Now that’s one happy Gunner!
Brighton are up... and Hughton wants title
BRIGHTON boss Chris Hughton challenged his players to win the Championship title after they sealed promotion to the Premier League. Goals from Glenn Murray and Solly March secured a 2-1 win over Wigan, and when Huddersfield conceded an 88th-minute equaliser at Derby, it guaranteed Brighton’s place in the top flight for only the second time in their 116-year existence. They can win the title with a sixth straight win at Norwich on Friday. Hughton said: ‘It’s a massive motivation. We spoke afterwards and said it’s a wonderful achievement, particularly after last season, to get promotion. But what these lads want to do is to be able to say they went up as champions. ‘Promotion is something we feel we deserved. We’ve had wonderful support and our away form has improved from last year and that’s probably been the key to the success. ‘It’s a nice feeling but now, of course, what I don’t want is for these last three games to go out with a bit of a whimper.’
Brighton chairman tony Bloom allowed the grin to spread across his face and started whirling his blueand-white scarf around his head in the front row of the directors’ box, high up in the main stand.
Moments later he was down in the lower tier, bouncing along with his players, many of whom had been stripped of their kit by the pitch invaders, and joining the communal choir for a version of neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline.
Bloom, the notoriously shy force behind Brighton’s transformation, then had a microphone in his hand, connecting with his people through the public address system.
‘this feels amazing,’ he beamed. ‘to be here at the Amex, with 30,000 Brighton fans, it’s our dreams come true. twenty years ago we were homeless and going nowhere and here we are on our way to the Premier League.’
indeed they are. Less than three hours later after Brighton had beaten Wigan, Jacob Butterfield’s 88th-minute equaliser for Derby against huddersfield confirmed promotion for the Seagulls, wiping out the slim chance of being caught.
thousands had stayed behind at the Amex to watch the game at Derby on the big screens and the celebrations reached a new level when Butterfield scored. Even manager Chris hughton was happy to relax and accept congratulations.
With newcastle beaten at ipswich, his team can clinch the title with a win at norwich on Friday.
‘it’s a great achievement to get promotion but it will be an even greater one to win the Championship,’ said hughton.
Brighton’s top-flight absence of 34 years has included times of genuine crisis when they teetered on the brink of oblivion. only a hard heart or a Crystal Palace fan could fail to be caught up in the romance of their return.
they were 30 minutes from relegation into non-League 20 years ago. they escaped with a draw at hereford United and the road back to the top has been bumpy with games in exile at gillingham and the Withdean athletics stadium before the Bloom era.
they have been beaten in the play-offs in three of the last four years but hughton has picked them up from last year’s heartache and made them better and stronger.
they are nicely balanced with pace and strength. they have the spirit of youth and energy and the brilliance of Anthony Knockaert allied with the know-how of their ageless captain Bruno Saltor and experience garnered from bitter disappointment.
‘he’s done a magnificent job,’ said Bloom of his manager, but hughton was as generous as ever, dedicating the day to his ‘local hero’ chairman, players and longterm supporters as they prepare for the Premier League, the glamour, and an estimated windfall of £200million.
‘i’ve been a passionate Brighton supporter for 40 years,’ said Bloom.
‘When i took over eight years ago and became chairman, and committed to building the stadium and the training ground, i did it because i love this club. i was in the fortunate position that i’d made enough money. it was an easy decision for me. But it’s not enough to do that. You have to run the club in the right way and run it correctly.
‘Days like this are never inevitable. You can get close six or seven times on the spin and not make it. it gets tougher every year. there are more owners coming in, spending a lot of money.
‘ Everyone at the club has worked very hard to get into this position. it’s so well deserved.’
the agonies of near-misses in recent years meant that although fans came in expectation there was still a hint of anxiety around as the teams came out to a rendition of Sussex by the Sea.
glenn Murray soothed nerves with his 22nd league goal of the season in the first half, slamming the ball in after tomer hemed had fought down a long ball and nursed a pass into his path.
Brighton were more fluent after the opener and Knockaert’s influence grew, yet they were sloppy in front of goal.
Murray saw a goal ruled out for a foul which was hard to detect, hemed was denied by a goalline
clearance and Knockaert clipped a post with a curling free-kick.
Knockaert created the second, jinking inside from the right and past two defenders into the penalty area. His low cross was deflected into the path of Solly March who drove his shot low through the legs of goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard.
‘We’re on our way,’ crowed the home crowd, along with: ‘Crystal Palace, we’re coming for you.’
Wigan had barely made an impression on the game but substitute Nick Powell escaped the attention of the defenders to pull a goal back, heading in a cross from the right.
It was a fifth in three games for Powell, who scored a hat-trick against Barnsley on Thursday but there would be no late fightback from Graham Barrow’s relegation threatened team.
Wigan, promoted last year, remain locked in the bottom three with relegation looming.
This was not their day. This day belonged to Brighton. This was the day when Brighton rocked.