Burnley - Home, Falmer Years
BURNLEY PREM record from 11/12 to 17/18; (13, 11, 2 @ Champ's), 18, (1 @ Champ's), 16, 7. Best finish = 7, Worst finish = 19, Ave finish = 14th.
C21; Ave = 15th (4yrs), Stayed up - 1 time in bottom 6 (16/17), Relegated - 2 times (09/10 & 14/15). Top ten - 1 time from 4 (17/18). AVE GATE; 20.5K, CAP; 22.5K.
RECENT managers; Sean Dyche (2012-19), Eddie Howe (2010-12)

Run-in; Liverpool (A), Leicester (H), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Cardiff (H), Chelsea (A), Man City (H), Everton (A), Arsenal (H)

BURNLEY AWAY;
18/19 - P8 W1 D2 L5 F6 A17 GD-11Pt5 Po17 = 0.62pt/gm or 41.6% of total points. Wins = 12.5%, Loss = 62.5% - Sean Dyche.
17/18 - P19 W7 D7 L5 F20 A22 GD-2 Pt28 Po7 = 1.47pt/gm or 51.8% of total points. Wins = 36.8%, Loss = 26.3% - Sean Dyche.
16/17 - P19 W1 D4 L14 F13 A35 GD-22 Pt7 Po16 (Po19 away) = 0.36pt/gm or 17.5% of total points. Away wins = 2.63% - Sean Dyche.
15/16 - not Premier League - see below Season5
14/15 - P19 W3 D5 L11 F14 A32 GD-18 Pt14 Po19 = 0.73pt/gm or 42.4% of total points. Wins = 15.7% - Sean Dyche.
13/14 - not Premier League - see below Season3

Season8 Premier League (H) 9/2/19 -

Manager - SEAN DYCHE (2012-18)
Hlfwy; P16 W3 D3 L10 F15 A32 GD-17 Pt12 Po17 = 0.75pt/gm. Wins = 18.7%, Loss = 62.5%
Start; P10 W2 D2 L6 F10 A21 GD-11 Pt8 Po15 = 0.80pt/gm. Wins = 20%, Loss = 60% - Dyche.
EUROPA LEAGUE; p-o - Olympiakos 1-1 (H) 3-1 (A), 3rd qual rnd - Istanbul 1-0 aet (H) 0-0 (A), 2nd qual rnd - Aberdeen 3-1 (H) 1-1 (A).
EFL CUP; 3rd rnd - Burton 2-1 (A)
FA CUP; 3rd rnd - Barnsley (H)
SD record; to Aug 18 - P259 W102 D75 L82 Wins = 39.3%
Prospects; getting into Europe was a big deal. Time would tell if the squad was robust enough to chase the repeat finishing result over a full season.
October; very disappointing start following success last term and Europa Lg a big negative. Out of EFL Cup to lower lg side.
New Year;
March;

INS; Joe Hart (Man City 3.5m), Matej Vydra (Derby), Ben Gibson (Boro 15m), Rob Harker (Bury)

Season7 Premier League (H) 16/12/17 - 0-0
The Seagulls season was enduring a negative phase going into this fixture. Since early November there had been four losses and two draws from the last six matches, with latest three defeats on the spin beforehand. Also the lack of scoring was a huge worry, apart from falling behind in 5 of those 6 contests. Chris Hughton had used 20 of his 25 man squad to date, albeit some were on fringes or returning from injury. He had cover for every position and could employ any formation as long as it was 451! Albion really needed better support for the lone striker, with midfield & defenders conspicuous by absence of goals to help boost a meagre tally of merely 14 to date. All in all, it was time to step up and be counted or face slipping into the drop zone by Xmas.
It remained goalless throughout but the game was not without incidents. Murray was brought down in the area but blazed the spot kick over the bar (35min). Knockaert hit a post and Dunk had an effort cleared off the line as Seagulls pressed very hard for an opener. The second period was different as visitors got more into the game and finished strongly. Ryan did his bit well between posts to keep a clean sheet. Hughton made 3 changes to expected positions after the hour mark but these subs had little effect on the inevitable outcome. Knockaert, Stephens, Dunk & Duffy were booked, the latter in stoppage and a 5th this term that now triggered a ban. Hughton said, 'the level of performance was higher than of late. We have not been at our best and have to find form to score goals. We should have won.' Brighton fans stayed supporting the team throughout and although used to success in recent years, acknowledged this was a big step up for the ex-Championship squad. So on the face of it, BHA required to do more business in the New Year to enhance a group just treading water on the south coast.
Stats; shape 4231-4411, ht 0-0, goals none, poss 58%-42%, on target 2-6, off target 6-0, blocked 4-5, crosses 36-15, corners 8-2, o/s 2-2, tackles 11-11, fouls 13-13, yellows 4-2, subs 3-2. Gate 29,921 (away 1422)
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert (19 Izquierdo), 6 Stephens, 24 Propper, 20 March, 13 Gross (37 Brown), 17 Murray (10 Hemed)
Prem P 18 . W 4 D 6 L 8 . F 14 A 23 . Pt 18 Po 13

BURNLEY 17/18 Stats -
Total; P38 W14 D12 L12 F36 A39 GD-3 Pt54 Po7 = 1.42pt/gm. Wins = 36.8%, Loss = 31.5% - Sean Dyche. R0 Y65
3qtrs; P29 W10 D10 L9 F24 A26 GD-2 Pt40 Po7 = 1.37pt/gm. Wins = 34.4%, Loss = 31%
Hlfwy; P19 W9 D5 L5 F16 A15 GD+1 Pt32 Po7 = 1.68pt/gm. Wins = 47.3%, Loss = 26.3%
Start; P10 W4 D4 L2 F9 A9 GD0 Pt16 Po7 = 1.60pt/gm. Wins = 40%, Loss = 20%

Aug - home form may be the key to survival but on travels away they need to keep many a lock out.
New Year - getting it done much better than expected.
March - in a scrap for best of the rest outside top six. EFL & FA Cups early exits from both knockouts.

PREVIOUS FIVE;
17/18 - P38 W14 D12 L12 F36 A39 GD-3 Pt54 Po7 = 1.42pt/gm. Wins = 36.8%, Loss = 31.5% - Sean Dyche.
Away teams can find trouble up on the moor, where the long-lasting & diligent ginger leader holds sway in all things tactical. Apparently the Lancs outfit also punches to its full weight on the road down south.
16/17 - P38 W11 D7 L20 F39 A55 GD-16 Pt40 Po16 = 1.05pt/gm. Wins = 28.9%, Draws = 18.4%, Loss = 52.6%, CS = 26%
Home is where the heart is and apparently Sean Dyche is happy to make a career in keeping the club cozy so to speak. In truth they did ok.
15/16 - not Premier League - see below, Season5. Sean Dyche (P175 W74 D54 L47 Wins = 42.2%)
14/15 - P38 W7 D12 L19 F28 A53 GD-25 Pt33 Po19 = 0.86pt/gm. Wins = 18.4% - Sean Dyche.
A second instant demotion from the elite league, from two attempts to establish there over a six year period, bought home to regular, strong Championship sides how difficult it was to reach standards required.
13/14 - not Premier League - see below, Season3.

FA CUP from 13/14; 3rd rnd, -, 4th rnd, 5th rnd, 3rd rnd, ? rnd
LEAGUE CUP; 4th rnd, -, 1st rnd, 2nd rnd, 3rd rnd, 3rd rnd.
EUROPA LEAGUE; 13-16 na, 17 nq, 18 p-o.
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Season5 Championship (H) 2/4/16 - 2-2 - Stephens, Knockaert
Championship fixtures resumed after yet another drawn out international break this term. And build up had alerted Sky tv coverage to present this game at a lunchtime, as the clash between the top two clubs. Albion home form in reverse order to date was - wdw www lll www dwd www w. The lapse came just prior to Xmas and into New Year but since then had been pretty positive. Recent results had also tended to be based on keeping clean sheets, ie 1-0, 0-0, 4-0, 3-2, 3-0 & 2-1 going back to late January. Apart from the blip in form during December, Seagulls had been winning consistently at the Amex but on each occasion merely by the odd goal. The mission now for Chris Hughton was to remain unbeaten at worst and pick a match day 18 capable of opening up the league leaders rearguard.
Albion were pegged back twice after leading and goals went in at 30, 33, 45 & 90+3 minutes to level scores. Stephens opened the scoring when driving home after a Knockaert corner. But Clarets hit back quickly when their striker got his chance to shine. Then just prior to the interval Murphy did the work that Knockaert finished smartly. During the second period visitors pressed for an equalizer and although on the back foot, Seagulls appeared to be holding out. But lady luck smiled on the away outfit right at the death at a corner. Wilson had come on in the first half and as time wound the clock down, Bong & Sidwell both arrived. But it was not to be a victory six pointer for BHA. Chris Hughton said, "I never saw it as a must win game but was delighted with our performance against a top side. No one can accuse us of not trying to win." The 29k crowd would probably agree, although vast majority musta been a tad disappointed with the outcome a fortunes swung from south to north over ninety minutes plus.
Stats; poss 48%-52%, on target 6-5, off target 16-13, corners 4-9, fouls 8-8.
Stockdale, Bruno (Bong), Goldson, Dunk, Rosenior, Knockaert, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Baldock (Wilson), Hemed (Sidwell)
Champ's P 39 . W 19 D 15 L 5 . F 54 A 37 . Pt 72 Po 3

Season3 (H) 24/8/13 - W 2-0 ~ Crofts, Ulloa
Oscar Garcia quickly had his work cut out at Brighton, when joining in close-season to replace the fallen angel Gus Poyet. Things hadn't started well, with two league defeats already and a whole stack of injuries to an enhanced squad. Bruno, Andrews, Hoskins, Barnes, Orlandi, CMS and Bridcutt were all on treatment tables. OG had back-up in defence and midfield from youngsters but up front there was a striker crisis. So Buckley had a role to support Ulloa as Albion adopted a diamond formation centrally - like in latter days of Withdean seasons. On the day it rained (happy memories of that old sports complex!), although it was a great summer period thru this August. Just over 26k attended, which bode well for later gates when the world went back to work from annual hols.
Ulloa proved his worth as a target-man with hold-up skills and goal-scoring ability. He laid goal one on an Amex plate for Crofts after robbing his marker (28min), then headed a cracker from Buckley's deep cross over the spot in the second period (72min). In between, either side of the break, Ref booked Claret's goalie twice (45 & 56 min) and so travellers were reduced to ten men. Initially the hapless keeper floored Buckley as he chased a loose ball, then on turn-about handled twice at very edge of his area. Brighton fans reacted very vocally to Ref's original yellow card decision and perhaps this influenced the interval-stewarded official later. Anyway, superiority in numbers needed to be converted into an unassailable lead but as Albion racked up on/off stats, the ball wouldn't cross the line again until OG tinkered with shape. After an hour LuaLua came on to press left flank. When Ulloa netted, JFC replaced Agustien and BHA saw it out as rain fell on unfortunate visitors. Buckley said, 'every team needs that goalscorer who can get 15 to 20 goals. But we have got to chip in and hopefully we can keep doing that.' Yeah, do it and all.
Kuszczak, Calderon, Greer, Upson, Ward, Crofts, Ince, Agustien (Forster-Caskey), David (LuaLua), Ulloa, Buckley (March)
Champ's P 4 . W 2 D 0 L 2 . F 5 A 4 . Pt 6 Po 10

Season2 (H) 23/2/13 - W 1-0 ~ David
It was a bitterly cold afternoon at Falmer but over 25k locals attended, all hoping to support Seagulls into play-off places come 5pm. Albion would probably have been there already but for too many dropped points at the Amex, especially earlier in this tough campaign. Gus Poyet didn't have lots of probs selecting his match-day squad, although Bridcutt was banned and a few others injured (Buckley, Crofts, Hoskins). There was cover in most positions and even with players out on loan (Painter, Dobbie, Harley) the bench seemed strong. Brighton owed Burnley a beating for last term's injustice but our home record against them (Withdean era) wasn't great.
A hard fought victory pushed BHA into play-offs for the first time in five months - in fact since summer pacesetting days. Albion scored a crucial winner when Bridge's cross was headed on for David to drill low inside a post (20min). Some of the opening plays via MoM Vicente were exciting in the extreme but Ref took a dim view and booked him later for trying too hard! What was Seagulls Spanish genius supposed to do against crowds of Clarets, fly? In the second half Gus double-subbed after the hour mark and pushed CMS ahead in lieu of target-man Ulloa. When it appeared we needed to make it safe, Greer came on late to replace Vicente. Gus said, 'we now have a different character to the squad and keeping clean sheets is a good sign. We didn't play fantastically and technically we were not at our best but we won the game somehow.'
Kuszczak, Bruno, El-Abd, Upson, Bridge, David, Hammond, Dicker, Orlandi (Barnes), Vicente (Greer), Ulloa (Mackail-Smith)
Champ's P 33 . W 13 D 13 L 7 . F 46 A 34 . Pt 52 Po 6

Season1 (H) 17/12/11 - L 0-1
Prior to Xmas, BHA presented plans to BHCC for an 8k increase in capacity at the Amex, plus proposals for a new training ground within Lancing boundaries to Adur DC. Albion had been operational at Falmer for six months and our youth team recently won there to advance in their cup competition versus academy teams. Everything was being prepared for the future, including dedicated coaching of the development squad and appointment of a new head of football operations. It was all a long way from Withdean and B'ton fans didn't have to experience that regular Friday night pre-Xmas fixture either. Seagulls were settling in ok at level-two, in front of 20k crowds and Gus Poyet said, 'we look back at a momentous and successful year but now we must look forward.' He was doing better than anticipated, although the squad suffered from several injured, while our card count was also mounting towards suspensions for others. On the day it was cold but quite festive and Gully's Girls done good in Santa outfits as crowds enjoyed hospitality in their various concourses.
The match very quickly turned into a nightmare for fans, Gus and Albion alike. Vincelot was sent off with merely five mins on the clock. The fourth official spotted handbags as teams regrouped, calling Ref over to deal. Not long afterwards Barnes clattered into a challenge and received a second straight red card (12m). Poyet then evoked a double swap, bringing on Noone and Navarro and shaping like 341. In fact we had eight back most of the game and CM-S operated solo up front. Burnley scored from outside the area when getting off a free pot-shot (32m). Brighton fans got behind those heroic lads left to continue the fight and helped lift a tense and frustrating atmosphere. Clarets seemed content to sit on one-nil, however couldn't open us up anyway. Approaching final moments, Buckley came on as Seagulls counter attacked, where CM-S got three or four chances to level scores but was right out of luck. Gus wouldn't comment on Refs coz we were in trouble with the FA already, from a 15k fine for previously losing the plot. Albion were not a dirty unit but our reputation as a footballing side was again compromised by these frequent contentious incidents.
Ankergren, El-Abd, Greer, Dunk, Taricco, Harley (Noone), Bridcutt (Buckley), Vincelot, Barnes, Mackail-Smith, LuaLua (Navarro).
Champ's P 22 . W 9 D 5 L 8 . F 23 A 23 . Pt 32 Po 9

Burnley - Away, Falmer Years
CLARETS FANS Expectations - a better campaign, maybe regular in the top group if at all possible and no banana skins in Cups either.
FORECAST at start; title 500/1, top four 100/1, top six 25/1, top half 10-3. Bottom half 1-6, stay up 1-5, relegated 7-2, bottom 12/1. Sack SD 66/1, 1st sack 25/1

BURNLEY @ HOME;
18/19 - P8 W2 D1 L5 F9 A15 GD-6 Pt7 Po17 = 0.87pt/gm or 58.3% of total points. Wins = 25%, Loss = 62.5% - Sean Dyche.
17/18 - P19 W7 D5 L7 F16 A17 GD-1 Pt26 Po7 = 1.36pt/gm or 48.1% of total points. Wins = 36.8%, Loss = 36.8% - Sean Dyche.
16/17 - P19 W10 D3 L6 F26 A20 GD+6 Pt33 Po16 (Po9 home) = 1.73p/gm or 82.5% of total points. Home wins = 52.6% - Sean Dyche.
15/16 - not Premier League - see below Season5
14/15 - P19 W4 D7 L8 F14 A21 GD-7 Pt19 Po19 = 1.00pt/gm or 57.5% of total points. Wins = 21% - Sean Dyche.
13/14 - not Premier League - see below Season3

Season8 Premier League (A) 8/12/18 - L 1-0
December was a particularly busy month on the way to completlng first half of the campaign before New Year. Form on the long road wasn't exactly satisfactory and sometimes BHA didn't 'turn up' at certain venues where defeat appeared avoidable - on paper at least. Having said that, various other circumstances compounded usual nip & tuck, huff & puff or will to win. In the last four fixtures (2H & 2A) there had been a red card card shown (2 to BHA & 2 for opponents). Law of averages now suggested it was unlikely to occur here and extend the 11v10 series to five. But 7 points from a 24 max tally to date, or 0.87pt/gm, wasn't enough to maintain a 1pt average per fixture overall. Albion had to up the ante on travels or again be reliant on wins at the Amex to cut the proverbial PL mustard.
Guess what? You could blame a hangover for midweek queasyness following fab fun at the Amex but not also being responsible for this wet & windy Saturday debacle. Once more (and we say that a lot on travels) Albion did not come up to par and consequently suffered a single score defeat. At least there were no sending offs, nor indeed any yellows shown either for disciplined but disturbingly toothless Seagulls. The old problem of failing to score, not keeping a clean sheet and chasing the game to no avail emerged today with knobs on. Blah, blah, blah... excuses came thick & fast from warm & cosy Sussex fans happy to occupy a mid-table berth but the negative remained that travelling support were fed up with watching the team get beat regularly for nowt. Clarets winner went in prior to the interval as they constantly pressed BHA yellow shirts deep into the area (40m). In the second period Hughton put on Murray & Locadia and later Stephens to do the do but it made no difference to the score - fact! Hughton said, 'we were the better team but conceded a scrappy goal. We didn't do enough in the first half to really force that goal.' Social media criticism of some starters, subs, tactics and chances were to be seen in relation to basic stats - see below. One shot on target meant visitors had to net it, thereby win one nil... if not conceding of course. QED!
Stats; shape 442-451, h-t 1-0, goals 40, poss 38%-62%, on target 4-1, off target 4-12, blocks 6-1, o/s 2-1, crosses 15-20, corners 2-7, tackles 11-12, fouls 11-11, yellows 2-0, subs 2-3. Gate 18,497
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno, 14 Balogun, 5 Dunk, 30 Bernardo, 11 Knockaert (9 Locadia 63), 24 Propper, 8 Bissouma, 20 March, 13 Gross (6 Stephens 79), 10 Andone (17 Murray 63).
P16 . W4 D2 L1 . F12 A8 . W2 D1 L6 . F7 A14 . Pt21 Po11 = 1.31pt/gm. Wins = 37.5%, Loss = 43.7%

Season7 Premier League (A) 28/4/18 - 0-0
Only three fixtures left after this and they all were versus the top 3 clubs! Results on the road against top half teams had been: Leicester 2-0, Bournemouth 2-1, Arsenal 2-0, Man Utd 1-0, Spurs 2-0, Chelsea 2-0, Newcastle 0-0, Everton 2-0 with Liverpool & Man City yet to play. Albion's away form overall was; W2 D4 L10 F9 A22 GD-13 Pt10. Obviously a single point today would go a long way to making survival mathematically conclusive. But in reality several additional points were considered unlikely and Seagulls were trusting sides currently in & around the bottom three would not gain equivalent points. Watch this space.
Pascal Gross had been voted Player of the Season, while Jose Izquierdo got Goal of the Season.
Albion duly took home a point from a dour display where defences were on top throughout. They survived two pen appeals and a frantic pin-ball melee in the goalmouth when the post got struck & Ryan saved twice. Up front it was same old, same old and Seagulls never really looked like scoring. Stephens & Murray were booked and Bong continually booed by home fans, following a recent FA inquiry into his receiving racial remarks. Hughton said, 'their reaction was shameful. He is an incredibly disciplined and straight individual. He's big enough to handle it.' Travelling support was happy enough to avoid defeat although the current points total was not quite enough to ensure being in the div next season. And it was Man Utd next at the Amex.
Stats; shape 442-451, ht 0-0, goals 0, poss 44%-56%, on target 4-1, off target 2-4, blocks 4-4, corners 3-4, o/s 4-3, fouls 5-17, yellows 0-2, subs 3-3. Gate 19,459 (away )
1 Ryan, 2 Bruno (21 Schelotto 89), 22 Duffy, 5 Dunk, 3 Bong, 11 Knockaert, 6 Stephens, 13 Gross, 7 Kayal, 19 Izquierdo (20 March 85), 16 Ulloa (17 Murray 67)
Prem P 35 . W 8 D 13 L 14 . F 32 A 47 . Pt 37 Po 14
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Season5 Championship (A) 22/11/15 - 1-1 ~ Zamora
This fixture was re-arranged for Sunday lunchtime tv cameras to show the contest between 2nd & 5th teams. Beforehand Albion got to the third and final international break still unbeaten, having set a new club record for matches in sequence without loss. Chris Hughton had worked miracles this term and Seagulls led the division during opening weeks. A number of players from previous squads (see below) were continuing to be picked, plus useful additions this campaign like Liam Rosenior, Jamie Murphy, Tomer Hemed, Elvis Manu and Bobby Zamora. Due to late injury & illness the match-day eighteen was a little below par. On a cold day in Lancashire, over 300 intrepid away fans got to Turf Moor hoping luck would hold against ex-Prem opposition who were very strong on their patch.
Albion went a goal up in the first minute. March worked the flank and Hemed let fly but his effort was touched onto the bar. From the rebound, Zamora was on hand to poke it home (1min). But incredibly Ref pointed to the spot at the other end two minutes later when Dunk pulled a shirt in the area. The pen was duly blasted into the net and from then on the match remained at parity (4min). Each side operated with 442 and tended to cancel one another out, although stats suggested the result may have gone either way on chances. After the break it became something of a tactical affair as defences held firm against most threats from attackers. Both managers subbed from the hourmark, Forster-Caskey replacing Zamora as visitors switched to 451. Late in the day Manu brought fresh legs up front in lieu of Hemed. By then BHA were mainly soaking up pressure and hitting Clarets on the counter. Hughton said, 'a lot of what we worked on went out of the window. In the end it's about the team performing. You can't tell them what sort of game it's going to be. They have to adjust to all of that.' Albion put up a creditable display and a point appeared good value by all accounts - whether by luck or judgement.
Stats; poss 41%-59%, on target 3-3, off target 4-5, corners 8-5, o/s 0-3, fouls 12-18, yellows 1-3.
Stockdale, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Rosenior, March, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Zamora (Forster-Caskey), Hemed (Manu)
Champ's P 17 . W 9 D 8 L 0 . F 22 A 13 . Pt 35 Po 2

Season3 (A) 28/1/14 - 0-0
On a Tuesday night in late January the Albion went north - but only from the midlands where previously they had played at Port Vale in the potteries for an FAC4 tie last Saturday. The staring eleven that head coach Oscar Garcia turned out against Micky Adams' Valliants now had eight changes in all for this Championship fixture. Compared to a couple of seasons ago; Brezovan, Calderon, Greer, Buckley and CMS were still around. In contrast, Vokes and Barnes were both on Burnley's books. El-Abd had also recently transferred to Bristol City. From last term's squad, Crofts was out for the campaign thru injury, while Bridcutt remained subject to transfer before the mid-season window shut at end of the month. Albion had useful form on the road and were pushing for a p-o spot to join Clarets in the top six. Locals were over-achieving in this division and remained unbeaten at their place on the moors.
In a pretty even game for stats, neither side was able to break deadlock and defences proved resolute throughout. Burnley twice hit posts and Brighton might have nicked all points available but for heroic goal-keeping when it really mattered. Seagulls set up to prevent opposition 442 from exploiting crosses into the area and left Ulloa up front alone. He was assisted by JFC in an advanced role when breaking from midfield. LuaLua and David provided supply from flanks but chances were few and far between. Both wingmen were replaced in the last twenty minutes as Garcia attempted to take pressure off our stubborn rearguard. Lady Luck helped BHA gain a well deserved point and keep us on verges of play-offs. Regarding transfer targets, asst coach Nathan Jones said, 'overall the aim is to strengthen because we want to push on. The players have put in a proper shift tonight. We defended particularly well and had a couple of chances. Our extra edge from not travelling proved vital in final minutes, as we finished strongly.'
Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Upson, Ward, Ince, Andrews, Forster-Caskey, LuaLua (March), Ulloa, David (Orlandi)
Champ's P 27 . W 10 D 10 L 7 . F 30 A 23 . Pt 40 Po 8

Season2 (A) 1/9/12 - W 1-3 ~ Mackail-Smith 2, Greer
It was early in the second Championship campaign based at Falmer when Albion went north again looking for some away points. Since last springtime our record on the road was; ddl dll dl, including defeat at Turf Moor - see below. Gus Poyet revised that squad from a few months ago, dispensing with Navarro in close season and selling Noone to Cardiff this very week. Brezovan and Calderon were dropped, while those loan players (Mattock, Reyes, Vokes) went elsewhere, so he introduced Kuszczak, Bruno, Bridge and Crofts. Vicente had returned but was injured previously like Buckley. Gus had landed Andrea Orlandi from Swansea just before the transfer deadline and he was available to go onto the bench. Stephen Dobbie (Swansea), David Lopez (Bilbao) and Dean Hammond (loan So'ton) were also signed but would be on board later. Gus now had all round midfield options and another striker to support those up front.
Brighton tried to get a foothold from word go at Turf Moor and CMS opened the scoring in visitors favour with a neat strike when Greer chested down a f-k (18min). Albion began to control the game but lost Crofts to injury (37m) and he was replaced by Buckley. Momentum was lost before and after halftime and Clarets sought an equaliser. It came on the hour mark via Greer's head and Burnley had other chances to go ahead. The contest got a tad scrappy and Ref handed out more yellows with the match finely balanced. Kuszczak made a couple of good stops and Seagulls flew up the other end where CMS chance was saved. Within a minute he netted via an overhead kick from a cross by Bruno (77m). Orlandi immediately came on for LuaLua and stamped his skills in midfield with Albion still maintaining 433 as Barnes moved out wide again. Greer completed a useful victory over struggling northern opposition by heading in at an Orlandi corner (88m). Poyet said, 'we played very well and Macca is on fire.' Clarets boss Eddie Howe said, 'we have conceded from three set plays and that is hugely frustrating.'
Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, El-Abd, Bridge, Crofts (Buckley), Bridcutt, Dicker, Barnes, Mackail-Smith, LuaLua (Orlandi)
Champ's P 4 . W 2 D 1 L 1 . F 8 A 3 . Pt 7 Po 4

Season1 (A) 6/4/12 - L 1-0
Easter had arrived and Albion went to visit Clarets place up north on Good Friday. At start of the season many Brighton fans would have settled for just being in the top ten during this stage of the run-in. To occupy a play-off place was stuff of dreams and although away form was dodgy, here we were in sixth. Gus Poyet knew the game inside out but we were all on a massive learning curve in the Championship and competing against clubs with plenty of experience at level two. Anybody could beat anyone else and week by week, threw up such close results in a very competitive division. Poyet was now selecting from almost a complete squad, where Dicker returned from months out with injury and Vicente got selected too after niggling fitness worries. Gus problem was to find a shape that worked on the road and so he dispensed with traditional wingers for starters. BHA appeared a tad narrow with 442 and diamond midfield and marauding wing-backs. A relatively untried front pairing hoped to address shortage of winning goals on travels.
Unfortunately it was one of those days and Albion lost to a team merely playing for pride. Burnley snatched a lead via good fortune when a rebound put their striker one on one with Brezovan (23min). Chances came and went for both sides but the score remained fixed throughout. Brighton had plenty of possession, especially in the second period but could not find the net. Gus waited until the hour mark and made a trademark double substitution when introducing Buckley and Barnes. Albion huffed and puffed, couldn't blow grey and miserable Turf Moor down and were derided by hostile home support to boot. Mattock was withdrawn twenty minutes from time and Noone ran up and down left flank. Clarets knew enough to use brutal spoiling tactics on southern softie artistry and petty frustrations began to boil over. Gus took himself off out the back to make sure he did not incur a card from Ref for speaking his mind. It was a bad day at the office and every optimistic away fan also had chocolate egg left on their faces due to excessive comfort eating.
Brezovan, Calderon, Greer, El-Abd, Mattock (Noone), Reyes (Buckley), Dicker, Navarro, Vicente, Mackail-Smith, Vokes (Barnes)
Champ's P 41 . W 17 D 12 L 12 . F 49 A 42 . Pt 63 Po 6