn’t we. The linesman with the red & yellow flag managed to be less competent still. Staggeringly poor, it wasn’t just Town who had justifiable complaints either. Ignoring the Davison dismissal, he still gets -5.987. One must be ruthless in weeding out waste and inefficiency in public life.

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