Micky Adams was right about ref Mike Ryan after this cruel setback.

Sorry though, Micky - your outburst was made for the wrong reasons.

Ryan, or "somebody from Preston" as Adams referred to him, had a poor game.

He got a lot of relatively unimportant decisions wrong, but he was right to send off Charlie Oatway.

Albion's pugnacious midfielder was cautioned in first half stoppage time for retaliating to a challenge by Ryan Williams.

Oatway lunged into the grounded Williams head-first. The fact that Albion were awarded a free-kick and Williams should have been booked as well did not excuse an obvious yellow card.

Six minutes into the second half Oatway tripped Sean Parrish from behind as he broke through the centre circle, another blatant booking.

Unfortunate? Yes. Unjustified? No.

Adams was having none of it. He did not care that a tirade of abuse over Ryan's performance could land him in more hot water with the authorities following a misconduct charge last season.

"I know it's very difficult for you to comment on referees," prompted the questioner. "No, I don't mind commenting," replied Adams. Cue ranting.

"To say I am acutely disappointed is an under-statement. The ref spoilt the game. It wasn't even worth a booking. It was a ridiculous sending off."

Adams' intense frustration was understandable, given that his team had just lost to a goal in stoppage time. Chesterfield boss Nicky Law admitted Albion "gave us a good hiding in the first half."

His assertion that a top ref should have been in charge was, however, rather strange. Appointments are made way in advance, so having a leading official for a top-of-the-table clash can only happen by sheer luck rather than judgement.

Paul Rogers, Albion's level-headed captain, was more philosophical than his manager. "Every decision there was to be made didn't go with us, but you get that sometimes," he said. "You just have to get on with it."

At least Adams will not exacerbate the risk of another misconduct charge. "I have been down the road of pursuing before. It's a waste of good money trying to get a ref to change his mind."

It's a shame that Oatway's dismissal and Adams' emotional response to it overshadowed Albion's performance, because they were magnificent.

They, not Chesterfield, performed like a team five points clear at the top.

Oatway's early bath on, of all things, FIFA's World Fair Play Day, was undeniably the turning point. It changed the entire complexion of the contest.

Albion were the better side by miles before their numerical disadvantage. A left-foot shot on the turn by Bobby Zamora flashed just wide and Richard Carpenter had an effort pushed over by Mike Pollitt in a first half which they completely controlled.

They forced the pace with impressive ambition, even leaving Oatway and Nathan Jones two against two at the back from one of the eight corners they earned approaching the break.

Without Oatway, Adams had to re-adjust. He brought on Steve Melton for Jones, Andy Crosby as an extra central defender at the expense of Gary Hart and Lee Steele for Zamora late on.

Chesterfield enjoyed some sustained pressure, but the Seagulls defended quite superbly. Matthew Wicks in particular was immaculate once more and Michel Kuipers made amends for his blunder against Hartlepool with a couple of fine stops.

The big Dutchman stretched to keep out Marcus Ebdon's shot from 15 yards, then dived to turn behind another drive from the same player which threatened to sneak in.

Just as it seemed Albion had done more than enough, the leaders snatched a winner they scarcely deserved.

Crowd favourite Williams got to the by-line for the only time in the match. His cross was headed down and in at the far post by substitute striker Jamie Ingledow, a summer signing from Rotherham, who had been introduced minutes earlier.

It was the first goal conceded by the Seagulls away from home for well over six hours and preserved Chesterfield's record of scoring in every game this season.

Rogers said: "We played well in the first half. Michel didn't have a shot to save and at half time we were more than confident of finishing the job.

"The sending off changed the game, but even then they didn't carve us open. Tha lads worked so hard, but it was a bad goal to give away."

Law, relieved his side had stretched their own unbeaten run to nine, felt both of Oatway's bookings were warranted.

"I hold my hands up to the way Brighton played in the first half," he added. "They were tighter and their movement was better than ours.

"It took us 46 minutes to win a tackle, then we were on top of them as much as they had been on top of us."

That certainly would not have been the case had Oatway stayed on the pitch. He now misses the home match against Carlisle a week on Saturday and, to make matters worse, will be a booking away from another ban on his return.