Premier League Cup
American Express Elite Football Performance Centre, Lancing
Admission: £5.00
Teamsheet: Free
Attendance: 200 (estimate)
Match Rating: 3
Since Brighton & Hove Albion opened their impressive, state-of-the-art training facilities in 2014, I had been quite intrigued to take a look whilst watching a game there. As I finish work at 4pm on Fridays, and did not have a long day out planned for tomorrow, this match offered the perfect opportunity to do so.
The American Express Elite Football Performance Centre is located about 12 miles west of Brighton’s first team stadium in Falmer, on the eastern fringe of Lancing. Tickets had to be bought in advance and printed off, and shown to a steward just outside the complex, to allow access into a free of charge car park. Straightaway, the exterior of the modern complex buildings impress. Spectators then enter the complex itself via the reception area, where a teamsheet can be freely obtained, and then must wait either there or in the area immediately outside with a drinks van present, before they are allowed to walk to the main football pitch about 15 minutes ahead of kick off. Spectators are only allowed along one length, inside a stand stretching most of the length containing four rows of seating. The indoor football pitch is behind one goal, with the expanse of training pitches around the rest of the ground. The floodlights of Culver Road, home of Lancing FC and the Sussex FA, could be seen in the background. As one would expect of a modern training complex, the facilities are immaculate, spotless, neat and tidy. However, it was quite remarkable just how spectator unfriendly the atmosphere was, with excessively strict rules imposed and enforced, and a feeling of being watched to an extent that the former East German state would have been proud. It does seem a little bizarre that the club offers chargeable admission to the complex, yet the feeling is that they really would rather not have visitors there, to whom they border on being hostile.
This evening’s game was in the group stage of a cup competition open to the Development Squads of Premier League and Football League clubs. Brighton play in Division Two of the Premier League 2, while Hull City play one tier below, in the Professional Development League North Division.
On a chilly but dry evening, with plenty of fireworks being set off in the background throughout the match, although the match predictably lacked an edge and was rather tippy tappy, this was quite an entertaining game with plenty of attacking on show, aided by some questionable defending. With just two minutes on the clock, a Brighton player lost possession in midfield, and Hull's Tyler Hamilton strode forward and fired a low ball diagonally towards the far post and Ben Hinchcliffe tapped the ball into the empty net. Brighton then proceeded to control the game in terms of possession, creating a couple of decent chances before the equalised on 27 minutes. Steven Alzate passed the ball to Aaron Connolly on the edge of the area, and he passed the ball into the net, just beyond the keeper's dive. Hull went back into the lead five minutes before the break. After an initial shot was parried by the keeper, Tom Powell struck the rebound into the net. Right on the stroke of half time, Brighton came close to equalising again, but after some good footwork by Alzate to get a shot away from the right side of the area, his shot came back off the post.
Brighton started the second half very much in the ascendancy, seeing a shot deflect just over the bar on 50 minutes, but they did get back on level terms on 57 minutes. A corner was met with a flicked header towards the far post, and Sam Baldock tapped the ball into the net. Brighton continued to dominate the game, creating plenty of chances, and were denied by a combination of the woodwork and blocks on the line, and their chances of grabbing a winner improved yet further when, following a burst forward towards goal, Hull's Lewis Ritson committed a foul to bring the striker down just outside the area, to earn a second yellow card and reduce the visitors to ten men. The resultant free kick was curled against the angle of bar and post. And completely against the second half run of play, Hull went back into the lead for a third time. The ball was crossed in from the right, and although 16 year old Keane Lewis-Potter's header was saved by the keeper, he then looped the ball into the net. A third equaliser still looked likely, but Brighton just couldn't find it, the closest they came was with the last touch of the game, when a flicked header from a corner saw the ball go just wide.
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