Match Preview – Newcastle United v Brighton
Newcastle – the club
As if anyone needs reminding, Newcastle United pipped us to the Championship title last season as they decided to play for all 46 games, rather than giving in to the temptations of alcohol as soon as promotion was won. We’ve turned the tables this season so far however, having beaten them 1-0 at the Amex in September and by currently sitting three places and the three points above them in the table. That’s down to the fact that while we were busy in the summer strengthening our squad, Mike Ashley was busy fighting legal battles about who could drink the most shots or throw up in the fireplace of a pub. Unfortunately for the rest of us Premier League strugglers, it looks as though the Ashley regime could be coming to an end soon and the uplift that would give the club, not to mention the funds Rafa Benitez could expect to receive from the new owners, means that they would surely begin to climb the table. You keep haggling over a couple of million and a crate of Tennants Super, Mike.
Newcastle – the place
Newcastle is a 692 mile round trip from Brighton which is exactly what every Albion fan would’ve wanted for New Years Eve Eve. It’s a huge party town and the setting for popular TV programme Geordie Shore. The most famous sights in Newcastle is the Tyne Bridge which is a popular tourist attraction as it is effectively a smaller version of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the added bonus that you don’t have to encounter any Australians when going to see it.
Newcastle – the people
Ant and Dec. We don’t need to say any more than that.
A good WeAreBrighton.com memory of Newcastle away
We’ve failed to score in three of our last four trips to St James’ Park. The one time we did manage it was in March 1992, a shock 1-0 win for Barry Lloyd’s side against Kevin Keegan’s Magpies thanks to a Marc Gall goal.
A bad WeAreBrighton.com memory of Newcastle away
Last seasons visit wasn’t particularly good. A 2-0 defeat for the Albion and a red card for Sam Baldock. And it took place at 5.30pm on a Saturday thanks to those ever-considerate people at Sky Sports.
Played for both
Gus Poyet quickly realised that Casper Ankergren’s 40-a-day Marlboro Light habit wasn’t conducive to being a good Championship goalkeeper and so moved to bring in Steve Harper on loan from Newcastle for a month in 2012. In truth, he didn’t seem much better. Goalkeepers seem to be a strong link between the two with Tim Krul having joined us from the Toon in the summer and Paul Kitson managed to bleed both clubs dry while becoming very acquainted with the physio room.
Dangermen
Matt Ritchie always seems to play well against the Albion be it for Newcastle or Bournemouth while Jonjo Shelvey is a talented player although there is a high chance he will miss the game either suspended or off trying to kill teenage wizards.
Betting
Only one away game involving the Albion so far this season has featured more than two goals, so under 2.5 goals seems a pretty safe bet for this one. We haven’t scored away from home in our last four either so a Newcastle clean sheet may be worth a few quid.
Prediction
Chris Hughton will be desperate not to lose on his return to his former club and another solid Albion defensive performance will help us claim a draw. 1-1.
