MURRAY: WE NEED FANS TO CHILL OUT

GLENN MURRAY urged Brighton’s edgy fans to relax after a priceless winner – then branded a section of the support “fickle”.

The striker eased promotion jitters with a 67th-minute goal, his 19th of the campaign, that took Chris Hughton’s side nine points clear of third-placed Huddersfield.

It felt like a huge day for the Championship’s top two as the Seagulls seek to reach the Premier League for the first time following three failed play-off campaigns in four years.

But Murray was still irked by the exasperation shown by some supporters over the full debut of Arsenal on-loan strike partner Chuba Akpom – who struggled to make an impact.

Murray said: “I just think we all need to relax and enjoy the moment, not get too nervous or carried away and then hopefully we can keep up the performances and results.

“It is natural for any team trying to get automatic promotion to the Premier League that it gets edgy, it is going to be nervy at times. The last five minutes were like that.

“But I can’t see how fans can get on the back of Chuba, that is just what we don’t want. He was trying his best, and they wouldn’t do that if he curled one in from 25 yards. It’s fickle in my eyes.”

Murray struck after being found by a clever header from Anthony Knockaert and beating the offside trap to fire past Jason Steele.

The defeat, a first for Rovers manager Tony Mowbray in eight games, leaves Blackburn in grave danger of falling out of the top two divisions for the first time since 1980.

But finding the positives for the run-in, Mowbray said: “I don’t think anyone in the stadium could say that we didn’t give everything.

“Defeats happen, we weren’t going to be able to go 15 games unbeaten. We lost in a tight match to a very good side but there is evidence to show that every team we play against will be in a game.”

UWE HUNEMEIR (BRIGHTON)