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Previous encounters (Sheff W )
Sheffield Wednesday - Home, Falmer Years: 12/13 - 16/17 C'ship, seasons 2-6 . '20 FA Cup, season9 . 17/18 - 22/23 Prem, no meetings. Ground: Hillsborough 39.7k . Nickname: Owls . Shirt: blue & white stripes. Championship record from 11/12 to 22/23; (2 L1), 18, 16, 13, 6, 4 / 15, 12, 16, 24, (4, 2 L1) @ 24/3/23. recent p-os - '16 & '17 C, '22 L1 . rel - '21 C . promo - '12 L1. Season9 (H) FA Cup R3 4/1/20 - L 0-1 Ball no.8 came out of the early December Tuesday night draw bowl first, giving BHA a home tie to host... Sheff Wed from level2. We'd last met in our C'ship promotion year (see season6 below) when headed for elevation to the Prem by finishing as div runners up in May '17. Since then BHA had seen a change in manager and style of play but previously Chris Hughton got Seagulls to a FAC quarter-final then that visit to a Wembley semi-final over two successive PL seasons. On the day Graham Potter elected to field a side without too many regulars but containing several men with single figure PL apps plus assorted fringe players. On paper it was an eleven quite capable of winning this tie. *** match report: However Brighton fans did not go home happy, having watched Seagulls seconds fail to score and lose to lower div opposition who wanted it more. BHA's B team hardly looked like a Prem outfit in action and could be criticised for their attitude with regard to mentally playing under par. Stats below show how close the game was in terms of facts & figs but in truth there was only going to be one winner if Owls could break their duck while it remained goalless. Potter started with 3421 but went to 442 when sacrificing Balogun at start of the second period for another attacker in Connolly. Around the hour mark he put on Jahanbakhsh in going to 433. Next Wednesday scored from a deflected f-k (65min) and hung on to the death. But Albion could have toiled until midnight trying to net an equalliser. Bernardo also got on, although really the game was already up and disappointing to boot. Potter was honest about the poor performance - he had nowhere to hide anyway. In the back of everyones minds was that it was now January and the transfer window had opened... so ins & outs were anticipated, if not demanded based on what we'd seen thus far. Stats: ht 0-0, goal 65, poss 54%-46%, on target 3-4, off target 5-3, blocks 2-2, corners 8-7, o/s 1-0, fouls 13-9, yellows 1-1, subs 3-3. MoM - Duffy, Gate 20,349 away 2147, Weather - dry. 27 Button, 21 Schelotto, 15 Webster, 4 Duffy, 14 Balogun (44 Connolly 45), 3 Bong (30 Bernardo 71), 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma (16 Jahanbakhsh 62), 6 Stephens, 46 Alzate, 7 Maupay Y. Subs - 23 Steele, 50 Cochrane, 22 Montoya, 24 Propper. Rested - 1 Ryan, 5 Dunk, 11 Trossard, 17 Murray, 18 Mooy. Injured - 19 Izquierdo, 20 March, 33 Burn. Season7 onwards - not Premier League. * * * * * * Sheff Wed home Falmer years - C'ship. Albion v Owls (H) from 11/12 @ C: -, 3-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-0, 2-1 . . W = 2 D = 2 L = 1 For Away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below. memorable match: Season5 (H) - yet another year in the C'ship play-offs. You know the rest. Season6 (H) Championship 20/1/17 - w 2-1 ~ Knockaert 2. Eight months on from that dramatic night in May 2016 for deciding the aggregate p-o s-f score, where were we now? Well, Seagulls had been flying once more and Owls were also contesting a top-six place again. Most of the BHA squad was still around, apart from Greer, Zamora & Wilson and LuaLua was on loan at QPR. A regular Albion side was second in the table, while visitors were 6th and clear of the chasing pack. So the table was shaping up for second half of the season, hopefully to benefit the club with this subsequent push for automatic promotion - like last term. With an index presently of 2.16pt/gm, if this was maintained to May, Seagulls would break their previous best points tally by 10pts! So the team was hoping to bounce back from defeat last week - that ended an 18 game undefeated run and get back on track at fortress Amex. * match report: Albion won a dramatic contest where three players were dismissed and one carried off. Seagulls opened the scoring after half an hour when breaking thru from an Owls foray. Norwood fed Hemed and he played in Knockaert who rounded the keeper (34min). But visitors were level prior to h-t when Dunk headed past Stockdale (45min). Ref blew for a penalty after the hour mark and sent off Murray for handball. Stockdale then made a double save to prevent travellers going ahead (64min). Ten minutes before the ninety Hughton made a double change, bringing on Sidwell & March to boost the 441 shape. Five minutes from the end Pocognoli provided a perfect cross that Knockaert squeezed in at the far post (85min). Tensions boiled over in closing stages when two Wednesday players received red cards in a frenetic finish. Skalak got on at the death as MoM Knockaert went off to a standing ovation as match winner. Hughton said, 'there is always that wonderful feeling when you win a game late or in adversity. Apart from the quality of the team it shows real character.' Brighton fans were happy with the outcome on a night when emotions went up and down like a proverbial yo-yo. Stats; h-t 1-1, goals 34, 85-45, poss 46%-54%, on target 6-4, off target 4-10, corners 0-10, o/s 3-1, fouls 9-13, yellows 2-2, reds 1-2, subs 3-3 . att 27,162. Stockdale, Goldson, Duffy, Dunk, Pocognoli, Knockaert (Skalak), Stephens, Norwood (Sidwell), Murphy (March), Hemed, Murray. Champ's P26 . W17 D6 L3 . F42 A18 . Pt57 Po2 . W = 65.3% L = 11.5% Season5 (H) 16/5/16 Champ's p-o s-f - 1-1 - Dunk . . Aggregate; 1-3 Albion had to turn around a two goal disadvantage from the first leg of the knockout stages. But home form was solid and Seagulls were capable of getting goals on the right day. Chris Hughton had 4 players injured in the game at Hillsborough and was forced to make changes to the regular line up. Although in the event he lost only Goldson & Hemed - the leading scorer. On the night a crowd of 27k waved blue & white flags and team colours throughout the stadium prior to kickoff. * match report: Albion battered Owls during the first half and made a breakthrough at last. Dunk was there to prod home a f-k by Knockaert that got to him in the massed area (19min). But visitors equalized with a cross cum shot that snaked inside the post from their first real effort on target (27min). Seagulls did everything but put the ball in the net again and travelers held on to the overall lead to go thru. Hughton pulled off Baldock on the hour and LuaLua joined in. Later Dunk went up front when Rosenior replaced Greer - going three at the back. Brighton fans were disappointed not to win and thought lady luck had deserted the squad when most needed. In truth the second half performance tailed off after the kick & rush stuff of the first forty-five minutes. It was the third time in five terms that BHA had choked in semi-finals and opposition managers somehow seemed to better our guy. So Hughton was added to Garcia & Poyet as a nearly man... so near but yet still far. Stats; poss 67%-33%, on target 8-3, off target 11-2, corners 11-1, fouls 16-19, yellows 3-5. Stockdale, Bruno, Greer (Rosenior), Dunk, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell, Kayal, Skalak, Baldock (LuaLua), Wilson. Season5 (H) 8/3/16 - 0-0. Previously we had played Wednesday during early stages of the campaign but now they visited the Amex to begin the last quarter of this season and that all important run in. Albion were in the mix for a p-o spot at least and possibly more - if racking up a series of victories during March & April, either side of the international break. Form at Falmer was key to points registered by May and from prior experience this term, there was no such thing as an easy Championship fixture. In truth, Seagulls required maximum tally from home games, in order to keep pressure on league leaders and those chasing auto promo to land of the elite. It was an evening match and came during a busy period when there were often two fixtures per week. * match report: 26k watched a drab affair, where Seagulls were poor in the final third. Chris Hughton said, 'it was a little bit frustrating and we were not at our best. They made it very difficult for us - played very deep and you need that little bit of quality. These are the kind of games, against teams around you, that you have to make sure you do not lose.' He put three men on late in the day as usual to try and break stalemate up front - but to no avail. Positives were - a fourth clean sheet in a row and seventh in the last 10 fixtures. The point kept BHA in the p-o mix and well clear of the chasing pack for promo spots. But in truth points had gone missing and it was not as if the opposition keeper had been tested on a night of more dullness than darkness. Stats; poss 53%-47%, on target 0-2, off target 4-5, corner 5-8, fouls 11-7 Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Rosenior, Knockaert (Zamora), Stephens, Sidwell, Murphy, Baldock (Wilson), Hemed (LuaLua). Champ's P36 . W17 D14 L5 . F49 A34 . Pt65 Po3 . W = 47.2% L = 13.8% Season4 (H) 9/8/14 - 0-1. This was opening day of our fourth campaign at Falmer and the afternoon was warm & bright following overnight rain. Other fundamental things to know were; we had a new manager in Sami Hyypia and 4 fairly inexpensive additions to the squad but other '13/14 players had left and top-scoring striker Ulloa then transferred to Leicester for 8million + add ons. Also, the recently opened investment of a 15+mill training facility at Lancing helped properly prepare for lev2 contests ahead. Brighton fans now got to wear a redesigned Nike replica shirt sponsored by American Express and could even buy fish & chips outside of concourses on that walk from Falmer station. About 25k home support turned up expecting a routine 3points return. * match report: Oh dear, a wonder dig-cum-cross struck from distance found the very angle in far top corner to duly register only goal of the game - thus defeat Seagulls prior to h-t (41min). To make matters worse, Crofts was sent off early in the second period to studs up when he caught his opponent over the ball (50min). Hyppia responded with like-for-like changes on the hour mark in midfield and on right wing. But Albion merely huffed & puffed against determined Yorkies backed by 2k singing support on a trip to the south coast. SH then went three at the back and sent on CMS to beef up facile attack and do-the-do (75min). But no can do, although there was plenty of effort showed. Sami said, 'we made wrong decisions, we maybe could have created more.' Oh well, Tony Bloom had promised more signings so at least local blue & white shirts went home with some faith left for a better future. Stockwell, Bruno, Greer, Hughes, Calderon (Mackail-Smith), Crofts, Ince, Forster-Caskey (Agustien), Fenelon (Buckley), O'Grady, LuaLua. Champ's P1 . W0 D0 L1 . F0 A1 . Pt0 Po18 . W = 0% L = 100% Season3 (H) 1/10/13 - 1-1 ~ Andrews. October arrived and Brighton were very average in mid-table with; P9 W3 D3 L3 F9 A8 Pt12 - prior to Wednesday visiting for one of those autumn midweek fixtures at the Amex. To date, Albions third campaign sequence was; llw wdd dwl and were scoring an equivalent of one goal per game. However we were letting one in too, so pressure began to mount on Oscar Garcia and assistant Nathan Jones to rectify these problems at both ends of the pitch. Top scorer Ulloa returned from a three match ban after being sent off at Reading for dangerously raising feet. Other long term injuries to this current squad included fellow strikers CMS and Hoskins, leaving Barnes as the reserve no.9. Bridcutt and Orlandi had also been under the knife, while Bruno, Buckley, LuaLua and relatively new signing Agustien all suffered typical footballer probs with hamstrings and such etc. Garcia did not always play 433 with two recognised wingers but opted for the old m-f diamond with David slightly behind the striker. On the night, over 25k attended and it was dry and fairly mild for this time of year. * match report: Albion set off like an express train but hit the buffers early on. Both David and Ulloa were guilty of failing to capitalise on making best of chances when put thru. LuaLua dived in the box but Ref was having none of it. Just before halftime, Wednesday netted first on an infrequent visit to our area (43min). Immediately on turn-around, Bruno went to right back and Buckley joined LuaLua and Ulloa up front. But the big Argentine hit the deck soon afterwards, to be carried off with a broken bone in his foot (56min). Seagulls finally sorted things out when Barnes came on next in lieu of David (57min). Owls sat back on their lead and urged on by 25k home support, Albion pressed hard for an equaliser. But the regular story of failing to nick a goal without Ulloa being there came into effect. By now Brighton were getting two thirds of possession overall but just could not break visitors down. Then right at end of ninety mins (before stoppage) Crofts got free from a throw and centred for Ward to head for the near post - Andrews steamed in and nicked a leveller from very close (89min). Ulloa required at least two months off and Oscar said, +we have to see how to improved the squad, how to improve the team, realistically we have Barnes+ Kuszczak, Calderon (Buckley), Greer, Upson, Ward, Bruno, Andrews, Crofts, David (Barnes), Ulloa (Agustien), LuaLua. Champ's P10 . W3 D4 L3 . F10 A9 . Pt13 Po12 . W = 30% L = 30% Season2 (H) 14/9/12 - 3-0 ~ Bridge, CMS, Buckley. Brighton went into this mid September evening fixture after a two week break for initial World Cup qualifiers to take place. Good form at the Amex last term had been reproduced again with a win and a draw to date. Gus Poyet added to his squad right on the August deadline by bagging four new players. Meanwhile Craig Noone transferred to Cardiff. Newcomer Andrea Orlandi (Swansea) was introduced as a late midfield sub in our last away match and appeared useful. Andrew Crofts was injured in that game and so returning ex-Albion man Dean Hammond (on loan from So'ton) was gonna deputise. A third m-f option was David Lopez (Bilbao) who could also attack. Up front Gus got Stephen Dobbie (Swansea) and he could score goals and all. A ground record of 26,594 made it a night to remember. The 96 of Hillsborough were remembered before k-o. * match report: Albion cruised to a second home victory with goals from a first-half set-piece by Bridge (24min), a CMS tap-in after Bruno done good (54m) and he then set up Buckley with a thru ball (58m). Bruno got Man of the Match with a charismatic display to wow Falmer faithful. Gus Poyet replaced CMS (69m) due to injury, also putting his two Spanish m-f guys on late in the day for a run out. Poyet said, 'we are stronger all over the pitch and we had the players to stop them from playing.' Bruno said, 'being named mom is very nice but it comes second to outcome of the game.' Brighton fans were impressed with everything, especially knowing we'd be well up the table come revelation of Saturday results. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, El-Abd, Bridge, Hammond, Bridcutt, Dicker, Barnes (David), Mackail-Smith (Dobbie), Buckley (Orlandi). Champ's P5 . W3 D1 L1 . F11 A3 . Pt10 Po3 . W = 60% L = 20% Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011. Seasons 4 02/3, 7 05/6 - Championship . Seasons 5 03/4, 12 10/11 - League One. Withdean era: Albion V Owls 1-1, 2-0, 0-2, 2-0 . . . W = 2 D = 1 L = 1 memorable match: Season7 (H) - end of a tumultuous term and we were going down. see: Seasons 4, 5, 7, 12 for club & stadium info. Also Bobby Zamora, Leon Knight, Chris McPhee, Chris Wood & Elliott Bennett.
Sheffield Wednesday - Away, Falmer Years: 12/13 - 16/17 C'ship, seasons 2-6 . 17/18 - 22/23 Prem, no meetings. Season7 onwards - not Premier League. Owls v Albion (A) from 11/12 @ C: -, 3-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-2 . . W = 1 D = 2 L = 2 For Home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up. memorable match: Season5 (A) - Seagulls struggled to win there across several campaigns going back into the noughties. Season6 (A) Championship 1/10/16 - w 1-2 ~ Baldock, Knockaert. Both clubs had suffered late disappointment last term (see below - Wednesday lost in the p-o final) but each was again in good form. BHA had added to the squad, signing Shane Duffy, Ollie Norwood, Glenn Murray (loan) and Seb Pocognoli (loan). Expectation was once more sky high but repeat of Seagulls results on the road in 15/16 was a hard act to follow. Chris Hughton had to make changes in midfield where his engine room of Stephens (ban) & Kayal (injury) was unavailable for selection. Rosenior, Towell & LuaLua were also injured. On paper Albion's match-day 18 appeared up to par but needed to prove quality in depth on the field of play. And of course, Brighton fans needed little reminding of Seagulls record at Hillsborough since anyone could remember. * match report: Albion secured an historic victory and were well worth the entrance money paid by loyal travelling support this time around. They witnessed Seagulls avenge that play-off semi-final defeat, to once more reside among promotion candidates at this early stage of the campaign. Inside half an hour visitors took the lead from a spirited opening period. Dunk came forward from the back and clipped a long ball forward that Baldock ran onto and chipped the keeper (26min). Then Murray also had the ball in the net but was ruled off side. During the second period Owls upped the ante in search of an equaliser as the away side defended resolutely. Generally against run of play BHA settled into countering opponents numerous threats. On one such occasion Bong was well advanced on left flank and squared into the channel for Knockaert to strike inside the post (73min) and double the lead. Hughton then sent on Skalak as Brighton reshuffled as a loose 451. With time running out for the home eleven Hemed joined the fray prior to stoppage. At the death Wednesday scored a consolation but in truth it was too little, too late. In fact Albion were very disappointed not to maintain another clean sheet. Hughton said, �we deserved it and to have a percentage of control, in what was such a big game, is credit to our players. With all due respect, there are things you can�t get away with here that you possibly might do elsewhere.� Brighton fans were ecstatic at the win, having appreciated quality in the overall performance. And the result kept Seagulls within striking distance of the top two clubs. Stats; h-t 0-1, goals 90-26, 73, poss 59%-41%, on target 5-3, off target 10-2, blocked 8-0, corners 7-3, o/s 2-3, fouls 12-12, yellows 0-4, subs 2-2 . att 25,605. Stockdale, Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell, Norwood, Murphy, Baldock (Skalak), Murray (Hemed). Champ�s P11 . W6 D3 L2 . F14 A7 . Pt21 Po4 . W = 54.5% L = 18.1% Season5 (A) 13/5/16 Champ's p-o s-f - L 2-0 1st leg. Having missed out on automatic promotion (by goal difference of 2) to Middlesbrough on the final afternoon, Albion next faced the sixth club in knockout stages. And history said that Hillsborough was not a happy hunting ground in recent years. * match report: It turned out to be a night of disaster for Seagulls. Four players were lost through injury and two goals conceded for no reply. It was damage limitation for much of the second half and the 14 game unbeaten run came to an end in dire circumstances. Goldson & Hemed went off just prior to the break and Owls scored almost immediately as the rearguard reshuffled. Five minutes into the second period Sidwell was crocked and with thirty minutes to go, Knockaert got carried off. The ten men remaining conceded once more but held firm for the final twenty minutes or so. Hughton said, 'whether it's the consistent games and the tempo we've had to play at in recent week I don't know. We have to be realistic enough to know it's going to be a tough task but one that can be achieved.' Brighton fans were shocked by the result but forever optimistic - especially having seen so much go right this term. Stats; poss 63%-37%, on target 4-1, off target 12-6, corners 5-4, fouls 10-10, yellows 3-2 Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson (Rosenior), Greer, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell (Towell), Kayal, Skalak, Baldock, Hemed (Wilson). Season5 (A) 3/11/15 - 0-0. What a difference nine months make - see below. Chris Hughton had brought new players in on contract during the summer to boost existing personnel he thought could still do a job for BHA. And so far so good! Albion came here two points clear at top of the table, with nearly as many points in the bag as that totals figure gained when visiting here last winter. Seagulls were also undefeated in the Championship and attempting to set a record for their longest unbeaten run since the old brown ball & boot era in days of yore. As this was a midweek fixture, not as many fans travelled from the south as for a w/e but support from northern exiles made numbers up at the away end in a crowd of 23k. * match report: Nobody could fault the pitch this time, which appeared picture perfect at kick-off. But despite a strong defensive performance, BHA couldn't find the net at the other end. The stalemate dragged on & on with neither side able to take advantage of those few chances offered. Most of the play was in middle of the park and both keepers had an easy night without needing to get gloves wet. Hughton motivated his eleven at the interval and visitors did pick up the pace - but to no avail. Eventually Crofts was sent on at expense of Hemed and Albion changed from 442 to more defensive 451shape (73min). With time running out Manu turned up, basically to waste more precious seconds. Hughton said, 'we are just lacking a little bit of quality that is going to win us games but it is very difficult to be too disappointed.' Brighton slipped to third place and Hughton said, 'we've had a nice feel of being where we are and we want to make sure we stay up in that top group of teams.' And so say all of us!!! Stats; poss 49%-51%, on target 2-1, off target 5-5, corners 4-2, o/s 1-4, fouls 9-11, cards 0-0. Stockdale, Bruno, Huenemeier, Dunk, Rosenior, Calderon, Kayal, Stephens, March, Hemed (Crofts), Baldock (Manu). Champ's P15 . W8 D7 L0 . F19 A11 . Pt31 Po3 . W = 53.3% L = 0% Season4 (A) 14/2/15 - 0-0. This campaign was two thirds complete and fans wondered if it would go right down to the wire, as in days of yore. Truth was, it had been a bit of a disaster to date, following three seasons of relative success under two different managers. Now Chris Hughton had to deliver on his record as a competent Championship coach and go get results to stave off relegation possiblities. Rot had set in thru '14 when Sami Hyypia was third BHA boss, although Hughton had been fire-fighting ok since New Year. Now with Albion arriving on same points (but safe only by gd) as the 22nd club in the drop zone, there was extra urgency to collect three points here. And historically positive results at Hillsbrough were as rare as a Seagulls striker scoring a hat-trick. * match report: Albion continued with a poor record at Wednesday but at least kept a clean sheet and went back to Sussex with a hard-fought point - to remain above the d-z. Stockdale made some good stops to prevent the home unit nicking it and there wasn't too much between two average sides on stats. In fact this fixture was quite open and on a desperate surface, provided some form of football entertainment - albeit pretty direct at times. Although Hughton had near enough a full squad to select from, strikers were again out of luck - due mostly to inadequate service. New signing Kayal was replaced in midfield by fit again Stephens with fifteen minutes left - both players as yet short of peak performance. Also a double swap of strikers late in the day, allowed for fresh legs from subs. But all four of them were in need of more minutes on the pitch to get up to speed. Baldock chased Ref to appeal for a pen but was ignored. What chances Albion did get were also missed... mainly by midfielders, Teixeira, Bruno and Ince. Hughton said, 'we've had two difficult away games (in a week) and we've come away without conceding a goal.' At least he could take positives from Seagulls being undefeated again on the road. In fairness, it wasn't exactly the form on travels of relegation certanties. Stockdale, Calderon, Dunk, Bennett, Bruno, Ince, Kayal (Stephens), Teixeira, Best (Mackail-Smith), Baldock (Halford). Champ's P31 . W6 D13 L12 . F32 A39 . Pt31 Po21 . W = 19.3% L = 38.7% Season3 (A) 25/3/14 - L 1-0. Yes folks it was one of those Tuesday evenings that fans love for travelling to the north. Mind you, plenty of exiles make up good supported numbers from Albion away following - just like in days of yore. One stat stood out; Albion had a bad record at Owlerton and really needed to win here to keep pressure on other teams also challenging for a play-off place. Oscar Garcia would have named an unchanged line-up but for exclusion of Ulloa thru illness. He sorta stuck with 451 and moved Buckley/Lingard to roam up front. Missing strikers CMS and Hoskins were on the mend from long-term injury but not yet ready for full scale battle as the season reached climax. * match report: The bottom line was that Wednesday scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute. To say Albion should have been out of sight by then is something of an understatement. Owls did give a hoot but Seagulls were flying much higher throughout this floodlit fixture. Fickle finger of fate determined that random nature of goalscoring compared to chances went the way of the home unit at the death. Brighton were just not clinical and law of averages applies over short or long periods of time but you never know when results compute on the day. It dented p-o hopes and travellers slipped a place too, although other results went our way. Oh dear, win some, lose some. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Upson, Ward, Ince, Andrews, Forster-Caskey, Rodriguez (LuaLua), Buckley, Lingard. Champ's P37 . W15 D11 L11 . F39 A31 . Pt56 Po9 . W = 40.5% L = 29.7% Season2 (A) 2/2/13 - L 3-1 ~ Orlandi. It was a couple of days after the January transfer window shut when Albion went to Hillborough - a place where we could not win. Seagulls needed points to help get back into p-o places but had been distracted previously when Arsenal visited the Amex a week beforehand. Steven Dobbie (signed in the summer) ended up on loan at Palace and Gordon Greer got injured. So Gus obtained services of Matthew Upson at the back (on loan from Stoke) to add to signing of striker Leonardo Ulloa from Almeria in Spain. Most of the squad was fit, although Will Buckley had hamstring probs again. On a cold afternoon 22k turned up to renew Championship rivalry of over a decade ago when BHA began reaching from gutter to the stars. * match report: Wednesday opened the scoring in the first five minutes to a cross and header as we got caught cold (5min). They doubled their lead after half an hour or so from a f-k following Barnes dismissal for a double footer lunge (34min). Gus shook it up for start of the second period when introducing CMS in lieu of Bridcutt. Orlandi reduced the deficit when gifted a shot by poor clearance and Albion should have got a grip (54min). But Owls swooped immediately and Seagulls shat in our own nest thru poor defending (56min). Vicente came on around the hour mark but to no avail. Charlie Oatway was sent to the stands for handbags with SW boss Dave Jones when Ref was lenient with home decisions. On balance Albion gave good account on stats, the main trouble being turning possession into chances. Defending was sloppy and lack of eleven men another obvious disadvantage - not crucially. Gus said, 'the red card changed the game, especially conceding after that incident - one of the worst goals we've conceded.' Brighton fans weren't too impressed with any of 'em really. Kuszczak, Calderon, El-Abd, Upson, Bridge, David, Bridcutt (Mackail-Smith), Hammond, Barnes, Ulloa (Vicente), Orlandi. Champ's P29 . W10 D12 L7 . F41 A33 . Pt42 Po8 . W = 34.3% L = 24.1% Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011. Seasons 4 02/3, 7 05/6 - Championship . Seasons 5 03/4, 12 10/11 - League One. Withdean era: Owls V Albion 1-1, 2-1, 1-1, 1-0 . . . W = 0 D = 2 L = 2 memorable match: Season7 (A) - Seagulls got a point in a second season of struggle at level two. Noughties last there - 21/8/10 (A) League One. Hillsborough is a big old place but not one where we somehow managed to even win small during an extended decade. see: Seasons 4, 5, 7, 12 for club & stadium info. Also Gary Hart, Richard Carpenter & Colin Kazim-Richards.
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Previous encounters (Sheff W )
Sheffield Wednesday - Home, Falmer Years: 12/13 - 16/17 C'ship, seasons 2-6 . '20 FA Cup, season9 . 17/18 - 22/23 Prem, no meetings. Ground: Hillsborough 39.7k . Nickname: Owls . Shirt: blue & white stripes. Championship record from 11/12 to 22/23; (2 L1), 18, 16, 13, 6, 4 / 15, 12, 16, 24, (4, 2 L1) @ 24/3/23. recent p-os - '16 & '17 C, '22 L1 . rel - '21 C . promo - '12 L1. Season9 (H) FA Cup R3 4/1/20 - L 0-1 Ball no.8 came out of the early December Tuesday night draw bowl first, giving BHA a home tie to host... Sheff Wed from level2. We'd last met in our C'ship promotion year (see season6 below) when headed for elevation to the Prem by finishing as div runners up in May '17. Since then BHA had seen a change in manager and style of play but previously Chris Hughton got Seagulls to a FAC quarter-final then that visit to a Wembley semi-final over two successive PL seasons. On the day Graham Potter elected to field a side without too many regulars but containing several men with single figure PL apps plus assorted fringe players. On paper it was an eleven quite capable of winning this tie. *** match report: However Brighton fans did not go home happy, having watched Seagulls seconds fail to score and lose to lower div opposition who wanted it more. BHA's B team hardly looked like a Prem outfit in action and could be criticised for their attitude with regard to mentally playing under par. Stats below show how close the game was in terms of facts & figs but in truth there was only going to be one winner if Owls could break their duck while it remained goalless. Potter started with 3421 but went to 442 when sacrificing Balogun at start of the second period for another attacker in Connolly. Around the hour mark he put on Jahanbakhsh in going to 433. Next Wednesday scored from a deflected f-k (65min) and hung on to the death. But Albion could have toiled until midnight trying to net an equalliser. Bernardo also got on, although really the game was already up and disappointing to boot. Potter was honest about the poor performance - he had nowhere to hide anyway. In the back of everyones minds was that it was now January and the transfer window had opened... so ins & outs were anticipated, if not demanded based on what we'd seen thus far. Stats: ht 0-0, goal 65, poss 54%-46%, on target 3-4, off target 5-3, blocks 2-2, corners 8-7, o/s 1-0, fouls 13-9, yellows 1-1, subs 3-3. MoM - Duffy, Gate 20,349 away 2147, Weather - dry. 27 Button, 21 Schelotto, 15 Webster, 4 Duffy, 14 Balogun (44 Connolly 45), 3 Bong (30 Bernardo 71), 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma (16 Jahanbakhsh 62), 6 Stephens, 46 Alzate, 7 Maupay Y. Subs - 23 Steele, 50 Cochrane, 22 Montoya, 24 Propper. Rested - 1 Ryan, 5 Dunk, 11 Trossard, 17 Murray, 18 Mooy. Injured - 19 Izquierdo, 20 March, 33 Burn. Season7 onwards - not Premier League. * * * * * * Sheff Wed home Falmer years - C'ship. Albion v Owls (H) from 11/12 @ C: -, 3-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-0, 2-1 . . W = 2 D = 2 L = 1 For Away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below. memorable match: Season5 (H) - yet another year in the C'ship play-offs. You know the rest. Season6 (H) Championship 20/1/17 - w 2-1 ~ Knockaert 2. Eight months on from that dramatic night in May 2016 for deciding the aggregate p-o s-f score, where were we now? Well, Seagulls had been flying once more and Owls were also contesting a top-six place again. Most of the BHA squad was still around, apart from Greer, Zamora & Wilson and LuaLua was on loan at QPR. A regular Albion side was second in the table, while visitors were 6th and clear of the chasing pack. So the table was shaping up for second half of the season, hopefully to benefit the club with this subsequent push for automatic promotion - like last term. With an index presently of 2.16pt/gm, if this was maintained to May, Seagulls would break their previous best points tally by 10pts! So the team was hoping to bounce back from defeat last week - that ended an 18 game undefeated run and get back on track at fortress Amex. * match report: Albion won a dramatic contest where three players were dismissed and one carried off. Seagulls opened the scoring after half an hour when breaking thru from an Owls foray. Norwood fed Hemed and he played in Knockaert who rounded the keeper (34min). But visitors were level prior to h-t when Dunk headed past Stockdale (45min). Ref blew for a penalty after the hour mark and sent off Murray for handball. Stockdale then made a double save to prevent travellers going ahead (64min). Ten minutes before the ninety Hughton made a double change, bringing on Sidwell & March to boost the 441 shape. Five minutes from the end Pocognoli provided a perfect cross that Knockaert squeezed in at the far post (85min). Tensions boiled over in closing stages when two Wednesday players received red cards in a frenetic finish. Skalak got on at the death as MoM Knockaert went off to a standing ovation as match winner. Hughton said, 'there is always that wonderful feeling when you win a game late or in adversity. Apart from the quality of the team it shows real character.' Brighton fans were happy with the outcome on a night when emotions went up and down like a proverbial yo-yo. Stats; h-t 1-1, goals 34, 85-45, poss 46%-54%, on target 6-4, off target 4-10, corners 0-10, o/s 3-1, fouls 9-13, yellows 2-2, reds 1-2, subs 3-3 . att 27,162. Stockdale, Goldson, Duffy, Dunk, Pocognoli, Knockaert (Skalak), Stephens, Norwood (Sidwell), Murphy (March), Hemed, Murray. Champ's P26 . W17 D6 L3 . F42 A18 . Pt57 Po2 . W = 65.3% L = 11.5% Season5 (H) 16/5/16 Champ's p-o s-f - 1-1 - Dunk . . Aggregate; 1-3 Albion had to turn around a two goal disadvantage from the first leg of the knockout stages. But home form was solid and Seagulls were capable of getting goals on the right day. Chris Hughton had 4 players injured in the game at Hillsborough and was forced to make changes to the regular line up. Although in the event he lost only Goldson & Hemed - the leading scorer. On the night a crowd of 27k waved blue & white flags and team colours throughout the stadium prior to kickoff. * match report: Albion battered Owls during the first half and made a breakthrough at last. Dunk was there to prod home a f-k by Knockaert that got to him in the massed area (19min). But visitors equalized with a cross cum shot that snaked inside the post from their first real effort on target (27min). Seagulls did everything but put the ball in the net again and travelers held on to the overall lead to go thru. Hughton pulled off Baldock on the hour and LuaLua joined in. Later Dunk went up front when Rosenior replaced Greer - going three at the back. Brighton fans were disappointed not to win and thought lady luck had deserted the squad when most needed. In truth the second half performance tailed off after the kick & rush stuff of the first forty-five minutes. It was the third time in five terms that BHA had choked in semi-finals and opposition managers somehow seemed to better our guy. So Hughton was added to Garcia & Poyet as a nearly man... so near but yet still far. Stats; poss 67%-33%, on target 8-3, off target 11-2, corners 11-1, fouls 16-19, yellows 3-5. Stockdale, Bruno, Greer (Rosenior), Dunk, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell, Kayal, Skalak, Baldock (LuaLua), Wilson. Season5 (H) 8/3/16 - 0-0. Previously we had played Wednesday during early stages of the campaign but now they visited the Amex to begin the last quarter of this season and that all important run in. Albion were in the mix for a p-o spot at least and possibly more - if racking up a series of victories during March & April, either side of the international break. Form at Falmer was key to points registered by May and from prior experience this term, there was no such thing as an easy Championship fixture. In truth, Seagulls required maximum tally from home games, in order to keep pressure on league leaders and those chasing auto promo to land of the elite. It was an evening match and came during a busy period when there were often two fixtures per week. * match report: 26k watched a drab affair, where Seagulls were poor in the final third. Chris Hughton said, 'it was a little bit frustrating and we were not at our best. They made it very difficult for us - played very deep and you need that little bit of quality. These are the kind of games, against teams around you, that you have to make sure you do not lose.' He put three men on late in the day as usual to try and break stalemate up front - but to no avail. Positives were - a fourth clean sheet in a row and seventh in the last 10 fixtures. The point kept BHA in the p-o mix and well clear of the chasing pack for promo spots. But in truth points had gone missing and it was not as if the opposition keeper had been tested on a night of more dullness than darkness. Stats; poss 53%-47%, on target 0-2, off target 4-5, corner 5-8, fouls 11-7 Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Rosenior, Knockaert (Zamora), Stephens, Sidwell, Murphy, Baldock (Wilson), Hemed (LuaLua). Champ's P36 . W17 D14 L5 . F49 A34 . Pt65 Po3 . W = 47.2% L = 13.8% Season4 (H) 9/8/14 - 0-1. This was opening day of our fourth campaign at Falmer and the afternoon was warm & bright following overnight rain. Other fundamental things to know were; we had a new manager in Sami Hyypia and 4 fairly inexpensive additions to the squad but other '13/14 players had left and top-scoring striker Ulloa then transferred to Leicester for 8million + add ons. Also, the recently opened investment of a 15+mill training facility at Lancing helped properly prepare for lev2 contests ahead. Brighton fans now got to wear a redesigned Nike replica shirt sponsored by American Express and could even buy fish & chips outside of concourses on that walk from Falmer station. About 25k home support turned up expecting a routine 3points return. * match report: Oh dear, a wonder dig-cum-cross struck from distance found the very angle in far top corner to duly register only goal of the game - thus defeat Seagulls prior to h-t (41min). To make matters worse, Crofts was sent off early in the second period to studs up when he caught his opponent over the ball (50min). Hyppia responded with like-for-like changes on the hour mark in midfield and on right wing. But Albion merely huffed & puffed against determined Yorkies backed by 2k singing support on a trip to the south coast. SH then went three at the back and sent on CMS to beef up facile attack and do-the-do (75min). But no can do, although there was plenty of effort showed. Sami said, 'we made wrong decisions, we maybe could have created more.' Oh well, Tony Bloom had promised more signings so at least local blue & white shirts went home with some faith left for a better future. Stockwell, Bruno, Greer, Hughes, Calderon (Mackail-Smith), Crofts, Ince, Forster-Caskey (Agustien), Fenelon (Buckley), O'Grady, LuaLua. Champ's P1 . W0 D0 L1 . F0 A1 . Pt0 Po18 . W = 0% L = 100% Season3 (H) 1/10/13 - 1-1 ~ Andrews. October arrived and Brighton were very average in mid-table with; P9 W3 D3 L3 F9 A8 Pt12 - prior to Wednesday visiting for one of those autumn midweek fixtures at the Amex. To date, Albions third campaign sequence was; llw wdd dwl and were scoring an equivalent of one goal per game. However we were letting one in too, so pressure began to mount on Oscar Garcia and assistant Nathan Jones to rectify these problems at both ends of the pitch. Top scorer Ulloa returned from a three match ban after being sent off at Reading for dangerously raising feet. Other long term injuries to this current squad included fellow strikers CMS and Hoskins, leaving Barnes as the reserve no.9. Bridcutt and Orlandi had also been under the knife, while Bruno, Buckley, LuaLua and relatively new signing Agustien all suffered typical footballer probs with hamstrings and such etc. Garcia did not always play 433 with two recognised wingers but opted for the old m-f diamond with David slightly behind the striker. On the night, over 25k attended and it was dry and fairly mild for this time of year. * match report: Albion set off like an express train but hit the buffers early on. Both David and Ulloa were guilty of failing to capitalise on making best of chances when put thru. LuaLua dived in the box but Ref was having none of it. Just before halftime, Wednesday netted first on an infrequent visit to our area (43min). Immediately on turn-around, Bruno went to right back and Buckley joined LuaLua and Ulloa up front. But the big Argentine hit the deck soon afterwards, to be carried off with a broken bone in his foot (56min). Seagulls finally sorted things out when Barnes came on next in lieu of David (57min). Owls sat back on their lead and urged on by 25k home support, Albion pressed hard for an equaliser. But the regular story of failing to nick a goal without Ulloa being there came into effect. By now Brighton were getting two thirds of possession overall but just could not break visitors down. Then right at end of ninety mins (before stoppage) Crofts got free from a throw and centred for Ward to head for the near post - Andrews steamed in and nicked a leveller from very close (89min). Ulloa required at least two months off and Oscar said, +we have to see how to improved the squad, how to improve the team, realistically we have Barnes+ Kuszczak, Calderon (Buckley), Greer, Upson, Ward, Bruno, Andrews, Crofts, David (Barnes), Ulloa (Agustien), LuaLua. Champ's P10 . W3 D4 L3 . F10 A9 . Pt13 Po12 . W = 30% L = 30% Season2 (H) 14/9/12 - 3-0 ~ Bridge, CMS, Buckley. Brighton went into this mid September evening fixture after a two week break for initial World Cup qualifiers to take place. Good form at the Amex last term had been reproduced again with a win and a draw to date. Gus Poyet added to his squad right on the August deadline by bagging four new players. Meanwhile Craig Noone transferred to Cardiff. Newcomer Andrea Orlandi (Swansea) was introduced as a late midfield sub in our last away match and appeared useful. Andrew Crofts was injured in that game and so returning ex-Albion man Dean Hammond (on loan from So'ton) was gonna deputise. A third m-f option was David Lopez (Bilbao) who could also attack. Up front Gus got Stephen Dobbie (Swansea) and he could score goals and all. A ground record of 26,594 made it a night to remember. The 96 of Hillsborough were remembered before k-o. * match report: Albion cruised to a second home victory with goals from a first-half set-piece by Bridge (24min), a CMS tap-in after Bruno done good (54m) and he then set up Buckley with a thru ball (58m). Bruno got Man of the Match with a charismatic display to wow Falmer faithful. Gus Poyet replaced CMS (69m) due to injury, also putting his two Spanish m-f guys on late in the day for a run out. Poyet said, 'we are stronger all over the pitch and we had the players to stop them from playing.' Bruno said, 'being named mom is very nice but it comes second to outcome of the game.' Brighton fans were impressed with everything, especially knowing we'd be well up the table come revelation of Saturday results. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, El-Abd, Bridge, Hammond, Bridcutt, Dicker, Barnes (David), Mackail-Smith (Dobbie), Buckley (Orlandi). Champ's P5 . W3 D1 L1 . F11 A3 . Pt10 Po3 . W = 60% L = 20% Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011. Seasons 4 02/3, 7 05/6 - Championship . Seasons 5 03/4, 12 10/11 - League One. Withdean era: Albion V Owls 1-1, 2-0, 0-2, 2-0 . . . W = 2 D = 1 L = 1 memorable match: Season7 (H) - end of a tumultuous term and we were going down. see: Seasons 4, 5, 7, 12 for club & stadium info. Also Bobby Zamora, Leon Knight, Chris McPhee, Chris Wood & Elliott Bennett.
Sheffield Wednesday - Away, Falmer Years: 12/13 - 16/17 C'ship, seasons 2-6 . 17/18 - 22/23 Prem, no meetings. Season7 onwards - not Premier League. Owls v Albion (A) from 11/12 @ C: -, 3-1, 1-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-2 . . W = 1 D = 2 L = 2 For Home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up. memorable match: Season5 (A) - Seagulls struggled to win there across several campaigns going back into the noughties. Season6 (A) Championship 1/10/16 - w 1-2 ~ Baldock, Knockaert. Both clubs had suffered late disappointment last term (see below - Wednesday lost in the p-o final) but each was again in good form. BHA had added to the squad, signing Shane Duffy, Ollie Norwood, Glenn Murray (loan) and Seb Pocognoli (loan). Expectation was once more sky high but repeat of Seagulls results on the road in 15/16 was a hard act to follow. Chris Hughton had to make changes in midfield where his engine room of Stephens (ban) & Kayal (injury) was unavailable for selection. Rosenior, Towell & LuaLua were also injured. On paper Albion's match-day 18 appeared up to par but needed to prove quality in depth on the field of play. And of course, Brighton fans needed little reminding of Seagulls record at Hillsborough since anyone could remember. * match report: Albion secured an historic victory and were well worth the entrance money paid by loyal travelling support this time around. They witnessed Seagulls avenge that play-off semi-final defeat, to once more reside among promotion candidates at this early stage of the campaign. Inside half an hour visitors took the lead from a spirited opening period. Dunk came forward from the back and clipped a long ball forward that Baldock ran onto and chipped the keeper (26min). Then Murray also had the ball in the net but was ruled off side. During the second period Owls upped the ante in search of an equaliser as the away side defended resolutely. Generally against run of play BHA settled into countering opponents numerous threats. On one such occasion Bong was well advanced on left flank and squared into the channel for Knockaert to strike inside the post (73min) and double the lead. Hughton then sent on Skalak as Brighton reshuffled as a loose 451. With time running out for the home eleven Hemed joined the fray prior to stoppage. At the death Wednesday scored a consolation but in truth it was too little, too late. In fact Albion were very disappointed not to maintain another clean sheet. Hughton said, �we deserved it and to have a percentage of control, in what was such a big game, is credit to our players. With all due respect, there are things you can�t get away with here that you possibly might do elsewhere.� Brighton fans were ecstatic at the win, having appreciated quality in the overall performance. And the result kept Seagulls within striking distance of the top two clubs. Stats; h-t 0-1, goals 90-26, 73, poss 59%-41%, on target 5-3, off target 10-2, blocked 8-0, corners 7-3, o/s 2-3, fouls 12-12, yellows 0-4, subs 2-2 . att 25,605. Stockdale, Bruno, Duffy, Dunk, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell, Norwood, Murphy, Baldock (Skalak), Murray (Hemed). Champ�s P11 . W6 D3 L2 . F14 A7 . Pt21 Po4 . W = 54.5% L = 18.1% Season5 (A) 13/5/16 Champ's p-o s-f - L 2-0 1st leg. Having missed out on automatic promotion (by goal difference of 2) to Middlesbrough on the final afternoon, Albion next faced the sixth club in knockout stages. And history said that Hillsborough was not a happy hunting ground in recent years. * match report: It turned out to be a night of disaster for Seagulls. Four players were lost through injury and two goals conceded for no reply. It was damage limitation for much of the second half and the 14 game unbeaten run came to an end in dire circumstances. Goldson & Hemed went off just prior to the break and Owls scored almost immediately as the rearguard reshuffled. Five minutes into the second period Sidwell was crocked and with thirty minutes to go, Knockaert got carried off. The ten men remaining conceded once more but held firm for the final twenty minutes or so. Hughton said, 'whether it's the consistent games and the tempo we've had to play at in recent week I don't know. We have to be realistic enough to know it's going to be a tough task but one that can be achieved.' Brighton fans were shocked by the result but forever optimistic - especially having seen so much go right this term. Stats; poss 63%-37%, on target 4-1, off target 12-6, corners 5-4, fouls 10-10, yellows 3-2 Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson (Rosenior), Greer, Bong, Knockaert, Sidwell (Towell), Kayal, Skalak, Baldock, Hemed (Wilson). Season5 (A) 3/11/15 - 0-0. What a difference nine months make - see below. Chris Hughton had brought new players in on contract during the summer to boost existing personnel he thought could still do a job for BHA. And so far so good! Albion came here two points clear at top of the table, with nearly as many points in the bag as that totals figure gained when visiting here last winter. Seagulls were also undefeated in the Championship and attempting to set a record for their longest unbeaten run since the old brown ball & boot era in days of yore. As this was a midweek fixture, not as many fans travelled from the south as for a w/e but support from northern exiles made numbers up at the away end in a crowd of 23k. * match report: Nobody could fault the pitch this time, which appeared picture perfect at kick-off. But despite a strong defensive performance, BHA couldn't find the net at the other end. The stalemate dragged on & on with neither side able to take advantage of those few chances offered. Most of the play was in middle of the park and both keepers had an easy night without needing to get gloves wet. Hughton motivated his eleven at the interval and visitors did pick up the pace - but to no avail. Eventually Crofts was sent on at expense of Hemed and Albion changed from 442 to more defensive 451shape (73min). With time running out Manu turned up, basically to waste more precious seconds. Hughton said, 'we are just lacking a little bit of quality that is going to win us games but it is very difficult to be too disappointed.' Brighton slipped to third place and Hughton said, 'we've had a nice feel of being where we are and we want to make sure we stay up in that top group of teams.' And so say all of us!!! Stats; poss 49%-51%, on target 2-1, off target 5-5, corners 4-2, o/s 1-4, fouls 9-11, cards 0-0. Stockdale, Bruno, Huenemeier, Dunk, Rosenior, Calderon, Kayal, Stephens, March, Hemed (Crofts), Baldock (Manu). Champ's P15 . W8 D7 L0 . F19 A11 . Pt31 Po3 . W = 53.3% L = 0% Season4 (A) 14/2/15 - 0-0. This campaign was two thirds complete and fans wondered if it would go right down to the wire, as in days of yore. Truth was, it had been a bit of a disaster to date, following three seasons of relative success under two different managers. Now Chris Hughton had to deliver on his record as a competent Championship coach and go get results to stave off relegation possiblities. Rot had set in thru '14 when Sami Hyypia was third BHA boss, although Hughton had been fire-fighting ok since New Year. Now with Albion arriving on same points (but safe only by gd) as the 22nd club in the drop zone, there was extra urgency to collect three points here. And historically positive results at Hillsbrough were as rare as a Seagulls striker scoring a hat-trick. * match report: Albion continued with a poor record at Wednesday but at least kept a clean sheet and went back to Sussex with a hard-fought point - to remain above the d-z. Stockdale made some good stops to prevent the home unit nicking it and there wasn't too much between two average sides on stats. In fact this fixture was quite open and on a desperate surface, provided some form of football entertainment - albeit pretty direct at times. Although Hughton had near enough a full squad to select from, strikers were again out of luck - due mostly to inadequate service. New signing Kayal was replaced in midfield by fit again Stephens with fifteen minutes left - both players as yet short of peak performance. Also a double swap of strikers late in the day, allowed for fresh legs from subs. But all four of them were in need of more minutes on the pitch to get up to speed. Baldock chased Ref to appeal for a pen but was ignored. What chances Albion did get were also missed... mainly by midfielders, Teixeira, Bruno and Ince. Hughton said, 'we've had two difficult away games (in a week) and we've come away without conceding a goal.' At least he could take positives from Seagulls being undefeated again on the road. In fairness, it wasn't exactly the form on travels of relegation certanties. Stockdale, Calderon, Dunk, Bennett, Bruno, Ince, Kayal (Stephens), Teixeira, Best (Mackail-Smith), Baldock (Halford). Champ's P31 . W6 D13 L12 . F32 A39 . Pt31 Po21 . W = 19.3% L = 38.7% Season3 (A) 25/3/14 - L 1-0. Yes folks it was one of those Tuesday evenings that fans love for travelling to the north. Mind you, plenty of exiles make up good supported numbers from Albion away following - just like in days of yore. One stat stood out; Albion had a bad record at Owlerton and really needed to win here to keep pressure on other teams also challenging for a play-off place. Oscar Garcia would have named an unchanged line-up but for exclusion of Ulloa thru illness. He sorta stuck with 451 and moved Buckley/Lingard to roam up front. Missing strikers CMS and Hoskins were on the mend from long-term injury but not yet ready for full scale battle as the season reached climax. * match report: The bottom line was that Wednesday scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute. To say Albion should have been out of sight by then is something of an understatement. Owls did give a hoot but Seagulls were flying much higher throughout this floodlit fixture. Fickle finger of fate determined that random nature of goalscoring compared to chances went the way of the home unit at the death. Brighton were just not clinical and law of averages applies over short or long periods of time but you never know when results compute on the day. It dented p-o hopes and travellers slipped a place too, although other results went our way. Oh dear, win some, lose some. Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Upson, Ward, Ince, Andrews, Forster-Caskey, Rodriguez (LuaLua), Buckley, Lingard. Champ's P37 . W15 D11 L11 . F39 A31 . Pt56 Po9 . W = 40.5% L = 29.7% Season2 (A) 2/2/13 - L 3-1 ~ Orlandi. It was a couple of days after the January transfer window shut when Albion went to Hillborough - a place where we could not win. Seagulls needed points to help get back into p-o places but had been distracted previously when Arsenal visited the Amex a week beforehand. Steven Dobbie (signed in the summer) ended up on loan at Palace and Gordon Greer got injured. So Gus obtained services of Matthew Upson at the back (on loan from Stoke) to add to signing of striker Leonardo Ulloa from Almeria in Spain. Most of the squad was fit, although Will Buckley had hamstring probs again. On a cold afternoon 22k turned up to renew Championship rivalry of over a decade ago when BHA began reaching from gutter to the stars. * match report: Wednesday opened the scoring in the first five minutes to a cross and header as we got caught cold (5min). They doubled their lead after half an hour or so from a f-k following Barnes dismissal for a double footer lunge (34min). Gus shook it up for start of the second period when introducing CMS in lieu of Bridcutt. Orlandi reduced the deficit when gifted a shot by poor clearance and Albion should have got a grip (54min). But Owls swooped immediately and Seagulls shat in our own nest thru poor defending (56min). Vicente came on around the hour mark but to no avail. Charlie Oatway was sent to the stands for handbags with SW boss Dave Jones when Ref was lenient with home decisions. On balance Albion gave good account on stats, the main trouble being turning possession into chances. Defending was sloppy and lack of eleven men another obvious disadvantage - not crucially. Gus said, 'the red card changed the game, especially conceding after that incident - one of the worst goals we've conceded.' Brighton fans weren't too impressed with any of 'em really. Kuszczak, Calderon, El-Abd, Upson, Bridge, David, Bridcutt (Mackail-Smith), Hammond, Barnes, Ulloa (Vicente), Orlandi. Champ's P29 . W10 D12 L7 . F41 A33 . Pt42 Po8 . W = 34.3% L = 24.1% Season1 - not C'ship. * * * * * Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011. Seasons 4 02/3, 7 05/6 - Championship . Seasons 5 03/4, 12 10/11 - League One. Withdean era: Owls V Albion 1-1, 2-1, 1-1, 1-0 . . . W = 0 D = 2 L = 2 memorable match: Season7 (A) - Seagulls got a point in a second season of struggle at level two. Noughties last there - 21/8/10 (A) League One. Hillsborough is a big old place but not one where we somehow managed to even win small during an extended decade. see: Seasons 4, 5, 7, 12 for club & stadium info. Also Gary Hart, Richard Carpenter & Colin Kazim-Richards.
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