Glenn Murray’s Brighton Century: Part Two
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 five 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 Two covers three seasons, two managers, a troublesome hernia and a transfer request. Russell Slade masterminded a great escape from relegation largely without the services of Murray who struggled with injury. The striker then asked to leave the club in the summer but no suitors were willing to pay the money that new chairman Tony Bloom was demanding for his services.
Turned out that was a bloody good thing as once Gus Poyet was appointed Albion boss in November 2009, Murray found himself fit and banging in the goals as Brighton embarked on one of the most memorable campaigns that any of us have experienced.
Between December 2008 and March 2009, Murray managed just one appearance as persistent hernia trouble kept him on the sidelines. By the time he was deemed fit to return to the side, Micky Adams had been sacked as Brighton boss and Russell Slade was in the dugout, about to mastermind his famous Great Escape. Not that the new Albion boss would be able to call upon the services of Murray much for the run in. He played just twice – this goal scoring appearance from the bench against Yeovil Town in which he converted a penalty after Cox’ shot had been handled by Terry Skiverton – and a start against Tranmere Rovers two weeks later. The 5-0 win over the Glovers was an important one as it gave Slade his first win and kick-started that miraculous climb out of the League One relegation zone.
22) Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Brighton. 17/10/09. League One. Prenton Park. 5,250
After submitting a transfer request in the summer of 2009, Murray again suffered with injuries for the opening few months of the season. It took him until October to register his first goal of the campaign on what turned out to be a mixed afternoon away at Tranmere. Murray won a penalty after he was impeded by Rovers goalkeeper David Martin. He successfully converted the spot kick before getting sent off for a second bookable offence just four minutes later. By the time he was available for selection again, Slade was gone after just eight months in charge.
23) Wycombe Wanderers 4-4 Brighton. 07/11/09. FA Cup. Adams Park. 2,749
Martin Hinshelwood was in caretaker charge for the trip to Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup and Murray enjoyed himself, scoring a second half brace. For the first, Nicky Forster flicked on to send Murray away down the right hand channel and he escaped the attentions of the Chairboys’ Tom Doherty before cutting inside Lewis Hunt and hitting a shot which looped off Hunt as he attempted to make a tackle and over Scott Shearer in the Wycombe goal.
24) Wycombe Wanderers 4-4 Brighton. 07/11/09. FA Cup. Adams Park. 2,749
In the 32 minutes between Murray’s first goal and his second goal at Adams Park, Brighton went from 3-2 ahead to 4-3 down. His 81st minute penalty after referee Simon Hooper spotted handball in the box ensured the sides would have to do it all again in a replay at Withdean 10 days later which the Albion would win 2-0.
The Gus Poyet era got underway in memorable style with a 3-1 win over Southampton and it was Murray who got the party started with the opening two goals. The first was a brilliantly deft volley across his body and into the opposite corner after a tantalising cross from Dean Cox, giving the diminutive winger his eighth assist for Murray.
26) Southampton 1-3 Brighton. 15/11/09. League One. St Mary’s. 21,932
Brilliant opportunism gave Murray his second at St Mary’s. He had accelerated past former Albion defender Dan Harding to toe punt an effort against the far post. Amazingly, the ball came straight back to Murray who showed great reactions to adjust his body as he continued to run towards goal, allowing him to side foot volley into the empty net with Kelvin Davis lying prone on the ground after attempting to save the initial shot.
27) Wycombe Wanderers 2-5 Brighton. 28/12/09. League One. Adams Park. 6,126
Just over a month after Murray had scored twice away at Wycombe in the FA Cup, Brighton were back at snowy Adams Park in the league and he helped himself to his one and only four goal haul in the stripes. The first came 10 minutes before half time, Elliott Bennett claiming his first Murray assist to tee the striker up for an inventive overhead kick.
28) Wycombe Wanderers 2-5 Brighton. 28/12/09. League One. Adams Park. 6,126
The second was a bullet header. Forster showed great strength to hold off the challenge of one Wycombe defender with Murray flying through the air to beat Leon Oliver to the ball and head past Shearer, who by this point must have been sick of the sight of him.
29) Wycombe Wanderers 2-5 Brighton. 28/12/09. League One. Adams Park. 6,126
Murray wrapped up his hat-trick with 20 minutes left to play and again it was strike-partner Forster who was the architect. Curtis Woodman could only succeed in backheeling Forster’s low cross straight to Murray, who took John Mousinho out the game with a dragback and then fired low and hard into the bottom corner.
Goal number four at Adams Park gave Cox his ninth and final assist to Murray. Cox dropped a free kick into the danger zone between defenders and goalkeeper and with Shearer coming into no mans land in an attempt to punch clear, Murray was able to beat him to the ball and head into the unguarded net.
On his last visit to the Bescott Stadium two years previously, Murray had scored fifth goal in Brighton colours but it wasn’t officially recognised as his until a decade later having mistakenly gone down as an Anthony Gerrard own goal at time. There was no doubting who his 31st goal for the Albion and his second against the Saddlers belonged to though, Bennett’s perfectly weighted pass putting Murray in one-on-one with Clayton Ince whom he rounded to fire home. There were debuts that day for both Inigo Calderon and Marcos Painter and the 2-1 win made it three wins in a row and four games undefeated. The Poyet Revolution was in full swing.
32) Leyton Orient 1-1 Brighton. 05/02/10. League One. Brisbane Road. 6,027
Some absolutely terrible goalkeeping from Leyton Orient’s Jamie Jones gifted Murray the opener away at Brisbane Road. Jones attempted to sweep a back pass from his right back across his body and over to his left back, but only succeeded in in kicking it into his standing leg. As a result, the loose ball trickled out towards the middle of the goal where Murray’s perseverance in chasing down the O’s keeper paid off as he collected it and made Jones look even more stupid by going around him to slot into an empty goal.
33) The Leeds United 1-1 Brighton. 20/02/10. League One. Elland Road. 24,120
Murray fired home a penalty to give Brighton a 77th minute lead away at promotion chasers The Leeds United. Murray had earned the penalty himself after being felled by Richard Naylor and it looked like it would prove to be the winner right up until the 95th minute when Robert Snodgrass equalised for the Champions of Europe.
Remarkably, Murray hadn’t scored at Withdean for 14 appearances, a run stretching back over a year to Yeovil’s visit under Slade. His 12 most recent goals had all come on the road before he rose to beat a very young Wojciech Szczęsny to head home a Bennett free-kick. It was to be the last time that Murray would play alongside Forster, the veteran striker moving to Charlton Athletic a few days later after a very public falling out with Poyet. Forster did at least say goodbye on a high, netting a 90th minute penalty before receiving a rousing reception as he celebrated in front of the South Stand.
35) Brighton 3-0 Tranmere. 27/03/10. League One. Withdean Stadium. 6,812
The best performance of the first half-season of Poyet’s reign came against Tranmere Rovers at Withdean. It was Murray who opened the scoring inside of 10 minutes. Gary Dicker’s hilariously bad scuff shot ended up falling straight to the feat of Murray who got inside of Ian Goodison and bent an effort with his left foot straight into the top corner. Ashley Barnes would replace Murray in the 71st minute for his Brighton debut, although little did we know at the time that they would form a strike force that they would go onto plunder over 40 goals between them the following season. This was to be Murray’s last goal of 2009-10, a straight red card a couple of games later at home to Bristol Rovers bringing the curtain down on his campaign early as he finished with 14 goals from 37 appearances.
Murray’s suspension carried over to the first game of the 2010-11 season, meaning he missed the opening day win at Swindon Town. His first appearance of the Seagulls’ title winning campaign came against Rochdale and he marked it with a goal two minutes into the second half, heading a Bennett free kick against the bar but then reacting quickest to nod in the rebound. The Albion would end up drawing 2-2 after a late howler from Casper Ankergren.
The visit of Milton Keynes Dons to Withdean turned out to be quite the day for Kazenga LuaLua. Not only did he strike one of the best free-kicks in Albion history with so much power that it could quite feasibly have knocked Dons goalkeeper David Martin into Peacehaven if he’d been able to get close to it, but he then hung up the perfect cross over the head of Martin and to the far post where Murray rose majestically to head home.
It’s remarkable that in Murray’s century, there aren’t that many wonder goals that would make a highlights reel. They all tend to be poachers goals, headers or cool finishes. His 35th minute opener away at Tranmere was one of the more impressive. Barnes was typically theatrical in going to ground under minimal contact but it was enough to ensure that the Rovers defence stopped playing momentarily, creating a bit of space for Murray to chase a bouncing ball into before releasing a volley from 30 yards that home goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi couldn’t get near.
Poyet described this performance and win over Charlton as “nearly perfection” and he was right. One of the all-time great days to be an Albion fan, it was Murray who added the key second goal on the hour mark. Bennett had picked the pocket of Gary Doherty and then Johnnie Jackson’s attempted backpass to his goalkeeper Rob Elliot was a poor one. Murray seized on it, rounding Elliott and then dribbling forwards until he was virtually on the goal line from where he slotted the ball past covering defenders Jonathan Fortune and Jose Semedo.
40) Brighton 2-0 Yevoil Town. 23/10/10. League One. Withdean Stadium. 7,253
The Albion opened up a six point lead at the top of League One thanks to a 2-0 win over Yeovil Town. These were the days when LuaLua did more than three stepovers, cut inside and shoot every time he got the ball and just like with that goal a month previously against MK Dons, he floated another brilliant cross to the back post which found Murray to head home. Murray would hit a bit of a dry period after that, failing to score in his nine appearances. We all know what happened after that drought though, and that’s where part three of Glenn Murray’s Brighton Century will pick up the story.
