The recent spell of cold weather is a sure sign that winter is on the way.

We have exceeded expectations through the hot late summer and the mild autumn months - can we continue our good form through the freezing winter period?

The boiling temperatures and pristine pitch conditions of the first few weeks of the season now seem a distant memory.

Now it is yellow matchballs, floodlights on early and the smell of bovril floating across the pitch.

Thankfully the manager has allowed us to wrap up warm in training to combat the cold unlike his predecessor who was very much a t-shirt and shorts man - whatever the weather.

The lads have certainly taken advantage of the new rules. Wicksy (known as Mrs Wicks for some reason) came out wearing a new knitted shawl and headscarf. I opted to wear so much extra kit that I was able to move round the training pitch as freely as a scarecrow (nothing new there then).

At least Pingu Pitcher is delighted with the weather and feels more at home in the arctic conditions.

We managed to scrape out our third successive narrow league victory last Saturday.

We are now known as Brighton and Hove won one-nil Bobby Zamora scored Albion. It was not the best performance of the season but Port Vale changed their system to try and frustrate us.

The result was a match where Bobby and Steeley struggled for space and decent service until they fashioned a goal out of nothing just after half-time.

Much has been made of the comments from sections of the crowd at the interval. I'm sure the few dissenting voices were just frustrated by our inability to break the visitors' defence down. The level of support, in terms of numbers and noise, from Brighton fans this season has been fantastic, especially on our travels.

I think it is a fact of football life that away fans make more atmosphere than home fans because they are always concentrated in one area of the ground. The fact that the South stand is so far from the pitch and uncovered is another reason why Withdean suffers in comparison.

Yet through the efforts of the players and supporters we have turned Withdean into a fortress and if it is to remain so we really need all your support.

There was one particular voice from the bottom of the South Stand giving me a hard time on Saturday. "Morgan, you couldn't trap a bag of cement in the desert" he shouted after one particular mistake. I tell you I haven't spoken to Bob Booker since!

The shock news of the week was Danny's transfer request. I'm sure the supporters were as upset as the other players to hear the news.

One of the main reasons why I came to Brighton was because the club had players of DC's quality in the squad. Not only is he a very good defender but he is also a very honest, up-front character.

He has explained his reasons and the lads respect him for that. Danny has been unhappy with various aspects of life here for a while now and feels strongly enough to ask for a transfer.

I hope the supporters appreciate what he has done for the club and understand why he has asked to leave. There is one other reason why DC is leaving that he wanted to keep quiet - he is fed up with doing all my running on a matchday, he thinks I'm taking five years off his career!

One thing is certain though - Danny will continue to give his all every time he pulls on a Brighton shirt.

Finally, there was a dust-up between two of the heavyweight members of the squad during training on Thursday. Bobby "Cute lips" Zamora and Nathan "lovely legs" Jones traded punches, well ok then, they hit each other with their handbags after a major disagreement over whose turn it was to hang the washing out.

It was hardly on the scale of such famous training ground fights as John Hartson versus Eyal Berkovic or Andy Todd versus Dean Kiely but it gave the lads a great laugh.

Thankfully the two lads kissed and made up before going off together for a manicure!