Seagulls grind out the points

Huddersfield were the latest promotion contenders, or should that be pretenders, to discover how difficult it has become to pilfer points from the Seagulls at their churned up temporary home.

Cardiff, Tranmere and now the Yorkshire Terriers have all been beaten 1-0 in a run of five successive victories which also included that impressive 3-1 destruction of leaders Reading.

Nobody, not even the table-toppers, can match Albion's home record of 13 wins, two draws and one defeat, by Brentford in October.

That is the Seagulls' only League reverse at Withdean for 13 months and it is two years and one month since they lost on a Saturday at Withdean.

No wonder Huddersfield manager Lou Macari feared the worst, even though his side arrived on the back of seven victories and two draws.

"We knew we were going to be beaten sooner or later and it happened at a place where we thought it possibly could," said Macari.

"I was here for the Cardiff game. They were well on top for most of it, but went away losers. Brighton seem to have an advantage over teams here.

"I don't know why. They are a difficult side to beat here. It's like playing a pre-season fixture in Norway or somewhere!"

Huddersfield are certainly not the first visitors unable to adapt to the vagaries of Withdean as Albion have and they will hopefully not be the last.

If the Seagulls win their remaining home matches against Wrexham, Wycombe, Northampton, Bury, Notts County, Bristol City and Swindon then they will be as good as up.

This was the sort of success on which promotion campaigns are founded.

It lacked the fluency and high tempo of the enthralling rout of Reading five days previously, but Albion deserved the points.

They always looked more likely to score and Michel Kuipers was largely untroubled in keeping his third clean sheet out of five.

They can now move above Reading if they win their match in hand but that, as boss Peter Taylor acknowledged, was not the biggest benefit of the result.

Bristol City were the only other victors in the top seven. The Seagulls are six points clear of the faltering pack and nine ahead of Huddersfield.

Of course another title would be nice, the icing on the cake, but who really cares if they go up as runners-up?

The instigator of this latest triumph was a back-to-form Paul Brooker.

Taylor described his display against Reading as the best since he took over and Brooker was in influential mood once more.

The enigmatic former Fulham left winger provided the cross for Junior Lewis to head home the all-important goal and he was involved in the majority of Albion's best attacking moments.

Taylor said: "I'm pleased with him. He's a confidence player. He's been frustrating since I've been here, because I look at him in training and he's absolutely magnificent. I want him to take it onto the pitch and in the last couple of games he has started to do that.

"He is a magnificent lad and he has had to work hard to get into the team. He has done that and hopefully he is being rewarded now."

Lewis emphasised how useful it is to have acquired a midfielder capable of breaking into the box and scoring.

Bobby Zamora's tenacity set up Brooker for a pinpoint cross from the left which the gangling loan signing from Leicester met with a close-range header.

Played two and a bit and scored two is the record for Lewis, who missed training in the latter part of last week due to a slight groin injury.

That's not bad for a "bit of a plodder", a remark which taken out of context would be construed as disparaging if made by anyone other than Taylor.

He used the phrase as part of a glowing appraisal of the ability of a player he has signed for the third time.

Zamora led the line with customary class and endeavour on his last appearance before a three-match ban.

Albion will miss him badly, but the stout defending of an ever-dependable back four as Huddersfield pressed for parity in the last 15 minutes will serve them well in his absence.

Town's two best opportunities fell to the head of on-loan Chelsea striker Leon Knight, ironically the smallest player on the pitch, but he was wastefully high with the first and failed to connect with the second from Chris Hay crosses.

Taylor said: "If we can keep our home form up we are going to give ourselves a chance.

"Some of the results were good for us again, but it's about us. Now all of a sudden there's another massive game against Wrexham."

They are all going to be for the next two months and Division One beckons if Albion can pull off a magnificent seven at Fortress Withdean.

Albion Reserves visit Hassocks tonight for a rearranged Sussex Senior Cup third round tie (7.45pm).