Taylor fears for Bees boss

Taylor wants Brentford to join the Seagulls in the First Division next season but fears they will miss out in the play-off final.

The Bees were pipped for the second automatic promotion place last Saturday by Reading, when Alan Pardew's team held them to a 1-1 draw at Griffin Park.

Coppell must now lift his players for Sunday's first leg of the play-off semi-finals at Huddersfield.

Stoke entertain Cardiff the same day, with the second legs next Wednesday and the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on May 11 (1.30pm).

Taylor said: "I would like to see Steve Coppell do it, because he had the biggest disappointment last Saturday. He was the one I felt for.

"I phoned up Alan Pardew on Sunday to congratulate him, but probably everyone thought when Brentford were 1-0 up they were going to win the game.

"I hope Brentford come through, but I think it will be between Cardiff and Stoke. Who ever comes through that tie will win it.

"I expect Brentford to beat Huddersfield and everybody is pointing towards Cardiff, but I'm not convinced about that.

"It will be a close shout if Stoke have their best players available. I would personally go for a Stoke and Brentford final, with Stoke to go through."

Taylor knows all about the tension of the play-offs. He guided Gillingham through them to Division One in dramatic fashion two seasons ago.

The Gills were 2-0 down in eight minutes in the first leg of their semi-final at Stoke, but a spectacular long-range shot in the dying seconds by Taylor's successor Andy Hessenthaler meant they only faced a 3-2 deficit for the second leg.

They won that 3-0 after extra- time at the Priestfield Stadium after Stoke had two players sent-off.

Gillingham then beat Wigan 3-2 in the final at Wembley, also after extra time, with two goals in the last six minutes.

They had finished third in the table like Brentford, the only side to do the double over Albion this season.

Many feel the play-offs are unfair to the third-placed team, especially if they finish well clear of the rest. Taylor disagrees.

He said: "They are a tremendous idea. Managers drive me mad when the ones that finish third start saying they are not. You could finish third by goal difference.

"At the start of the season if you gave everybody the choice they would all want play-offs. It keeps the season alive longer for all clubs.

"Cardiff, for instance, had a nightmare start, but all of a sudden it was worth them pulling their fingers out, because now they've got a chance of going up.

"Fortunately we got automatic promotion, but if we had just missed out playing the way we have and finished fourth then it would have hurt us even more if there were no play-offs."

Ray Houghton, the former Crystal Palace midfielder and Republic of Ireland international, has suggested the team finishing third should go straight through to the final against the winners of a play-off between fourth and fifth.

Taylor believes there is another way of modifying the system. He said: "You could make the semi-finals one-off games, so if you are third or fourth you have home advantage."

Former Albion manager Steve Gritt has been forced to turn down an invitation to the club dinner at the Brighton Centre next Thursday.

Gritt is Mark McGhee's No.2 at Millwall and they host Birmingham in the semi-final second leg of the Division One play-offs the same night.

Encouragingly for the Seagulls, Millwall have copied Preston in finishing fourth the season after winning the Second Division.

Gritt said: "It has been a fantastic effort. I don't think many people envisaged it. They were expecting consolidation.

"We honestly felt we had the ability to emulate Preston, although we haven't quite done that yet because we haven't got to the play-off final.

"We are not under the same pressure as Birmingham. They are expected to beat us, but they know they are going to get two very hard games against us.

"We lost 4-0 up there in the second game of the season. We were four down at half-time and it was a bit of a wake up call for us, but we drew with them at home."

Albion fans are still grateful to Gritt for saving the club from relegation out of the Football League five years ago and he is "totally flabbergasted" by their double title triumph.

He said: "It certainly would not have been possible with the budget limits and constraints I was placed under. That unfortunately changed after I left.

"Getting back to Withdean has played a huge part, having 6,000 regular Brighton voices cheering them on, and they have obviously made some very shrewd buys as well.

"I am absolutely delighted for the supporters more than anything. Even this week I had a letter from one still thanking me for what I did down there and helping to make it possible.

"The supporters went through years of hardship at the Goldstone. I'm sure they go to the ground now with big smiles, because it has all been worthwhile.

"I am delighted for Kerry Mayo as well. He is the one player still there from when I was there.

"He was practically out of the door when I joined and I would like to think I helped him with his future."

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