They say every cloud has a silver lining and Albion emerged from a bleak second half with reasons to believe the sun is still shining on their survival bid.

Strange as it seems, they are marginally better off following their first League defeat by more than one goal since that galling mauling by Crystal Palace in Steve Coppell's first away match in charge.

Taking something from a Gillingham side recording a fifth straight home win in succession in Division One was always going to be a tough ask, especially without the banned Bobby Zamora and Gary Hart.

Yet the trio below obligingly succumbed at home to teams beneath the Gills in the table, thus preserving Albion from dropping back into the relegation zone by virtue of a goal difference which remains significantly superior.

A further boost followed in the form of Andy Hessenthaler's assessment of the Seagulls' situation.

Gillingham's combative player-manager, ruled out by the beginning of a two-match ban for ten bookings, played against Grimsby a fortnight earlier when they were also beaten 3-0 at the Priestfield Stadium.

Hessenthaler was in no doubt about which team has more chance of beating the drop.

"I think Brighton will stay up," he said. "They have got a good manager and the players to dig deep and get themselves out of trouble.

"They made it a lot harder for us than Grimsby did. That game was a lot more comfortable.

"We didn't play fantastically and it was scrappy at times, but we got the goal at the right time just after half time.

"Even then they made it very difficult for us. I am sure Steve Coppell will say they have got to bounce back from this and I am sure they will.

"They have players who battle for each other, similar to ourselves."

The margin of Albion's demise was certainly harsh. Gillingham were better but not by three goals.

In fact, in the first half they were not better at all. Albion more than held their own and the men from Kent seemed to lose their way once the aerial threat from Mamady Sidibe disappeared with a thigh injury for the Mali-born giant.

How ironic then that Tommy Johnson, Sidibe's substitute, should play such an important part in changing the pattern of the contest.

That's right, the same Tommy Johnson whose double a dozen years earlier for Notts County sentenced the Seagulls to heartbreak in the First Division play-off final at Wembley.

The former Derby and Celtic striker has struggled since then, but he made quite an impact on his first appearance this year after a calf injury.

With the second half less than a minute old he caught the Albion defence cold with a fierce angled shot which Dave Beasant did well to get a hand to.

Paul Shaw, on target twice at Withdean in September, reacted quickest to nod in the loose ball at the far post from close range and join Danny Wallace on eight League goals for the season.

Goals change games and it was the defining moment of the match, as Coppell acknowledged.

"At half time I felt, if anything, we'd quelled their fire a little bit," he said. "They are a powerful team at home, physically and ability-wise but I thought we had done a good 45 minutes work.

"I stressed then to keep it tight as anything in the first ten minutes and lo and behold I had not even got to the dugout and we were 1-0 down. One goal turned the game."

It turned irretrievably away from Albion 13 minutes later when ref Peter Walton, a late replacement for Paul Armstrong whose wife had gone into labour, awarded a penalty which owed everything to Johnson's nous.

The way he fell convinced Walton the grounded Ivar Ingimarsson had lunged into him with a mistimed tackle. The Icelandic defender's version of events offered an alternative perspective of the incident.

"I didn't go for the ball or the man," he protested. "I was just going in to block the shot. I threw myself down and was laying on the floor when he caught me on the head. There was no intention to try and bring the man down."

Johnson's ensuing spot-kick and Ingimarsson's unfortunate part in Gillingham's embellishing third with 14 minutes remaining added insult to misery for the on-loan Wolves centre half.

He blocked Shaw, only for Nicky Southall's shot to take a wicked deflection off him which left Beasant moving in the opposite direction to the ball.

Conceding three was rough on the veteran keeper, 44 later this month. Beasant performed well, particularly with an early save from Nyron Nosworthy.

Coppell complained, with some justification, that Albion created more clear-cut opportunities.

Paul Brooker missed the target with a couple of good ones in the opening 15 minutes and Anthony Rougier, all muscle and bustle on his full debut, could have got on the scoresheet again.

Zamora almost certainly would have if he had been playing and Coppell will be mighty relieved to have him back for Wednesday's relegation crunch at Stoke.

"It's such a strange division and it's possible the team that reacts best to defeat and regroups will be the one that retains First Division status," Coppell said.

His theory is about to be put to the test in the Potteries.

  • Albion (3-4-1-2): Beasant (gk) 8; Watson (rwb) 7, Mayo (lwb) 6, Cullip (cd) 7, Blackwell (cd) 7, Brooker (m) 6, Carpenter (m) 7, Ingimarsson (cd) 7, Barrett (f) 6 Rodger (m) 7, Rougier (f) 7. Subs: Jones for Mayo (withdrawn 66), Piercy for Barrett (withdrawn 79), Wilkinson for Brooker (withdrawn 83), Oatway, Packham.
  • Bookings: Barrett (75) unsporting behaviour, Blackwell (90) unsporting behaviour.
  • Gillingham (4-4-2): Brown; Edge, Smith, Ashby, Nosworthy, Shaw, Saunders, Hope, Wallace, Sidibe, Southall. Subs: T. Johnson for Sidibe (injured 17), Perpetuini for Smith (injured 81), Osborn for Shaw (withdrawn 85), Bartram, L. Johnson.
  • Scorers: Shaw (46), T. Johnson (59) penalty, Southall (76).
  • Bookings: Ashby (68) foul.
  • Half-Time: Gillingham 0 Albion 0.
  • Attendance: 9,178.
  • Fan's View: Dave Bartram (Polegate).

Whichever way you try and dress it up, the fact is that we really do miss Bobby Zamora.

It was an encouraging first-half performance but once again a painful reminder that you must take your chances, something which I'm sure Paul Brooker is all too aware of.

Perhaps Bobby would have put at least one of those chances away.

It's never a good time to concede a goal but just after half time really knocked us back. Then the duboius penalty award and a deflection for the third and it was all over but it could have been so different if we'd scored in that first period.

Priestfield has certainly changed since the Albion played there.

The tide is turning. Even though we lost, results elsewhere still went our way. If we beat Stoke, that will put us back on track but the truth is, we'd be happy with a point.