Match Review – St Gallen 1-1 Brighton
What is it about the first pre-season friendly of the season being played in Europe resulting in an injury to a talisman Brighton and Hove Albion player?
Last year it was Anthony Knockaert picking up an ankle ligament injury against Fortuna Dusseldorf which ruled him out for the whole of pre-season and restricted him to substitute appearances in the first two Premier League games of the season.
This time around, it was Glenn Murray who hobbled off after 34 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Swiss side St Gallen. Murray attempted to continue after receiving treatment on his right ankle, but eventually succumbed to the problem with his place taken by highly rated under 23 squad member Viktor Gyokeres.
According to one report on North Stand Chat, Murray was seen leaving the Kybunpark with his foot in a protective boot. The club haven’t made a comment on the injury which is hardly a surprise – admitting Murray is out long term will increase our desperation for a new target man, allowing other clubs to drive up the price of any potential signings while we don’t exactly have a good record for reporting injuries, as Sam Baldock’s “minor injury” that lasted six weeks and Dale Stephens “minor knock” which ruled him out for a month prove.
Another thing the Albion don’t have a good record for is defending from crosses, as anybody who saw us concede over a third of our goals last season from balls into the box can testify to. It took St Gallen 44 minutes of the new campaign to exploit that weakness, Nassim Ben Khalifa heading home a deep cross from Yannis Tafer out on the right to give the hosts the lead.
Brazilian full back Bernardo had already marked his first appearance for the Albion with a booking as the Albion failed to trouble St Gallen’s first half goalkeeper Dean Stojanovi. At the other end, Christian Walton – playing due to an injury to Jason Steele and Maty Ryan’s late return to training after his World Cup exploits with Australia – denied Khalifa while the Albion were also grateful to a post for keeping out a Tafer effort and Ben White who cleared off the line on two separate occasions.
Chris Hughton made nine changes for the second half and it was a much improved performance after the break from the Albion. They equalised with the second half just 14 minutes old, Knockaert earning a corner which Oliver Norwood (remember him?) delivered and Tomer Hemed (remember him?) headed home. Given that we scored less goals from set pieces last season than Donald Trump has brain cells, it was pleasing to see us take advantage of one for once.
There were chances for the Albion to win the game after that, Gyokeres hitting an effort straight at St Gallen’s substitute goalkeeper Daniel Loper, Hemed being denied by a flying save and then Knockaert saw his one-on-one turned over the bar.
We got a first glimpse of goalkeeper Hugo Keto, signed from Arsenal last week, when he replaced Walton for the final half hour and he produced one good save from a Stjepan Kukuruzovic distance effort.
As is always the case though it was hard to garner too much from an opening friendly, especially one in which the Albion’s World Cup trio of Ryan, Jose Izquierdo and Leon Balogun were all absent and in which Shane Duffy and new signing Florin Andone didn’t feature due to minor knocks.
Let us hope that it’s just a genuine minor knock for Murray as well. The Albion are next in action on Saturday, away at AFC Wimbledon where the club that are the most fan focused in the universe have whacked up prices to £20 a ticket for a pre-season friendly in order to cash in on a Premier League side visiting. Classy.
