Wrexham 0
Brighton 2

Saturday 08 May 2004 @ 15:00

MATCH STATS

Score and Scorers

Wrexham 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
    Chris Iwelumo 8'
    Dennis Lawrence 50' (og)

Starting Line Ups

Wrexham Brighton & Hove Albion
27 Mike Ingham 29 Ben Roberts
04 Steve Roberts 19 Adam Virgo
05 Brian Carey 74' 04 Danny Cullip
06 Dennis Lawrence 14 Guy Butters
07 Carlos Edwards 26 Daniel Harding
02 Jim Whitley 42' 09 Gary Hart 67'
10 Darren Ferguson 34 Paul Reid
19 Steve Thomas 26' 10 Charlie Oatway
14 Paul Edwards 15 Nathan Jones 78'
23 Hector Sam 07 Leon Knight
11 Chris Llewellyn 30 Chris Iwelumo 60'

Substitutes

Wrexham Brighton & Hove Albion
03 Shaun Holmes 01 Michel Kuipers (GK)
09 Chris Armstrong 42' 03 Kerry Mayo
12 Paul Barrett 26' 20 John Piercy 78'
13 Paul Whitfield (GK) 21 Chris McPhee 67
15 Craig Morgan 74' 28 Adam El-Abd 60'

Yellow and Red Cards

Wrexham Brighton & Hove Albion

None

None

Stat Attack

Wrexham Brighton & Hove Albion
14 Shots on Goal 6
7 Shots on Target 6
14 Fouls Committed 14
6 Corners 0
0 Yellow Card 0
0 Red Card 0

Match Notes

Venue: Racecourse Ground Attendance: 4,542
Referee: Paul Walton - Northamptonshire Half Time: Wrexham 0 Brighton 1
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MATCH REPORT

The Season in 90 Minutes

By Mark Williams

Pre-match thoughts: With revolution in the air and nothing to play for since Easter it would be interesting to see if Denis Smith continues with the youngsters or return to the established professionals for the last league game of the season.

Conditions: For one the weather forecasters got it right with light rain throughout the game.

Tactics: All the regulars were back and this was probably Denis Smith’s first choice outfield ten with Brian Carey, Carlos Edwards and Jim Whitley all starting.

Sum up the performance in one sentence: Good approach play let down by poor finishing.

Turning point: Wrexham failing to convert the numerous chances created in the first half.

Main incidents and goals:

0-15 minutes: Brighton should have taken the lead after only three minutes when Chris Iwelumo skipped past Steve Roberts and his fifteen yard shot was well saved by Mike Ingham. The 1,000 Brighton were soon celebrating the opening goal only five minutes later when Danny Cullip swung in a free kick that was headed on by Adam Virgo. The ball looked as if it was going out but Chris Iwelumo managed to steer the ball goalwards with his head from a narrow angle that went in off the crossbar, although Mike Ingham could have done better. Ingham did redeem himself in the thirteenth minutes after Carlos Edwards was disposed and Brighton work the ball to the opposite side of the area to the unmarked Leon Knight but Ingham was quick off his line and went down well to block Knight’s shot. Score 1-0 Brighton.

15-30 minutes: For Wrexham it was only half chances with Hector Sam dragging a shot wide and Whitley had a shot from the edge of the area blocked. Ferguson was starting to probe the Brighton defence with through balls but bad control form Chris Llewellyn meant the chance was lost. Wrexham lost the services of Steve Thomas when the midfielder limped off to be replaced by Paul Barrett but this loss proved to be the catalyst for Wrexham who controlled the remainder of the half. A superb through ball from Darren Ferguson was met on the volley by Chris Llewellyn but his shot from the edge of the area rattled the cross bar with keeper Roberts well beaten before the ball bounced down in the six yard box and Brighton managed to clear the danger. At the other end of the pitch Brighton broke on the counter attack and a centre from Nathan Jones from the left was completely missed by Leon Knight after he was left unmarked in the box. Score 1-0 Brighton.

30-45 minutes: Probably Wrexham’s best move of the match was started by Darren Ferguson on the half hour mark when he set Paul Edwards free down the left. Edwards made progress down the wing before laying the ball of to Hector Sam who then passed the ball onto Carlos Edwards who ran onto the ball in the D and struck a rasping drive that Ben Roberts tipped over with a flying save. From the resulting corner Dennis Lawrence had a near post header that Roberts did well again to turn it away to safety. The Wrexham midfield suffered another blow when Jim Whitley went off injured with three minutes of the half remaining and his replacement Chris Armstrong should have levelled the game moments after coming on. He received a lofted through ball on the left side of the area but his low shot was blocked by Ben Roberts who was quickly off his line to save with his feet. Armstrong then headed wide from a Carlos Edwards cross but that was only a half chance as the teams headed off with Wrexham wondering how they were at least not on level terms with the chances they had created. Half time Brighton 1-0.
 

How we went in at half time without at least being level I don't know. We created enough chances but as with most games this season we failed once again to score.

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45-60 minutes: With Wrexham looking to continue from where they left off at half time in search for the equaliser but they did themselves no favours when they conceded another early goal five minutes after the restart when Dennis Lawrence inadvertently looped Adam Virgo’s long throw with his head over the stranded Ingham to give Brighton a two goal lead. With this scoreline assuring Brighton of at least fourth spot and for them the crucial second leg of the play off semi final at home, they were quite happy and professional to put men behind the ball and from this point on the game was over as a contest, especially with Wrexham having nothing to play for. Score 2-0 Wrexham.

60-75 minutes: Wrexham were still having joy down either flanks and in one break Carlos Edwards flashed a cross come shot across the face of goal that had Ben Roberts scrambling to the back post. The strikers had to create space from themselves to make shots but Roberts was rarely tested except for routine catches from crosses and corners. Score 2-0 Brighton.

75-90 minutes: Wrexham’s only opportunity to salvage a goal came in the last minute when for once Paul Edwards delivered a cross beyond the near post but Chris Armstrong could not keep his bullet header down despite only being a couple of yards out and soon after the referee drew the match to a close. Final Score 2-0 Wrexham.

Opposition and fans: Brighton were well organised and with Iwelumo and Knight up front they look to have the perfect balance of pace and height to trouble the opposition. The fans were superb and the away end was a see of red come ten past three.

Officials: Paul Walton had a comfortable game with no big decisions to make. He kept his cards in his pocket and his whistle away from his mouth and this added to the flow of the game. One of the better officials I have seen this season.

Man of the match: This was a difficult one as no one player really stood out but I would not have given it to Ingham like the sponsors as I thought he could have saved the first goal.

If you were Denis Smith: This game highlighted that we are in need of a striker to hold the ball up and make a presence up front. A midfielder that makes runs beyond the strikers should also be on the shopping list in the summer.

Post match thoughts: With all the chances missed it pretty much summed up our season today. Finishing in 13th position – top of the bottom half – was probably fair given our displays over the season.

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DETAILED MATCH REPORTS
Wales on Sunday: Dragons fans make red card protest
Wrexham AFC: MATCH REPORT Wrexham 0 Brighton 2
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OTHER MATCH REPORTS

BBCi: Brighton Secure top four finish

BBCi: Wrexham 0 Brighton 2 - Minute-by-minute
Nationwide Football: Wrexham 0, Brighton 2
Sporting Life: Wrexham 0 Brighton 2 - Match Stats
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AUDIO REPORTS AND QUOTES

Red Passion Soccer Saturday Audio Report with Mark Williams

Match Report with Roger Hughes of BBC Radio Wales  (RealPlayer Format)
Listen to Denis Smith speaking to BBC Radio Wales  (RealPlayer Format)
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PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Denis Smith: "Today just about sums up our season. We started poorly in the first half, and conceded a goal but then played much better which was also the story of the second half. The second goal really killed the game, as they lost interest after that. We ran out of ideas during the last 20 minutes as we faced eleven Brighton players camped deep in their own half. We had enough chances to have gone something. The first goal was fairly straightforward and it shows that they had the luck with the form that they are in at the moment. We go straight to the other end and the ball comes back off the crossbar. Under the circumstances, the players have done well this season and we still have the Premier Cup final to come. I did want to finish with two wins but now we’ll have to make sure that we get at least one of them on Wednesday night." [Source: Wrexham AFC]

Mark Magee: "It's been a great win today for our supporters. We look forward to starting at Swindon in the play-offs, just up the M4. It's going to be a tremendously difficult game for us but in our present form we should win. My European experience tells me that its very important and the right way round to get the second leg at home. We are not promoted yet. The hardest part is yet to come." [Source: Nationwide Football]
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DIVISION TWO

Results

Brentford

Rhodes 83'

1-0

Bournemouth

9,485

 

Bristol City

Roberts 19' 21'

2-1

Blackpool

Southern 78' (p)

19,101

 

Chesterfield

Hurst 88'

1-0

Luton Town

6,285

 

Notts County

Barras 90'

1-1

Oldham Athletic

Holden 61'

6,715

 

Peterborough United

Woodhouse 64'

1-1

Wycombe Wanderers

Tyson 90'

6,398

 

Plymouth Argyle

Friio 17'

Norris 47'

Friio Sent Off 62'

2-0

Colchester United

1,0301

 

Rushden & Diamonds

Rushden & Diamonds relegated

0-2

Port Vale

McPhee 14' 90'

19,868

 

Sheffield Wednesday

Shw 59'

1-3

Queens Park Rangers

Gallen 35'

Furlong 48'

Carr 69' (og)

QPR promoted

5,240

 

Stockport County

Morrison 58'

Barlow 90'

2-3

Barnsley

Wroe 10'

Birch 16'

Neil 72'

29,313

 

Swindon Town

Igoe 7'

Swindon secure play off spot

1-1

Hartlepool United

Boyd 71'

Hartlepool secure play off spot

6,581

 

Tranmere Rovers

Hume 57'

Dadi 61'

Sharp Sent off 60'

2-1

Grimsby Town

Mansaram 24'

Grimsby relegated

11,627

 

Wrexham

0-2

Brighton & Hove Albion

Iwelumo 8'

Lawrence 50' (og)

4,542

 

Final League Table

Pos   Team   P   W   D   L   F   A   GD   Pts
1   Plymouth Argyle   46   26   12   8   85   41   44   90
2   Queens Park Rangers   46   22   17   7   80   45   35   83
3   Bristol City   46   23   13   10   58   37   21   82
4   Brighton & Hove Alb   46   22   11   13   64   43   21   75
5   Swindon Town   46   20   13   13   76   58   18   73
6   Hartlepool United   46   20   13   13   76   61   15   73
7 Port Vale 46 21 10 15 73 63 10 73
8 AFC Bournemouth 46 17 15 14 56 51 5 66
9 Luton Town 46 17 15 14 69 66 4 66
10 Tranmere Rovers 46 17 16 13 59 56 3 67
11 Colchester United 46 17 13 16 52 56 -4 64
12 Barnsley 46 15 17 14 54 58 -4 62
13 Wrexham 46 17 9 20 50 60 -10 60
14 Blackpool 46 16 11 19 58 65 -7 59
15 Oldham Athletic 46 12 21 13 66 60 6 57
16 Sheffield Wednesday 46 13 14 19 48 64 -16 53
17 Brentford 46 14 11 21 52 69 -17 53
18 Stockport County 46 11 19 16 62 70 -8 52
19 Peterborough United 46 12 16 18 58 58 0 52
20 Chesterfield 46 12 15 19 49 71 -22 51
21   Grimsby Town   46   13   11   22   55   81   -26   50
22   Rushden and Diamonds   46   13   9   24   60   74   -14   48
23   Notts County   46   10   12   24   50   78   -28   42
24   Wycombe Wanderers   46   6   19   21   50   75   -25   37
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