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Previous encounters (Bolton )
Bolton - Home, Falmer Years: C'ship 12/13-15/16, seasons 2-5 . 17/18 onwards - Prem, no meetings. ground: Uni of Bolton Stad 28.7k . nickname: Trotters . shirt: white. Prem/EFL record from 11/12: 18 P, 7 14 18 24 C, 2 L1 / 21 23 C, 23 L1, 3 L2, 9 5 3 L1 @ 4/5/24. recent Prem: rel - '12 . C'ship: rel - '16 '19 . L1: promo - '17, rel - '20 . L2: promo - '21. Season7 (1st) (H) onwards - not Premier League. Albion v Wanderers (H) from 11/12 @ C: - 1-1 3-1 2-1 3-2 - . . W = 3 D = 1 L = 0 For Away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below. memorable match: Season5 (H) - five goals, new faces in the squad and all to play for this term. Season6 (H) - not C'ship. Season5 (H) Championship 13/2/16 - 3-2 - Murphy, Hemed, Kayal. This was the last of three consecutive home fixtures. And next, there were three away games in eight days. This had come about due to FA Cup ties clashing with the league, after visiting Hull in round3. Albion were back on track in the interim, having gone thru a bad patch around Xmas & New Year. But Chris Hughton had signed new faces in the transfer window and with injured players returning, the squad appeared stronger in both quality & numbers. Steve Sidwell & Jiri Skalak had recently joined and Anthony Knockaert was making a name for himself as a goal-scoring winger. The idea now was to put another unbeaten run together. On the day, 26k attended. * match report: Seagulls led three times in the game to extend an unbeaten run and collect 9pts from those 3 homes in a row. For some reason due to vagaries of footy, all 5 goals were scored prior to the hour mark. First, Murphy opened proceedings with a trademark run & shot (11min). But Wanderers quickly hit back, taking the strike at a defensive lapse (22min). Then just before tea & sympathy, Hemed notched well - following a run by Knockaert and Zamora's intricate magic (43min). But it's never over until it is and Trotters lived up to their nickname with a smart free-kick to level while jogging on (53min). Albion duly got a grip and Kayal placed the winner home when Hemed did good work to assist (58min). With 20mins left Calderon replaced Ridgewell - who was returning to MLS after his loan period. Zamora was next to give way to LuaLua for him to run amok for 15mins. At the death, debutant Skalak got to wear blue & white and make it fit. Albion saw it out as visitors tried but failed to equalise a third time. Many Brighton fans witnessed that trio of wins and a feel-good factor hung in the air around Amex concourses until well after bars closed that Saturday evening. Stats; poss 53%-47%, on target 9-5, off target 6-3, o/s 3-0, corners 5-2, fouls 10-8, yellows 2-1. Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Ridgewell (Calderon), Knockaert (Skalak), Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Zamora (LuaLua), Hemed. Champ's P30 . W15 D11 L4 . F40 A30 . Pt56 Po4 . W = 50% L = 13.3% Season4 (H) 23/8/14 - W 2-1 ~ Mackail-Smith, Teixeira. On opening day, Albion lost at the Amex and the performance wasn't much to write home about either. Fans had become unsettled by lack of apparent investment in the squad, although Tony Bloom had asked for patience during that period before closing of the August transfer window. Sami Hyypia became boss in the close season and was keen to use his own strategic methods to win football matches. The usual suspects were still around the changing room, although majority of the season3 p-o team below were long gone - Kuszczak, Upson, Bridcutt, David, Orlandi, Buckley & Barnes. And on-loan Ward was offered a full contract but didn't sign again. Two season-long loans, Teixeira & Bennett were selected, so joined both new signings Stockdale & Holla on field. 24k turned up on a dry, cool, cloudy summer afternoon. * match report: Seagulls made the play forward using wingbacks and narrow 4141 formation but fell behind before half an hour had gone. Defenders failed at a corner and Wanderers powered a header thru (25min). In the past, recovering from a goal down sometimes proved a step too far but rejuvenated CMS equalised prior to h-t when poaching from Calderon's assist (37min). In the second period visitors were forced back for spells but appeared composed. Then Teixeira finished a move down the left from Bennett and won MoM award to boot (65min). LuaLua came on to go for broke and Chicksen & Ince bolstered rearguard against Bolton counters late in the day. Sami said, 'if we get Joao on the ball he'll be dangerous.' CMS said, 'I can stretch the game playing like this and it works to all my strengths.' Brighton fans could see it was different to previously displayed at the Amex and they like it too. Stockdale, Calderon (LuaLua), Greer, Dunk, Bennett (Chicksen), Bruno, Crofts, Holla, Forster-Caskey, Teixeira (Ince), Mackail-Smith. Champ's P4 . W2 D0 L2 . F4 A3 . Pt6 Po13 . W = 50% L = 50% Season3 (H) 21/9/13 - 3-1 ~ og, Calderon, Buckley. Compared to last season, Oscar Garcia was now Head Coach and trying to get Albion play like Barcelona! The trouble was he had a perpetual squad injury list, compounded by lack of choices in certain positions - strikers to say the least. Of last years eleven, Painter and Hammond were gone, while CMS, Hoskins, Orlandi and Bridcutt were long-term injured. Bruno was returning from hamstring probs but Dunk was now out with the washing. Since start of this campaign and closing of transfer windows, Upson and David signed again, then Ward and Conway (both loans) had also come on board. Crofts got selected, along with Ince and March who were youth products of the development squad. On the afternoon it was cloudy but mild and the usual 26k crowd turned up for what the club titled Spanish Day. * match report: Albion took the game to Bolton - an ex-Prem outfit surprisingly adrift at foot of the table. But Wanderers scored a soft goal against run of play when David diverted a ball to the near post past Kuszczak. Oscar told the lads to go out in the second half and turn it around and they did exactly that. It was the first game since Doncaster in Aug'11 that Seagulls had come from behind to win. A three goal burst inside five minutes early in the 2nd 45min put paid to Trotters thoughts of closing ranks and nicking it. LuaLua fizzed over a f-k from out left and a defender turned it in (52min). A couple of moments later Calderon notched on his 150th app from Buckley's assist (56min). A minute later the Spaniard raced forward again and fed Buckley who cut inside and let fly (57min). Oscar later brought on Conway for home debut (74min) and also put Bruno into midfield for some game time (78min). At the death March replaced David - Spanish Dave had hit a post earlier, like LuaLua (he'd hit the bar too) as Brighton went forward in search of a big score. The attacking 433 shape with two wingers had truly paid off and Garcia was a happy man as he celebrated with excited Brighton fans after the final whistle. Stats; 14 on/off targets, 6 blocked shots, 10 corners and 58% possession - enough said. Kuszczak, Calderon, Greer, Upson, Ward, David (March), Ince, Crofts, Buckley (Bruno), Barnes (Conway), LuaLua. Champ's P8 . W3 D3 L2 . F9 A6 . Pt12 Po10 . W = 37.5% L = 25% Season2 (H) 24/11/12 - 1-1 ~ Bruno. Brighton fans enjoyed watching new teams turn up at the Amex in the Championship but this fixture was something different for seen-it-all-before Withdeanites from days of yore. We hadn't come across Bolton since time immemorial. The Lancashire club finally fell out of the Prem last term since being there over a decade, back to 2001 - when Brighton were initially elevating out of div3. They were relegated with Blackburn and Wolves, although seemed to be struggling this season, especially away from the Reebok stadium. Meanwhile Albion continued on the up and under Gus Poyet were a force to be reckoned with at level two. Our squad was half decent and Gus said, 'When we get it right we are very difficult to play against. if we keep on believing in what we are doing and they way we go about our football, then it doesn't matter who we come up against.' On the day it rained throughout but 26k were dry inside, thanks to that nice iconic roof. * match report: At halftime it was nil-nil but judging by chances created by Seagulls we shoulda been out of sight. Ref awarded us a pen, taken by Barnes that was saved and the rebound blocked (14min). After that Albion flowed forward and hit the bar twice. Some of the moves were sublime on a slick surface in wet conditions. Into the second period BHA got a f-k which was defended and the ball dropped to Bruno outside the area. He duly netted with a cross shot from 30 yards (54m). Goalie continued to keep Albion at bay and somehow it remained with just one scored as subs came on. Gus left it late to replace strikers and in between withdrew Painter who was back from injury (81m). In the event Brighton could not add to a single score although opportunities still cropped up. Deep into stoppage Wanderers went up field with nothing to lose in search of an equaliser. With the last kick of the game they got it too. Gus said, 'we were so superior, it's incredible the way we played. We are not getting the credit we deserve.' All Brighton fans would agree with those sentiments. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Painter (Calderon), Hammond, Bridcutt, Orlandi, Buckley, Mackail-Smith (Hoskins), Barnes (Crofts). Champ's P18 . W7 D7 L4 . F25 A16 . Pt28 Po8 . W = 38.8% L = 22.2% Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean Era - from 1999 to 2011. no meetings in 12 seasons.
Bolton - Away, Falmer Years: C'ship 12/13-15/16 , seasons 2-5 . 17/18 onwards - Prem, no meetings. Season7 (1st) (A) onwards - not Premier League. Wanderers v Albion (A) from 11/12 @ C: - 1-0 0-2 1-0 2-2 - . . W = 1 D = 1 L = 2 For Home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up. memorable match: Season3 (A) - our only win at the Reebok during level2 against the ex-Prem outfit. Season6 (A) - not C'ship. Season5 (A) Championship 26/9/15 - 2-2 ~ Stephens, Murphy. So far, so good and as Championship leaders, Brighton could set a new club record if remaining unbeaten, for this visit to Lancashire. Chris Hughton's reshaped squad had hit the ground running on the long road from early August and gained wins at Fulham & Ipswich and draws with Huddersfield & Wolves. Part of this success had been thru finding a strong starting eleven that included several new signings over the summer. Bobby Zamora had returned to the club by mutual consent and began a fixture for the first time after proving fitness as sub previously. Others who'd played here in the past were still selected; Bruno, Greer, Kayal & Stephens, while Ince, Calderon, March, Crofts and Dunk were all on the bench. LuaLua was injured but Forster-Caskey had gone on loan to MK Dons and O'Grady was on season loan at Forest. * match report: Albion went two goals up in the first half before losing a man red carded and eventally dropping two points at the death. Stephens opened the scoring after Zamora stroked the ball into his path (31min). Then almost immediately Murphy tapped in following good work by Rosenior (35min). But just prior to the interval Wanderers pulled one back from range as Seagulls failed to hold possession (41min). Zamora was withdrawn on the hour, although replaced by Ince in what appeared as a defensive tactic. Later Bruno retired injured, so Rosenior slotted there and March came on to go wide right. With fifteen minutes left Murphy was dismissed when slipping in a mistimed tackle and so Baldock got taken off and Calderon bolstered midfield. Deep into stoppage the home outfit levelled after an intense period of pressure (90+). Hughton said about the sending off, 'of course it changed the course of the game. It is hard to take and very disappointing because we were the better side and I couldn't see them scoring.' In the event, Albion were very likely to appeal the unfortunate decision. Taking the positives, BHA were still unbeaten, a point clear at head of the division. Stats; poss 59-41, on target 8-3, off target 6-4, blocked 3-4, corners 9-4, fouls 7-8, o/s 3-4, yellow 1-2, red 0-1. Stockdale, Bruno (March), Greer, Huenemeier, Bong, Rosenior, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Baldock (Calderon), Zamora (Ince). Champ's P 9 . W 6 D 3 L 0 . F 13 A 7 Pt 21 Po 1 Season4 (A) 28/2/15 - L 1-0 Approaching the three-quarter stage of this campaign, Albion had usually been in the last eight positions and during previous December entered the bottom three places. Sami Hyypia had departed before Xmas and Chris Hughton was charged with reviving Seagulls fortunes in second half of the season. On the road, BHA averaged exactly a point per match, which was until recently 50% of total points accumulated. Most games were fairly even affairs and fine margins often decided the winner. Hughton lacked a striker in form and hence was attempting a method of play to address that issue. Keeping a clean sheet was the basic requirement, with perhaps nicking a goal from defenders at set pieces rather than via attackers in open play. Goals were spread thinly among the squad, as most were capable of finding the net once in a while! Under Hughton, Albion were w-l-d-d on travels and hopeful of extending an unbeaten run of 4 Home & Away. * match report: Albion went down to a single goal defeat after a frustrating afternoon in the northwest. A bright start and fluid movement from k-o produced chances but failed to see any score in the first half. Just before the break play became fairly scrappy and the home unit took more initiative from beginning of the second period. On the hour mark Bruno was withdrawn for Stephens and Calderon moved into the right back position. Wanderers pinched the points with a piece of quality as visitors rearguard were pushed back more and more (64min). But Seagulls busy midfield didn't dominate play and Kayal was eventually replaced late in the game (82min). Hughton also put on LuaLua to attack the final third but really to no avail (74min). In fact, the longer this fixture went on the less Brighton appeared capable of getting anything at all for efforts expended. The old Albion of earlier in the season turned up again and just like under Hyypia, did not make enough of possession and build up. So BHA slipped again in the table and it seemed the quest for 50pts was going to take longer than originally thought. Stockdale, Bruno (Stephens), Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Kayal (O'Grady), Teixeira, Ince, Calderon, Mackail-Smith (LuaLua), Baldock. Champ's P 34 . W 8 D 13 L 13 . F 38 A 43. Pt 37 Po 20 Season3 (A) 15/3/14 - W 0-2 ~ Buckley 2. Albion were still chasing a play-off slot as the three-quarters stage came around during this tough Championship campaign. As ever Oscar Garcia preferred to field his best eleven as seen in training. The defence more or less picked itself these days, although Upson was missing here due to illness. Ulloa was default numero uno due to lack of strikers but got supported now by ex-Man Utd wonder kid Lingard. OG's shape of 4123 was as regular as clockwork too. He wanted wingbacks to push on when able and two from midfield could get into the area and add numbers to attack. OG had a tactical method and it sounded like a plan. * match report: Buckley fired a brace to send Seagulls high, just behind p-o places. He snatched the lead from a rebound after Ulloa pumped the ball into the box (13min). Albion stayed ahead throughout and kept it clean - often thanks to TK or poor finishing by opposition. During the second period, Buckley again was too quick for Trotters and bagged his second via one-on-one (65min). Garcia subbed the goal-scoring winger five minutes later. Nathan Jones said, 'if we can keep Will fit he is a fantastic player for us. The target is to finish as high as we possibly can.' Bucka said, 'there was some interest from Sunderland (Gus Poyet) but nothing came of it. We are in with a shout and have 11 big matches left.' OG was happy with the win and display and also stats. Albion had more possession but conceded 12 corners and 11 blocked shots. That kind of defending can make the difference in table final placing - top-six or missing out. Travelling support returned from up north with fingers crossed for a successful run-in. It was a seventh victory on the road. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Ward, Ince, Stephens, Forster-Caskey, Buckley (March), Ulloa, Lingard (Rodriguez) Champ's P 35 . W 15 D 11 L 9 . F 39 A 28 . Pt 56 Po 8 Season2 (A) 9/3/13 - L 1-0 At the milestone of 3/4 of the way thru this season, BHA were in sixth spot. Our very next away fixture in a short series of three, was now in Lancashire. We'd already been to Bristol in midweek and the following Tuesday were scheduled for a trip to visit Barnsley in Yorkshire. The Seagulls finally faced Palace at the Amex for high noon k-o on Sunday, to round off a busy fortnight. You might say it was an important time for the club because these weeks during the run-in could make or break our campaign. Brighton were unbeaten in six matches and had won four of 'em. But we could not rest on laurels, not if aiming to obtain another twenty-one points for qualification to knockout phases. That meant something like getting six points from every three games - seven wins in total. Could Gus find the consistency that would be vital for progress toward our dream of elite participation? * match report: We opened our history with Bolton in the Falmer years with defeat that was hard to stomach. On our first visit to Reebok stad about 1k travelling support witnessed BHA shade the match on stats but lose on goals scored. Gus Poyet had make numerous changes in line-up to the starting eleven and it was not to defend either. We were all over 'em like a rash but despite constant scratching, couldn't draw blood. Bolton's winner came out of the blue after a lot of pressure from visitors who shoulda been ahead by then (20min). Crofts hit the post and from the clearance at a corner, Trotters countered and netted a pot shot. Gus freshened things up in the second period during a contest played at high tempo. He introduced Buckley fairly early and later Orlandi, causing an attacking reshuffle as B'ton went in search of an equaliser. Albion had 15 on/off targets and 5 blocked shots as well as 14 corners - but no cigar. At the death Barnes received a red card for upsetting Ref. Well, he hadn't given us much all game anyway, had he? Kuszczak, Bruno, El-Abd, Upson, Bridge (Orlandi), David, Crofts (Buckley), Bridcutt, Vicente, Barnes, Ulloa. Champ's P 36 . W 14 D 14 L 8 . F 50 A 36 . Pt 56 Po 7 Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean era: 1999 - 2011. no visits to Reebok Stad in 12 seasons.
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Previous encounters (Bolton )
Bolton - Home, Falmer Years: C'ship 12/13-15/16, seasons 2-5 . 17/18 onwards - Prem, no meetings. ground: Uni of Bolton Stad 28.7k . nickname: Trotters . shirt: white. Prem/EFL record from 11/12: 18 P, 7 14 18 24 C, 2 L1 / 21 23 C, 23 L1, 3 L2, 9 5 3 L1 @ 4/5/24. recent Prem: rel - '12 . C'ship: rel - '16 '19 . L1: promo - '17, rel - '20 . L2: promo - '21. Season7 (1st) (H) onwards - not Premier League. Albion v Wanderers (H) from 11/12 @ C: - 1-1 3-1 2-1 3-2 - . . W = 3 D = 1 L = 0 For Away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below. memorable match: Season5 (H) - five goals, new faces in the squad and all to play for this term. Season6 (H) - not C'ship. Season5 (H) Championship 13/2/16 - 3-2 - Murphy, Hemed, Kayal. This was the last of three consecutive home fixtures. And next, there were three away games in eight days. This had come about due to FA Cup ties clashing with the league, after visiting Hull in round3. Albion were back on track in the interim, having gone thru a bad patch around Xmas & New Year. But Chris Hughton had signed new faces in the transfer window and with injured players returning, the squad appeared stronger in both quality & numbers. Steve Sidwell & Jiri Skalak had recently joined and Anthony Knockaert was making a name for himself as a goal-scoring winger. The idea now was to put another unbeaten run together. On the day, 26k attended. * match report: Seagulls led three times in the game to extend an unbeaten run and collect 9pts from those 3 homes in a row. For some reason due to vagaries of footy, all 5 goals were scored prior to the hour mark. First, Murphy opened proceedings with a trademark run & shot (11min). But Wanderers quickly hit back, taking the strike at a defensive lapse (22min). Then just before tea & sympathy, Hemed notched well - following a run by Knockaert and Zamora's intricate magic (43min). But it's never over until it is and Trotters lived up to their nickname with a smart free-kick to level while jogging on (53min). Albion duly got a grip and Kayal placed the winner home when Hemed did good work to assist (58min). With 20mins left Calderon replaced Ridgewell - who was returning to MLS after his loan period. Zamora was next to give way to LuaLua for him to run amok for 15mins. At the death, debutant Skalak got to wear blue & white and make it fit. Albion saw it out as visitors tried but failed to equalise a third time. Many Brighton fans witnessed that trio of wins and a feel-good factor hung in the air around Amex concourses until well after bars closed that Saturday evening. Stats; poss 53%-47%, on target 9-5, off target 6-3, o/s 3-0, corners 5-2, fouls 10-8, yellows 2-1. Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Ridgewell (Calderon), Knockaert (Skalak), Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Zamora (LuaLua), Hemed. Champ's P30 . W15 D11 L4 . F40 A30 . Pt56 Po4 . W = 50% L = 13.3% Season4 (H) 23/8/14 - W 2-1 ~ Mackail-Smith, Teixeira. On opening day, Albion lost at the Amex and the performance wasn't much to write home about either. Fans had become unsettled by lack of apparent investment in the squad, although Tony Bloom had asked for patience during that period before closing of the August transfer window. Sami Hyypia became boss in the close season and was keen to use his own strategic methods to win football matches. The usual suspects were still around the changing room, although majority of the season3 p-o team below were long gone - Kuszczak, Upson, Bridcutt, David, Orlandi, Buckley & Barnes. And on-loan Ward was offered a full contract but didn't sign again. Two season-long loans, Teixeira & Bennett were selected, so joined both new signings Stockdale & Holla on field. 24k turned up on a dry, cool, cloudy summer afternoon. * match report: Seagulls made the play forward using wingbacks and narrow 4141 formation but fell behind before half an hour had gone. Defenders failed at a corner and Wanderers powered a header thru (25min). In the past, recovering from a goal down sometimes proved a step too far but rejuvenated CMS equalised prior to h-t when poaching from Calderon's assist (37min). In the second period visitors were forced back for spells but appeared composed. Then Teixeira finished a move down the left from Bennett and won MoM award to boot (65min). LuaLua came on to go for broke and Chicksen & Ince bolstered rearguard against Bolton counters late in the day. Sami said, 'if we get Joao on the ball he'll be dangerous.' CMS said, 'I can stretch the game playing like this and it works to all my strengths.' Brighton fans could see it was different to previously displayed at the Amex and they like it too. Stockdale, Calderon (LuaLua), Greer, Dunk, Bennett (Chicksen), Bruno, Crofts, Holla, Forster-Caskey, Teixeira (Ince), Mackail-Smith. Champ's P4 . W2 D0 L2 . F4 A3 . Pt6 Po13 . W = 50% L = 50% Season3 (H) 21/9/13 - 3-1 ~ og, Calderon, Buckley. Compared to last season, Oscar Garcia was now Head Coach and trying to get Albion play like Barcelona! The trouble was he had a perpetual squad injury list, compounded by lack of choices in certain positions - strikers to say the least. Of last years eleven, Painter and Hammond were gone, while CMS, Hoskins, Orlandi and Bridcutt were long-term injured. Bruno was returning from hamstring probs but Dunk was now out with the washing. Since start of this campaign and closing of transfer windows, Upson and David signed again, then Ward and Conway (both loans) had also come on board. Crofts got selected, along with Ince and March who were youth products of the development squad. On the afternoon it was cloudy but mild and the usual 26k crowd turned up for what the club titled Spanish Day. * match report: Albion took the game to Bolton - an ex-Prem outfit surprisingly adrift at foot of the table. But Wanderers scored a soft goal against run of play when David diverted a ball to the near post past Kuszczak. Oscar told the lads to go out in the second half and turn it around and they did exactly that. It was the first game since Doncaster in Aug'11 that Seagulls had come from behind to win. A three goal burst inside five minutes early in the 2nd 45min put paid to Trotters thoughts of closing ranks and nicking it. LuaLua fizzed over a f-k from out left and a defender turned it in (52min). A couple of moments later Calderon notched on his 150th app from Buckley's assist (56min). A minute later the Spaniard raced forward again and fed Buckley who cut inside and let fly (57min). Oscar later brought on Conway for home debut (74min) and also put Bruno into midfield for some game time (78min). At the death March replaced David - Spanish Dave had hit a post earlier, like LuaLua (he'd hit the bar too) as Brighton went forward in search of a big score. The attacking 433 shape with two wingers had truly paid off and Garcia was a happy man as he celebrated with excited Brighton fans after the final whistle. Stats; 14 on/off targets, 6 blocked shots, 10 corners and 58% possession - enough said. Kuszczak, Calderon, Greer, Upson, Ward, David (March), Ince, Crofts, Buckley (Bruno), Barnes (Conway), LuaLua. Champ's P8 . W3 D3 L2 . F9 A6 . Pt12 Po10 . W = 37.5% L = 25% Season2 (H) 24/11/12 - 1-1 ~ Bruno. Brighton fans enjoyed watching new teams turn up at the Amex in the Championship but this fixture was something different for seen-it-all-before Withdeanites from days of yore. We hadn't come across Bolton since time immemorial. The Lancashire club finally fell out of the Prem last term since being there over a decade, back to 2001 - when Brighton were initially elevating out of div3. They were relegated with Blackburn and Wolves, although seemed to be struggling this season, especially away from the Reebok stadium. Meanwhile Albion continued on the up and under Gus Poyet were a force to be reckoned with at level two. Our squad was half decent and Gus said, 'When we get it right we are very difficult to play against. if we keep on believing in what we are doing and they way we go about our football, then it doesn't matter who we come up against.' On the day it rained throughout but 26k were dry inside, thanks to that nice iconic roof. * match report: At halftime it was nil-nil but judging by chances created by Seagulls we shoulda been out of sight. Ref awarded us a pen, taken by Barnes that was saved and the rebound blocked (14min). After that Albion flowed forward and hit the bar twice. Some of the moves were sublime on a slick surface in wet conditions. Into the second period BHA got a f-k which was defended and the ball dropped to Bruno outside the area. He duly netted with a cross shot from 30 yards (54m). Goalie continued to keep Albion at bay and somehow it remained with just one scored as subs came on. Gus left it late to replace strikers and in between withdrew Painter who was back from injury (81m). In the event Brighton could not add to a single score although opportunities still cropped up. Deep into stoppage Wanderers went up field with nothing to lose in search of an equaliser. With the last kick of the game they got it too. Gus said, 'we were so superior, it's incredible the way we played. We are not getting the credit we deserve.' All Brighton fans would agree with those sentiments. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Painter (Calderon), Hammond, Bridcutt, Orlandi, Buckley, Mackail-Smith (Hoskins), Barnes (Crofts). Champ's P18 . W7 D7 L4 . F25 A16 . Pt28 Po8 . W = 38.8% L = 22.2% Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean Era - from 1999 to 2011. no meetings in 12 seasons.
Bolton - Away, Falmer Years: C'ship 12/13-15/16 , seasons 2-5 . 17/18 onwards - Prem, no meetings. Season7 (1st) (A) onwards - not Premier League. Wanderers v Albion (A) from 11/12 @ C: - 1-0 0-2 1-0 2-2 - . . W = 1 D = 1 L = 2 For Home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up. memorable match: Season3 (A) - our only win at the Reebok during level2 against the ex-Prem outfit. Season6 (A) - not C'ship. Season5 (A) Championship 26/9/15 - 2-2 ~ Stephens, Murphy. So far, so good and as Championship leaders, Brighton could set a new club record if remaining unbeaten, for this visit to Lancashire. Chris Hughton's reshaped squad had hit the ground running on the long road from early August and gained wins at Fulham & Ipswich and draws with Huddersfield & Wolves. Part of this success had been thru finding a strong starting eleven that included several new signings over the summer. Bobby Zamora had returned to the club by mutual consent and began a fixture for the first time after proving fitness as sub previously. Others who'd played here in the past were still selected; Bruno, Greer, Kayal & Stephens, while Ince, Calderon, March, Crofts and Dunk were all on the bench. LuaLua was injured but Forster-Caskey had gone on loan to MK Dons and O'Grady was on season loan at Forest. * match report: Albion went two goals up in the first half before losing a man red carded and eventally dropping two points at the death. Stephens opened the scoring after Zamora stroked the ball into his path (31min). Then almost immediately Murphy tapped in following good work by Rosenior (35min). But just prior to the interval Wanderers pulled one back from range as Seagulls failed to hold possession (41min). Zamora was withdrawn on the hour, although replaced by Ince in what appeared as a defensive tactic. Later Bruno retired injured, so Rosenior slotted there and March came on to go wide right. With fifteen minutes left Murphy was dismissed when slipping in a mistimed tackle and so Baldock got taken off and Calderon bolstered midfield. Deep into stoppage the home outfit levelled after an intense period of pressure (90+). Hughton said about the sending off, 'of course it changed the course of the game. It is hard to take and very disappointing because we were the better side and I couldn't see them scoring.' In the event, Albion were very likely to appeal the unfortunate decision. Taking the positives, BHA were still unbeaten, a point clear at head of the division. Stats; poss 59-41, on target 8-3, off target 6-4, blocked 3-4, corners 9-4, fouls 7-8, o/s 3-4, yellow 1-2, red 0-1. Stockdale, Bruno (March), Greer, Huenemeier, Bong, Rosenior, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Baldock (Calderon), Zamora (Ince). Champ's P 9 . W 6 D 3 L 0 . F 13 A 7 Pt 21 Po 1 Season4 (A) 28/2/15 - L 1-0 Approaching the three-quarter stage of this campaign, Albion had usually been in the last eight positions and during previous December entered the bottom three places. Sami Hyypia had departed before Xmas and Chris Hughton was charged with reviving Seagulls fortunes in second half of the season. On the road, BHA averaged exactly a point per match, which was until recently 50% of total points accumulated. Most games were fairly even affairs and fine margins often decided the winner. Hughton lacked a striker in form and hence was attempting a method of play to address that issue. Keeping a clean sheet was the basic requirement, with perhaps nicking a goal from defenders at set pieces rather than via attackers in open play. Goals were spread thinly among the squad, as most were capable of finding the net once in a while! Under Hughton, Albion were w-l-d-d on travels and hopeful of extending an unbeaten run of 4 Home & Away. * match report: Albion went down to a single goal defeat after a frustrating afternoon in the northwest. A bright start and fluid movement from k-o produced chances but failed to see any score in the first half. Just before the break play became fairly scrappy and the home unit took more initiative from beginning of the second period. On the hour mark Bruno was withdrawn for Stephens and Calderon moved into the right back position. Wanderers pinched the points with a piece of quality as visitors rearguard were pushed back more and more (64min). But Seagulls busy midfield didn't dominate play and Kayal was eventually replaced late in the game (82min). Hughton also put on LuaLua to attack the final third but really to no avail (74min). In fact, the longer this fixture went on the less Brighton appeared capable of getting anything at all for efforts expended. The old Albion of earlier in the season turned up again and just like under Hyypia, did not make enough of possession and build up. So BHA slipped again in the table and it seemed the quest for 50pts was going to take longer than originally thought. Stockdale, Bruno (Stephens), Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Kayal (O'Grady), Teixeira, Ince, Calderon, Mackail-Smith (LuaLua), Baldock. Champ's P 34 . W 8 D 13 L 13 . F 38 A 43. Pt 37 Po 20 Season3 (A) 15/3/14 - W 0-2 ~ Buckley 2. Albion were still chasing a play-off slot as the three-quarters stage came around during this tough Championship campaign. As ever Oscar Garcia preferred to field his best eleven as seen in training. The defence more or less picked itself these days, although Upson was missing here due to illness. Ulloa was default numero uno due to lack of strikers but got supported now by ex-Man Utd wonder kid Lingard. OG's shape of 4123 was as regular as clockwork too. He wanted wingbacks to push on when able and two from midfield could get into the area and add numbers to attack. OG had a tactical method and it sounded like a plan. * match report: Buckley fired a brace to send Seagulls high, just behind p-o places. He snatched the lead from a rebound after Ulloa pumped the ball into the box (13min). Albion stayed ahead throughout and kept it clean - often thanks to TK or poor finishing by opposition. During the second period, Buckley again was too quick for Trotters and bagged his second via one-on-one (65min). Garcia subbed the goal-scoring winger five minutes later. Nathan Jones said, 'if we can keep Will fit he is a fantastic player for us. The target is to finish as high as we possibly can.' Bucka said, 'there was some interest from Sunderland (Gus Poyet) but nothing came of it. We are in with a shout and have 11 big matches left.' OG was happy with the win and display and also stats. Albion had more possession but conceded 12 corners and 11 blocked shots. That kind of defending can make the difference in table final placing - top-six or missing out. Travelling support returned from up north with fingers crossed for a successful run-in. It was a seventh victory on the road. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Ward, Ince, Stephens, Forster-Caskey, Buckley (March), Ulloa, Lingard (Rodriguez) Champ's P 35 . W 15 D 11 L 9 . F 39 A 28 . Pt 56 Po 8 Season2 (A) 9/3/13 - L 1-0 At the milestone of 3/4 of the way thru this season, BHA were in sixth spot. Our very next away fixture in a short series of three, was now in Lancashire. We'd already been to Bristol in midweek and the following Tuesday were scheduled for a trip to visit Barnsley in Yorkshire. The Seagulls finally faced Palace at the Amex for high noon k-o on Sunday, to round off a busy fortnight. You might say it was an important time for the club because these weeks during the run-in could make or break our campaign. Brighton were unbeaten in six matches and had won four of 'em. But we could not rest on laurels, not if aiming to obtain another twenty-one points for qualification to knockout phases. That meant something like getting six points from every three games - seven wins in total. Could Gus find the consistency that would be vital for progress toward our dream of elite participation? * match report: We opened our history with Bolton in the Falmer years with defeat that was hard to stomach. On our first visit to Reebok stad about 1k travelling support witnessed BHA shade the match on stats but lose on goals scored. Gus Poyet had make numerous changes in line-up to the starting eleven and it was not to defend either. We were all over 'em like a rash but despite constant scratching, couldn't draw blood. Bolton's winner came out of the blue after a lot of pressure from visitors who shoulda been ahead by then (20min). Crofts hit the post and from the clearance at a corner, Trotters countered and netted a pot shot. Gus freshened things up in the second period during a contest played at high tempo. He introduced Buckley fairly early and later Orlandi, causing an attacking reshuffle as B'ton went in search of an equaliser. Albion had 15 on/off targets and 5 blocked shots as well as 14 corners - but no cigar. At the death Barnes received a red card for upsetting Ref. Well, he hadn't given us much all game anyway, had he? Kuszczak, Bruno, El-Abd, Upson, Bridge (Orlandi), David, Crofts (Buckley), Bridcutt, Vicente, Barnes, Ulloa. Champ's P 36 . W 14 D 14 L 8 . F 50 A 36 . Pt 56 Po 7 Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean era: 1999 - 2011. no visits to Reebok Stad in 12 seasons.
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