Match report: Huddersfield Town 2 - 2 Brighton

Apr 27 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

BRIGHTON goalkeeper Michel Kuipers prevented the perfect outcome, but there was still a trademark Andy Booth goal for the retiring striker, and the thousands of Town fans who adore him, to savour on his final home appearance.

The 35-year-old headed home in only the 16th minute – his fourth goal in three games, seventh of the season and 149th for the club – but because battling Brighton defended better than Town, a 2-2 draw was the final outcome.

Michael Collins chalked up a 10th goal of the season with a classy 57th-minute finish after Robbie Williams had hit the bar with a humdinger of a shot midway through the first half, but the man the fans really wanted to see score again was Booth – and Kuipers was having none of it.

Having pawed away the Town legend’s 23rd-minute shot, the former Dutch marine dived to his right to make an even more spectacular save from Booth’s 83rd-minute header, which had it gone in, would have had the Galpharm faithful in raptures.

As it was, neither set of supporters could be fully satisfied, because Brighton, who brought 1,201 to swell the attendance to 14,740, would have assured their League I survival had they claimed all three points.

They certainly had a go, twice levelling through Calvin Andrew in the 38th minute and Lloyd Owusu in the 66th, and having fluffed good chances in the 14th minute (Andrew) and 50th (Owusu), came close to a dramatic stoppage-time clincher.