Albion's bobby dazzler has done it again.

Bobby Zamora continued where he finished off last season as the Seagulls opened their home campaign with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Rochdale.

Two first half goals from the teenage wonder kid clinched Albion's first win of the season after veteran Tony Ford headed Rochdale into an early lead and both teams had been reduced to 10 men.

Andy Crosby and the visitors' Tony Ellis were sent off by rooky referee Phil Prosser for what seemed a fairly innocuous clash.

A record Withdean crowd of 6,076, boosted by the extra seats behind the east goal, were stunned when the 41-year-old Ford nodded in a Simon Davies cross in the 14th minute.

Zamora, snapped up from Bristol Rovers for £100,000, just before the start of the season levelled three minutes later with a precise header from a Paul Watson centre.

Prosser, in his first season on the League list, left everybody bemused when he showed Crosby and Ellis the red card on 19 minutes after an incident close to Albion's penalty area.

Manager Micky Adams, having left Paul Rogers out of the starting line-up, quickly brought his captain on at the expense of the unfortunate Darren Freeman to fill Crosby's place in the centre of defence.

Albion piled forward and they were rewarded on the stroke of half time with a superb left foot finish by Zamora from Gary Hart's pass.

It lifted the 19-year-old striker's tally for the Seagulls to eight in as many matches following his prolific loan spell last season.

More importantly it made up for the disappointment of the opening day defeat at Southend seven days earlier.

The second half was uneventful by comparison, although Prosser ended up booking seven players as well, including Hart, Zamora and new captain Charlie Oatway for Albion.

Adams has Danny Cullip and Nathan Jones available from suspension for Tuesday's Worthington Cup First Round First Leg Tie against Millwall at Withdean.

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