Murray hits 100 milestone as Brighton get back to basics
The contrast between Glenn Murray’s first Brighton goal and Saturday’s match-winning finish – his 100th in an Albion shirt – sums up the change in fortunes for player and club during a 10-year period in which both have been transformed.
Murray scored twice on his home debut against Crewe Alexandra in Feb 2008 following a £300,000 transfer from Rochdale, in front of a crowd of fewer than 5,000 at the Withdean Stadium, during a period when the club, then in League One, were seeking a permanent home.
A decade on and Murray hit three figures at a packed Amex Stadium to confirm Brighton’s standing in mid-table in their second season in the Premier League and take the 35-year-old’s tally to six goals in 10 games this season.
“Both myself and the club have come a really long way, and almost hand in hand, even though I spent a little bit of time away from the club,” said Murray, who spent five years at Crystal Palace and Bournemouth before returning in 2016.
“We sort of never progressed without each other and we started in League One and we have managed to get to the Premier League and we are trying to establish ourselves now.
“The difference is fantastic but it’s all relative. Scoring my first goal at the Withdean was just as important to me. It was a big move back then personally, and for me to hit the ground running and get two on my home debut was massive. Just as big as today, really.”
On Saturday, Murray’s 48th-minute finish secured a third successive 1-0 win for Brighton.
“It’s all to do with getting back to last year’s basics, which we struggled to at the start of this year, which is keeping clean sheets,” the forward said. “That’s what our success was built on last year and we’ve managed to get back to that.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ early progress, meanwhile, has stalled after two defeats.
“It is brutal, and the harsh reality of the Premier League, and we have to learn from it,” said Matt Doherty, the Wolves wing-back. “I know we have lost two in a row but there is still huge belief.”
Meanwhile, an elderly Brighton supporter died after being taken ill before the game.
The club said the fan was attended to by the club’s medical staff. He was then taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, where he died.
Paul Barber, the Brighton chief executive, said the club’s “thoughts and prayers” were with the supporter’s friends and family.