Glenn Murray’s Brighton Century: Part One

He’s done it. Glenn Murray has become just the second ever player after Tommy Cook to score 100 goals for Brighton and Hove Albion.

Murray’s century came up in 231 appearances made over 10-and-a-half years and two spells with the Albion across three different divisions. He’s scored against 52 different sides, netted three hat-tricks and one four goal haul.

In this four part series, WeAreBrighton.com are going to look back at all one hundred of Murray’s record-breaking goals as the £300,000 signing from Rochdale (and later £3m signing from Plucky Little Bournemouth) became the greatest Seagulls goalscorer in post-war football.

Part one looks at the first 20 goals that Murray scored in a Brighton shirt, spanning his first against Crewe Alexandra in February 2008 as Dean Wilkins’ side embarked on a late attempt to reach the League One play-offs through to the final goal he scored under Micky Adams away at Oldham Athletic in December, by which point Wilkins sacking and Adams appointment had turned the Albion from promotion hopefuls to relegation candidates.

One thing didn’t change though, and that was that the goals kept flowing for Murray in that initial 10 month period.

1) Brighton 3-0 Crewe Alexandra. 02/02/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 4,802
It took just 23 minutes of his full debut for Murray to get his Brighton account up and running as Crewe Alexandra visited Withdean. Dean Cox swung over a corner that actually managed to beat the first man for once, Guy Butters’ header was kept out by Alex goalkeeper Ben Williams and Murray was on hand to sweep the loose ball home from a matter of yards. The celebration left a lot to be desired as the Albion all joined hands and skipped around in a circle playing ring-a-ring-a-roses in front of the North Stand. “What the hell have I joined here” Murray probably thought at that point.

2) Brighton 3-0 Crewe Alexandra. 02/02/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 4,802
Right on the stroke of half time and Murray had his second goal, becoming the first Albion player since Leon Knight four years previously to score a brace on his debut. It was another Cox delivery that teed things up, this time the dimunitive winger swinging over a cross which Nicky Forster flicked onto Murray who was waiting at the far post to provide a powerful volley into the top corner of the Crewe goal.

3) Brighton 2-1 Cheltenham Town. 19/02/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 4,395
Entering the final 10 minutes and Cheltenham led 1-0, leaving the 35 visiting supporters who had made the trip to Withdean thinking they might be going home with all three points. That was until Murray latched onto a 70 yard hoof up the pitch from Joel Lynch, turned Gavin Caines this way and that and then fired past Shane Higgs into the top corner for the equaliser. Lynch added the winner two minutes from time.

4) Brighton 1-0 Oldham Athletic. 23/02/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 4,815
Just past the hour mark and Murray scores the only goal of Oldham Athletic’s visit to Withdean. Matt Richards embarks on a raid forward from left back which takes him to within 25 yards of the Latics goal. He slips the ball through for Murray who shows a rare turn of pace to beat Mark Crossley to it, rounding the visiting goalkeeper and firing home from a tight angle.
 

5) Walsall 1-2 Brighton. 11/03/08. League One. Bescot Stadium. 4,309
Murray’s first away goal for the Albion very nearly wasn’t his. On a wet night in Walsall, the striker glanced home Ian Westlake’s cross although many media outlets reported it as an Anthony Gerrard own goal. The football statistics bible that is Soccerbase only credited Murray with the goal as recently as September this year.

6) Brighton 2-3 Port Vale. 05/04/08. Withdean Stadium. 7,741
A Cox cross from way out on the left hung in the air perfectly for Murray to rise and power a header past Port Vale goalkeeper Joe Anyon in the 90th minute. It counted for nothing though as a terrible Albion performance saw them concede three times to the bottom-of-the-table Valiants, dealing a significant blow to Dean Wilkins’ sides hopes of making the League One play offs.

7) Luton Town 1-2 Brighton. 12/04/08. League One. Kenilworth Road. 6,652
Another assist for Cox as his floated cross from the right at Luton Town was headed powerfully home by Murray from front and centre of the goal. That proved to be the winner which as a result relegated the Hatters into League Two.

8) Brighton 2-1 Hartlepool United. 19/04/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 6178
Murray really did like playing with Cox at this point in time. The duo combined again to open the scoring in the 2-1 win over Hartlepool United when Cox cut inside on the right hand side of the penalty area and crossed for Murray who was completely unmarked to head home. Cox himself would go onto score the winner in the 89th minute.

9) Bristol Rovers 0-2 Brighton. 26/04/08. League One. Memorial Stadium. 7,590
Murray’s ninth and final goal of the 2007-08 season came in the penultimate game at Bristol Rovers. No prizes for guessing who teed him up again, Cox this time drilling a cross from out on the left to the back post where Murray rose to head back across Steve Phillips in the Rovers goal and secure a 2-0 win for the Albion. It was his last goal under the management of Wilkins, who was controversially sacked despite leading Brighton to seventh spot in the table. Murray meanwhile ended the campaign as Brighton’s second top scorer behind Forster – not bad considering he’d only been at the club for the final four months of the season.

10) Southend United 0-1 Brighton. 22/08/08. League One. Roots Hall. 7,976
Life under Micky Adams didn’t get off to the best of starts of Murray as he was sent off in Adams’ second game back in charge against Barnet in the League Cup. His first goal arrived in the third league game of the campaign at Southend United, a 2-0 win which briefly took Brighton to the top of the table – about as good as it got in Adams’ nine month reign of terror. A Cox free kick from the left somehow ended up dropping to the feet of Murray at the far post. He did brilliantly to get the ball under control despite looking completely startled by it, turned a defender to make room for the shot and then drilled it low and hard beyond Steve Mildenhall.

11) Brighton 2-2 Manchester City. 24/09/08. League Cup. Withdean Stadium. 8,729
On the day that Brighton shocked the richest club in the world, it was Murray’s 89th minute equaliser that ensured the visit of Manchester City would go to extra time. Steve Thomson played a one-two with Adam Virgo and when Kasper Schmeichel employed the interesting technique of jumping in the air above Thomson’s shot, Murray was on hand to tap the ball home just before Gelson Fernandes could clear.

12) Northampton Town 2-2 Brighton. 27/09/08. League One. Sixfields. 5,389
Murray’s second Albion brace came away at Northampton Town. His first of the afternoon at Sixfields was also his first penalty for the club, successfully struck past Frankie Fielding on the stroke of half time after Joe Anyinsah had been bought down by Jason Crowe.

13) Northampton Town 2-2 Brighton. 27/09/08. League One. Sixfields. 5,389
Murray’s second of the game at Sixfields came in stoppage time and was a brilliant individual goal. Richards had bought down a Cox cross on his chest and fed Murray on the right-hand edge of the box. He still had plenty to do but do it he did, weaving past two defenders to position himself in the centre of goal before hitting a low snap-shot into the bottom corner. With just seconds remaining, that looked like it had won it for the Albion, but the Cobblers went straight up the other end from kick off where Adebayo Akinfenwa completed his own brace for 2-2.

14) Brighton 3-3 Cheltenham Town. 04/10/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 5,859
Cheltenham were the visitors to Withdean for Murray’s first Brighton hat-trick, and not even that was enough to give the Albion a win over their struggling opponents as the sides shared a 3-3 draw. His first of the afternoon came inside of 60 seconds, David Livermore delivering a cross from the left which found Murray completely free in the middle of the goal to head home.

15) Brighton 3-3 Cheltenham Town. 04/10/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 5,859
Forster was the architect of goal number two. The veteran striker played a brilliant around-the-corner through ball after collecting an Andy Whing cross. That put Murray through one-on-one with Scott Brown whom he danced past, cool as you like, to roll into the empty net.

16) Brighton 3-3 Cheltenham Town. 04/10/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 5,859
Murray completed his hat-trick two minutes after the break with a trademark header after Richards had delivered a cross from the left.

17) The Leeds United 3-1 Brighton. 11/10/08. League One. Elland Road. 22,726
Goal number 17 for Brighton’s number 17 was a last minute consolation in defeat away at Leeds, the same afternoon Adams tried to justify the loss by saying “no disrespect to the likes of Hereford, but we were playing The Leeds United”, as if he’d just had to take his side into Camp Nou to face Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona side rather than a team that couldn’t get out of League One. A deft little flick from Anyinsah put Murray through and he raced clear to fire into the top corner.

18) Brighton 4-1 Millwall. 01/11/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 5,973
A minor knock meant that Murray started Millwall’s visit to Withdean on the bench. He didn’t have long to wait to enter the action however, Virgo limping off after 28 minutes and within 15 minutes of his introduction, Murray had opened the scoring with his first of two that afternoon, springing the offside trap to collect Richards’ forward pass and beat David Forde in the Lions goal.

19) Brighton 4-1 Millwall. 01/11/08. League One. Withdean Stadium. 5,973
Murray’s second of the afternoon came 12 minutes after the break. Tony Craig’s clumsy challenge on Anyinsah saw referee Alan Wiley point to the penalty spot and although Murray saw his initial kick saved by Forde, he reacted quickest to tuck home the rebound. That was after the ball became stuck in the six yard area due to the the Withdean pitch having soaked up more water than passes over Niagara Falls on one of the wettest days we ever experienced at the Theatre of Trees.

20) Oldham Athletic 1-1 Brighton. 06/12/08. League One. Boundary Park. 4,803
By December 2008, Murray was beginning to struggle with hernia problems. His equaliser at Boundary Park, collecting Forster’s over-the-shoulder volley and accelerating clear of the Oldham defence to finish, would be his last Brighton goal for three months as he made just one appearance between December and March – and even then it looked like he shouldn’t have played as he was unable to keep pace with the run of Leeds’s Fabian Delph who meandered from his own box to score at Withdean in January. That led to large sections of the Withdean crowd questioning his work ethic and dedication, which looking back a decade on seems absolutely mad – especially given he’d reached the 20 goal mark, which brings the curtain down on part one of our Glenn Murray Century Series, in just 42 appearances.