This one really was a game of two halves, we were good in the first half and crap in the second but thanks to Eddie Lewis’s late free kick we moved ever closer to overhauling the blunts.


As expected The Whites started with the same 11 that beat Palace last week and with what looks a much stronger bench with Killa’s inclusion.


Norwich had the first chance of the game when Leon McKenzie was unable to get his shot away and Sullivan collected comfortably that was pretty much it from them until after the break.
After seeing plenty of the ball and putting some nice passing moves together we managed to get the opener after 20 minutes when Robbie Blake found Lewis. He miscued an attempted shot but found Hulse who slotted home to score in his second successive game, 1-0 and it only looked a matter of time but it remained 1-0 until at the break.


HT 1-0


After the break we looked a totally different side, whether it was forced upon us or we changed tactics I do not know but in the second half we seemed to sit far too deep and invite the opposition on to us. To my mind it looked tactical but I could be (and hope I am) wrong because that is just not our game especially with the lack of pace we have at the back.


Norwich got the goal that was coming after 57 when Hughes bundled the ball in from close in, we then proceeded to “lose it” big time unnecessarily and had 3 men booked in 5 minutes, one of whom, Gregan will miss the next 2 matches and if Killa is fit enough and plays like he was before he got injured probably the rest of the season.


Healy replaced Blake on 70 but nothing much changed and it was not long before Norwich went in front through McVeigh after Gregan failed to cut out a cross.


Shortly after that Eirik Bakke replaced Miller and now it was becoming end to end with no clear cut chances. Then just when it seemed that time was running out and we were going to miss the opportunity of closing still further on the blunts, we were given a free kick 20 yards out, up stepped Eddie Lewis and it was 2-2, Lewis may not score a more important goal for us.


FT 2-2


That is now 9 league games unbeaten over which period we are averaging over 2 points per game but we have to remember that we are not just battling with The Blunts; Watford have actually claimed 1 more point than us over the last eight games - 17 as opposed to our 16 - we in turn have claimed 7 more than Warnock’s lot.


If that same form was repeated over the final 8 games we would be level with Watford and both 2 clear of Sheff U so how important does that make our spare game against Palace?

Forget the cup this is the most important match this month, beating Wigan and a match against Man City might enable us to secure one of our transfer targets before the end of January but getting 5 league wins in a row at this stage in the season would really give the team the confidence to move on.
I expect us to keep the same team that drew with Wigan last week (so Richard Cresswell unluckily on the bench) unless Eddie Lewis misses out due to injury and I am sure Danny Pugh would do a good job in his absence.

Brighton seem to be one of our bogey teams even though they are not very good and it is about time we gave them a good hiding, we have not beaten them in three.
Lets face it they currently lie third from bottom and have just sold their best striker for peanuts but this season we have been losing our games when least expected.

That said I expect us to leave the Withdean with all three points this year, if not a clean sheet.
Brighton 1 v Leeds 3


Come on you Leeds!!!