SECOND DIVISION PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL
Yet another nail-biting play-off semi-final finished in a dramatic penalty shoot-out as Brighton beat Swindon to earn the right to meet Bristol City in the Cardiff final although the successful manager, Mark McGhee, described his side's victory as 'a mugging'.
McGhee said his Brighton side were 'the luckiest on the planet' after Swindon were leading 2-1 and just nine minutes away from getting to the final when Adam Virgo popped up with a neat header to level the scores in extra-time injury time to force a penalty decider.
Ben Roberts was the Brighton hero when he made the crucial save to keep out Tommy Mooney's spot-kick. It was then agony for Andy Gurney when his penalty hit the post when only a goal would have rescued Swindon after successful penalties from Richard Carpenter, Chris Iwelumo, John Piercey and Adam Virgo for the home side.
As the second leg unfolded Brighton very nearly paid for trying to sit on their 1-0 advantage from the first leg but driving rain and a thunderstorm affected both sides in a disappointing first half. The home defence was on top for most of the first period and Mooney's chip over the bar, after half an hour, was the first real effort of the game. But Mooney nearly scored with a header as half time approached but Virgo cleared off the line.
The game opened up a little in the second half and again it was Mooney who almost scored but his 25-yard cracker hit the bar on 78 minutes. But Swindon did finally score with just nine minutes left. Ben Roberts could only parry Sammy Igoe's shot and Sam Parkin scrambled the ball home in a crowded box to force extra time.
Substitute Rory Fallon scored to give Swindon the lead, early that extra time period, but Brighton showed great character and fight to come back and that spirit was personified with Virgo's diving header with only seconds remaining to force the penalty-decider, which Brighton won in such dramatic fashion to earn the right to face Bristol City in the Second Division play-off final.
Afterwards Brighton manager McGhee was almost apologetic for the manner of his team's victory, saying: "I am absolutely speechless because we have been absolutely hammered. Swindon did not let us out and we didn't have enough to get at them. Andy King must be devastated. I don't know if I'll have to apologise to him."
McGhee went on to add: "We are obviously delighted but I do feel for them so much, and that is genuine. We have mugged them. It's unbelievable. I said before the game that maybe the luckiest team would win and we have to be the luckiest team on the planet."
Opposite number Andy King agreed and said: "We were unlucky in the first leg and we were desperately unlucky in the second. Of all the semi-finalists, the worst two clubs got through to the final."
