Leo back home and the future is bright
LEO ULLOA scored his first Brighton goal for nearly four years to help set up a quarterfinal with Manchester United and re-run of the 1983 final before declaring he felt he was finally “back home”.
The striker, on loan from Leicester, scored on the final day of the 2013-14 season at Nottingham Forest to earn the Seagulls a place in the play-offs, but left to join the Foxes for £8million.
He won a Premier League medal with Leicester but never a regular place in the side and rejoined his former club last month.
The win over Coventry was Ulloa’s first start back at Brighton and he added the third goal to strikes by Jurgen Locadia and Connor Goldson before Jonson Clarke-Harris replied for the League Two side.
“Does this feel like home? Yes,” said Ulloa. “I feel better all the time when I play here. The fans, when I arrived the first time, gave me confidence. Now when I play on
BRIGHTON
this pitch, I feel different to anywhere else. When the option came to go to Brighton or other clubs, it was easy to say I want to come here. I’m happy to score. More important is we are in the next round.”
His current deal ends in 2019 but he is thinking about making the move permanent.
“Leicester was a wonderful time in my career. But now I have to look forward. I want to stay but we’ll make the decision at the end of the season,” he said.
Coventry’s ClarkeHarris hopes his club can emulate Brighton and reach the top flight. “At Rotherham two years ago Brighton were in a relegation battle with us,” he said.
“The season after, they got promoted. Anything can happen. We’re a massive club. We have to build and get back to where we should be.”