Brighton 0-1 Town - Match Report Tuesday, 29th Dec 2015 21:40 Daryl Murphy netted his seventh goal of the season to see the Blues to a 1-0 victory at Brighton, their fifth successive away victory which equals a club record set in 1976. Murphy seized on an error by Seagulls defender Lewis Dunk in the 32nd minute. Boss Mick McCarthy made two changes to his XI - which had previously been unchanged for the previous six matches - with Ryan Fraser and Kevin Bru coming in for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who was injured, and Brett Pitman, who dropped to the bench. Former Blues loanee David Stockdale started for the home side, who handed Connor Goldson his full debut at centre-half with skipper Gordon Greer ruled out with a hamstring injury. Jake Forster-Caskey, the step-son of former Blue Nicky Forster, was on the bench. Town, in their orange third kit for only the second time, lined-up in a 4-3-3 formation with Fraser on the left and Freddie Sears on the right and Bru ahead of Cole Skuse and Jonathan Douglas in the central midfield three. The Blues started brightly and created the game’s first opening in the fifth minute when Murphy fed in Fraser on the left of the area following a throw-in but the Scottish U21 international overhit his cross. On 10 Dean Gerken came off his line quickly to claim ahead of Tomer Hemed as he chased a Bruno through ball. Two minutes later, Beram Kayal shot wide of the Blues’ keeper’s left post from distance. As the game reached the quarter-hour mark Bru went within a couple of inches of putting the Blues in front. A Fraser cross from the left was half-cleared to the Mauritius international, who hit a dipping shot which beat Stockdale but struck the bar. Town kept up the pressure and moments later Stockdale was forced to paw a deflected Skuse shot away for a corner, although the ball had looked to be going wide. The Blues continued to have the better of the game, Skuse sending a ball across the area, then on 20 Sears cut the ball back from the right to Murphy, who looked to be clipped by Lewis Dunk. The Town striker went to ground as a result but quickly got back to his feet and the chance came to nothing. Had he stayed down referee Stuart Attwell could well have pointed to the spot. Four minutes later, Rajiv van La Parra found space on the left and hit a powerful low shot which Gerken saved sharply down to his left. Albion thought they’d taken the lead in the 29th minute but were denied by a linesman’s flag. Hemed beat Christophe Berra - who was wearing a bandage after receiving a cut to the head on Saturday - on the Brighton right and sent over a low cross which Dale Stephens deftly flicked towards goal. Gerken reacted superbly to tip it onto the bar and Jamie Murphy tapped home from close range, but having strayed offside. Three minutes later the Blues went in front. Dunk let the ball slip under his foot when under no pressure whatsoever, allowing Murphy to gain possession on the Town right and take it into the area before hitting a shot across Stockdale, off the post and over the line, with Goldson helping it on its way into the net. Bru was handed the game’s first yellow card in the 34th minute for a foul on Inigo Calderon, a decision the Blues’ midfielder was less than impressed by. Four minutes later, the Mauritian international hit the woodwork for the second time, diverting Fraser’s cross from the left against the near post, much to his frustration, before the ball was put behind by Dunk. Fraser curled a shot wide before a quick-thinking Stockdale sent Jamie Murphy away beyond the Town backline but Gerken again reacted sharply to come off his line to claim ahead of the ex-Sheffield United man. The Blues found themselves somewhat under the cosh in the closing minutes of the half but withstood the Seagulls’ pressure to go in 1-0 ahead at the break. While Murphy’s goal may have been something of a gift, Town, with Fraser and Sears both a big threat down the flanks, deserved their lead on the overall balance of the half. Bru will count himself very unfortunate not to have scored at least once having hit the woodwork twice, while Murphy might have had a decent shout for a penalty had he stayed down when caught by Dunk. The home side created a couple of opportunities but when they did they found Gerken at the top of his game with the save from Stephens in the lead-up to the disallowed goal particularly memorable. Stephens struck a weak effort through to Gerken soon after the restart, then Jamie Murphy crossed into the keeper’s hands with Brighton encamped in the Town half in the opening minutes of the second period. Fraser did well to head away in front of Bruno on 51 from Hemed’s cross before Luke Hyam replaced Bru in the Blues midfield, the former academy player’s first Town appearance since suffering a knee injury in January. The Blues went close to a second in the 55th minute when Sears crossed from the right to Fraser, whose shot reached Douglas on the edge of the six-yard box but the midfielder could only divert it straight at Stockdale, who clutched the ball to his chest at the second attempt. On 59 van La Parra shot well wide after an intricately worked freekick had been played across the field to him following a foul by Skuse on Kayal. Two minutes later, Hemed headed over from Murphy’s corner on the right with the home side continuing to have most of the ball but with Town repelling everything thrown at them and looking to counter-attack. On 65 the Seagulls switched Bobby Zamora and James Wilson for Hemed and Kayal. Van La Parra shot wide after cutting from the right after a freekick had been cleared back to him on 72, then at the other end Fraser brought the ball in from the left and hit a powerful strike which Stockdale kept out somewhat uncomfortably. The Scot got to the loose ball first on the edge of the box but his second shot was blocked, as was a subsequent effort from skipper Luke Chambers. Berra did well to stab the ball behind ahead of Zamora on 73 then, after Gerken had twice punched dangerous away crosses, the former Tottenham man struck the woodwork. Seagulls skipper Bruno crossed from the right and the one-time England striker turned the ball against the bar from eight yards. The game was continuing at a frenetic pace and it was little surprise when the tiring Fraser - who was making his first start since the end of September - was replaced by Brett Pitman. On 82 Calderon was booked for pulling back Hyam as the sub looked to break. There was a scare for the Blues a minute later when Brighton sub Elvis Manu broke into the Town area - having fairly clearly fouled Tommy Smith - but curled his shot over. With four minutes of scheduled time remaining the Blues replaced goalscorer Daryl Murphy with Luke Varney. Town saw out four minutes of injury time to claim their fifth away win on the trot, something only previously achieved once in the club’s history, by Sir Bobby Robson’s Blues between October and December 1976. Having got their noses in front in the first half - when they might have been further ahead - Town were happy to sit back on their lead and, much as they did against the MK Dons, battle out the game. Centre-halves Smith and Berra were outstanding but the team defended superbly from front to back to end 2015 on a winning note. The result sees the Blues - who home and away have now won seven out of their last 10 matches - stay in sixth place - now four points in front of Sheffield Wednesday in seventh - ahead of another difficult trip to Burnley - fifth, a point ahead of Town - on Saturday when they have a chance to set a new record of six successive away wins. Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Bru (Hyam 52), Fraser (Pitman 77), Sears, Murphy (Varney 86). Unused: Bialkowski, Malarczyk, Tabb, Oar. Brighton: Stockdale, Bruno (c), Goldson, Dunk, Calderon, Crofts, Stephens, Kayal (Wilson 65), van La Parra, Hemed (Zamora 65), Murphy (Manu 75). Unused: Maenpaa, Chicksen, Ince, Forster-Caskey. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire). Att: 27,689 (Town: 1,752). 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