Town 2-0 Brighton Tuesday, 16th Sep 2014 21:50 Second half goals from Jonny Parr and Daryl Murphy saw Town to a 2-0 victory over Brighton at Portman Road. Parr stabbed home a rebound in the 79th minute and Murphy sealed the win two minutes from time. Town boss Mick McCarthy named the same team and bench which beat Millwall 2-0 on Saturday. Brighton had most of the ball in the opening few minutes but without testing Dean Gerken. Town didn’t threaten until the 15th minute when a Paul Anderson freekick from the right was flicked behind by Bruno at the far post. From the resultant corner taken by Tabb, the ball ran loose but just wouldn’t fall for Tyrone Mings. Within a minute the Blues left-back had created Town’s first opportunity in open play, sending in a cross to the far post from where Anderson nodded back across goal but wide. As the game moved towards the 20-minute mark Mings sent over another cross from the left this time to the near post and Anderson sent a looping header past the other post. A minute later Danny Holla hit a low 20-yard strike which Gerken gathered to his left with the game evenly balanced. Town came close to going in front in the 27th minute when David McGoldrick was first to a loose ball on the edge of the Brighton box and played in Murphy, who lifted it over former Blues loan keeper David Stockdale but also the crossbar. Brighton seriously threatened for the first time in the 32nd minute when Kazenga LuaLua fed Sam Baldock on the edge of the box and the former Bristol City man struck a low shot which Gerken did well to palm away from goal. A minute later, Anderson and Jake Caskey-Forster, the stepson of former Town striker Nicky Forster, were both booked after the Blues winger reacted to a bad challenge from the Brighton midfielder. On 38, McGoldrick curled a freekick just wide after Tabb had been fouled just outside the area. Neither side created another opportunity before referee Christopher Sarginson brought an evenly balanced half to a close. Town had created the better of the game’s few chances, most notably Murphy’s opportunity, but without having forced old boy Stockdale into a save, Brighton, playing a hybrid of 4-3-3 along the lines of 4-1-2-2-1, had looked most dangerous when Craig Mackail-Smith was found deep or running into channels, or when LuaLua looked to bring the ball forward. Their best chance of the first half was Baldock’s shot which Gerken did well to save. The visitors started the second half the stronger, winning several early corners and in the 51st minute they almost went in front. Lewis Dunk powered Holla’s flagkick downwards and towards goal and Gerken reacted superbly to save with his feet before Anderson cleared. Town claimed a penalty in the 55th minute when Parr’s shot appeared to strike a Brighton arm, although the defender looked to be just outside the area. The referee waved play on in any case, McGoldrick heading wide when the ball was returned from the right. The game was becoming increasingly open, Gerken saving low to his right from LuaLua at one end, then Anderson seeing a shot blocked at the other. Just before the hour Anderson screwed a volley wide, then LuaLua was booked for a late tackle on Cole Skuse. Blues defender Mings almost netted a brilliant first senior goal in the 63rd minute, flicking a low McGoldrick ball from the right goalwards with his right heel and forcing Stockdale into a similarly impressive save. Forster-Caskey shot wide for Brighton, then Holla is found in acres of space on the edge of the Blues box but scooped the ball well over when he should have done far better. McGoldrick only found Stockdale’s arms with a low ball in from the left after tricking his way down the left in the 67th minute, before Adrian Colunga replaced Mackail-Smith, who had been less influential after the break. For Town, Alex Henshall took over from Anderson for the last 20 minutes, then two minutes later Luke Hyam replaced Bishop. A minute later, Murphy teed up Mings on the edge of the box to the left, the full-back hitting a low right-foot shot which Stockdale saved at his post. On 77 Skuse was booked having been penalised for a number of fouls. The Blues had been the better side after the break and they deservedly went ahead in the 79th minute. Mings picked up a half-cleared cross and played it to Henshall, who returned the ball to the left-back, who was by now breaking towards the byline. The former Chippenham man cut the ball back to Tabb, whose shot was blocked by Stockdale, but Parr was on hand to bundle home his first goal for Town from close range. The Blues went looking for a second, Mings and Tabb exchanging passes, but Murphy’s final ball to the hugely impressive left-back was too weak. Albion skipper Gordon Greer was booked as McGoldrick skipped past him in the 85th minute, Tabb hitting the subsequent freekick into Stockdale’s arms. At the other end, LuaLua shot straight at Gerken. With two minutes remaining Town sealed their second 2-0 home victory in four days when Murphy netted his third goal of the season. Mings’s long clearance flicked off a Brighton head and sent Murphy away in space on the left. With no one else forward, Murphy hit a speculative shot across Stockdale and into the net. The Albion keeper will feel he should have done better. With 10 seconds of scheduled time remaining Conor Sammon replaced McGoldrick, who was warmly applauded off the field. Parr was booked for a foul before referee Sarginson’s whistle confirmed Town’s third 2-0 win in their last three games against Brighton. After the visitors had started the second half on the front foot, Dunk forcing one of a number of vital saves from Gerken, the Blues had been the better side from there, playing the better football and creating opportunities. The goal had been coming when Parr - who last scored in January 2012 for Palace - netted his first for the Blues, the right-back showing a striker’s predatory instinct, before Murphy’s second of the game prevented any late jitters. Manager Mick McCarthy will be delighted with six points from two home games and the Blues moving up to ninth in the table ahead of the tricky trip to Wigan for next Monday’s Sky game. Town: Gerken, Parr, Mings, Chambers (c), Berra, Skuse, Bishop (Hyam 72), Tabb, Anderson (Henshall 70), McGoldrick (Sammon 90), Murphy. Unused: Bialkowski, Smith, Bajner, Bru. Brighton: Stockdale, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Holla (Teixeira 87), Forster-Caskey, Ince, Baldock, Mackail-Smith (Colunga 67), LuaLua. Unused: Ankergren, Calderon, Hughes, Crofts, Gardner. Referee: Christopher Sarginson (Staffordshire). Att: 15,726.
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