Dick Knight joked that Albion's European campaign was over for another season.

Mark McGhee delivered a post match verdict of the "disappointed to lose but..." variety.

And that was about the closest you were ever going to hear to anything remotely negative from Albion's first run out ahead of the challenge of the new Championship season.

Rightly so from a day Albion will remember for years.

More than 1,000 of their fans made their way to the small, tranquil and, in terms of sporting facilities, fabulously equipped Normandy town of Gonfreville l'Orcher to see this first pre-season outing ahead of the Championship campaign.

It was the Seagulls' big day out of summer 2005 and the hordes who followed them by plane, ferry and shuttle bus will talk about the trip long after the memory of two second-half Le Havre goals has faded.

No doubt they will have great tales to tell back at work today.

When the chat with their mates who did not make the trip gets around to the football, those who were there might recount the encouraging way their men passed the ball at times.

They will probably be enthusiastic about Albion's response to Guillaume Hoarau's 54th-minute opener, as an attacking trio of Leon Knight and substitutes Jake Robinson and Colin Kazim-Richards caused a few problems.

They will report that Paul Reid looked in good touch, that Dean Hammond was energetic in midfield and that young Richard Martin made possibly the save of pre-season.

But, more than anything, they will talk about the support which followed them across the channel.

Albion fans made up 70 per cent of the crowd at a game which, for a few hours on Friday, looked like being postponed due to a panic over security.

Instead, the match passed off very peacefully. A nice little warm-up to forthcoming weeks and months, in fact, on and off the pitch.

McGhee, said: "The French people were astonished by the response of our supporters but it's not untypical of the backing we get.

"They have enjoyed their little trip and I think they will go home encouraged by what they have seen.

"We're never happy to lose a game but I thought it was a good exercise.

"They scored the first goal when we were down to ten men and the second when we were pushing forward with a little bit of abandon so we can live with that "It was everything we expected and everything we hoped for."

Albion were getting Guy Butters back on the field after treatment when Le Havre scored their first goal.

William Mocquet burst clear of their attempts to play offside in Butters' absence, Jonathan Roufosse arrived in support and, when his shot came back off the bar, Hoarau slid home the rebound.

The French kept possession impressively in the minutes immediately after the goal but Albion had a late spell of pressure which could have brought them level.

Kazim-Richards had a lob blocked by oncoming goalkeeper Steve Mandanda after cleverly lifting the ball over the challenge of defender Antony Gauvin.

Robinson tested Mandanda at his near post after a great turn and the unmarked Butters volleyed a great chance wide when Knight's corner found him all alone beyond the far post.

There was certainly a misleading look about the scoreline when Jean-Michel Lesage ran 30 yards to slide the ball past John Sullivan seconds from time.

Sullivan, one of two young keeepers used by Albion in the absence of Michel Kuipers, might feel he could have come out slightly quicker to meet Lesage but otherwise he looked confident and capable.

As did Martin, his colleague between the sticks, notably when he flew high to his right to brilliantly tip away a 12th-minute thunderbolt from Lesage which was dipping and swerving towards the top corner from 25 yards.

Lesage had a few other near misses in the first half but the best chances went to Albion and, in particular, Mark McCammon.

After just a minute, he miscued from close range after Albert Jarrett had driven the ball hard and low across goal.

Then Butters sent McCammon beyond Le Havre's attempts to play offside, only to see goalkeeper Oliveir Blondel grab the ball as the Albion striker made an unconvincing attempt to dribble around him.

That first goal of pre-season will have to wait. But, with a week of hard work and a decent quality friendly already behind them, Albion's French adventure has kicked things off nicely for the new season.