QPR inflict Brighton’s first reserve defeat of the season
On a cold and damp evening at the Sussex County FA Headquarters in Lancing, QPR ruined Brighton’s unbeaten record in the reserves this season.
Here’s brief rundown of how they all performed on a very bumpy and difficult pitch.
Elvijs Putnins – A couple of super saves and looked pretty confident to me. Didn’t have a great deal to do apart from catching returned balls from peoples back gardens.
Moritz Volz – Clear to see he’s natural full-back and had an excellent game throughout. Good with the ball and defended extremely well. I think Mick Brown, who was there, will have been impressed.
Dusko Tosic – Almost the star of the show. I was very impressed with everything he did. Some great runs and passes, and chases back with interest. Good tackler and seems to have a good footballing brain. I’ll be staggered if he doesn’t make the Palace line-up on Saturday.
Jordan Hibbert – Reminded me of Stefan Bailey. Struck me as a bit lightweight but rolled the ball around nicely in the first half. I didn’t notice him at all in the second half, but then I was chatting a lot!
Joe Oastler – Whenever I’ve seen him, he’s always been good on the ball and tonight was no exception. My concern is he’d struggle against a big and powerful striker. Certainly promising though.
Lee Brown – Very similar to Oastler. Can’t really add anything!
Danny Davenport – Hard to judge because he got crocked early on. Stocky midfield player who wore sandels and white socks when he came off and spent his time on his mobile.
Matteo Alberti – Yes, he’s still with us! Played the game at his own pace in the first half, producing nothing, but transformed in the second half showing glimpses of what he very occasionally did when he made the first team. First team player? No.
Romone Rose – Nice new haircut but that’s all I noticed. Runs and runs like he always does, but I still don’t know what his best position is? Certainly not a centre-forward.
Angelo Balanta – Totally anonymous in the first half, very exciting in the second. Went past defenders like they weren’t there at times and crossed some terrific balls from the left side. I’ve still got high hopes for Angelo on this performance.
Josh Parker – The star of the show. Some great runs down the right side and worked his socks off. Set up the first goal and gave the Seaweeds defence a tough time. Easy to see now why he’s made the first team bench a couple of times. I liked him a lot and so did a number of other fans.
Max Ehmer – Came on for Davenport and scored both the goals. Can’t ask for more than that I guess? The first was basically a tap-in after a great run by Parker and the second a header from a great cross by somebody I didn’t notice! The Brighton keeper won’t be a happy bunny though.
Overall, I was fairly encouraged by what I saw tonight on a tough surface.
I have a feeling we’re going to like Tosic if he gets in the side!