Potter is clued up for derby
BRIGHTON boss Graham Potter admits he is constantly reminded how important it is to beat Crystal Palace as he prepares for his first M23 derby.
The Palace-Brighton rivalry is one of the fiercest in English football – even though they are 37 miles apart.
But Potter, whose side head to Selhurst Park on Monday, is in no doubt about what the fixture means.
“I’ve been reminded of how important it is pretty much every day,” he said.
“We were at a function just last night and everybody was speaking to us about the game and telling us, ‘Make sure you win’.
“Of course that feeds into the players. These games are important for supporters and my memory of Selhurst Park is that it’s always lively.
“There will be a hostile atmosphere.”
Potter insists the meaning of the match won’t be lost on his players, even though he is likely to field only one Brighton-born star in skipper Lewis Dunk.
“We have enough players who have played in these games and know what it means,” he said.
The only concern for the Seagulls is that, in a week when Premier League clubs have been celebrating the Rainbow Laces campaign, the fixture has a history of homophobic chanting.
But Potter says just because the match is a derby, it shouldn’t be treated differently.
He said: “Regardless of what type of game it is, it’s unacceptable.
“If we want to change anything in football, it should be to make sure that football is for everybody, regardless of their ethnicity, their religious position or their sexuality.
“It’s sad that we’re even having a conversation. But that’s the world we live in at the moment, so football needs to try and lead the way.”