S U S S E X
By Laurence Elphick
Photograph: Paul Hazelwood
Brighton and Hove Albion
At the time of writing,
the Seagulls were
perched firmly on
top of the proverbial
i360, namely the
Championship, with
the gateway to the
promised land of the
Premiership, whilst still quite a distance
away, certainly visible on the horizon.
Unbeaten for the first 18 games! Who’d
have thought it, after the trials and
tribulations of last season! Even the most
ardent Albion fan didn’t expect that to be
the best ever start in the Club’s history!
The trouble is we were all waiting for the
bubble to burst, every week I could hear
myself and thousands of other like minded
fans thinking ...”it’ll be this match where
the run finally comes to and end….” Or
words to that effect! In football, as in life,
you’re either a pessimist or an optimist;
I myself prefer to take the route of
expecting defeat and being on Cloud nine
when we win.
104
One game stands out for me so far, or
maybe two, but one thing is for certain,
the best feeling ever is that late, late
winner, irrespective of the performance
and who do you think delivered when
it mattered…the legend that is Bobby
Zamora. Both had the hallmark of the old
Bobby that used to grace the Withdean
years; a sumptuous chip over the ‘keeper
in the last minute at Leeds and a superbly
struck volley in front of the North Stand to
clinch 3 points against Bristol City a week
later at the Amex. If his goals help keep
the Albion’s promotion challenge alive all
season, ‘Freedom of the City of Brighton &
Hove’ as an award springs to mind
Talking of Bobby, well you may remember
the last issue, I said I hadn’t seen him for
12 years and had been so close to getting
his autograph only to see him sign for
Spurs…well I’m pleased to say that, not
only I have I now got that autograph, but I
also had the pleasure of interviewing him
for this edition of Re: Magazine. I hope you
enjoy reading it as much as I did doing it.
With all the players seemingly enjoying
their football and looking comfortable
with how they’re expected to play, Albion
fans have every reason to be excited this
season. With a more confident David
Stockdale in goal protected by a solid
back four, Dale Stephens and Beram
Kayal forging a strong partnership in the
middle, Andrew Crofts back from injury,
Lua Lua, Murphy and March creating
havoc on the flanks , the Seagulls are
certainly flying high.
The final word then, for Chris Hu v