Albion 0, Bradford 1.

The extortionate prices for third-rate facilities, third-tier football and a rancid run of results has finally tipped some of the Withdean faithful over the edge.

The relationship between the Albion players and a minority of fans reached an all-time low, not only at the end of this latest home defeat but before it as well.

Jake Robinson and Dean Cox, for reasons known only to those spouting the vitriol, have become the unfortunate targets of a hate campaign.

I understand they were verbally abused for the second home game running, this time during the warm-up.

Without naming names, manager Dean Wilkins referred in his programme notes to an incident during the previous home defeat by Doncaster.

He wrote: "I need to ask a minority of our home fans to show more patience than they have been doing towards our younger players in the team. I appreciate the results at home haven't been brilliant but standing on the side of the pitch criticising two of our young subs who aren't even playing doesn't do anybody any good - except perhaps our opponents."

Wilkins' plea fell on deaf ears. He was reluctant to go into detail afterwards about "other matters", apart from the result, which "devastated" the dressing room, so it was left to Albion's broad-shouldered skipper Guy Butters to fill in some of the gaps.

Butters said: "I know a couple of the players had a bit of a run-in with the crowd. Someone said to me it happened in the warm-up. If some players are getting stick in the warm-up then you have got to ask why? That is not getting behind the team.

"I have been around for years and I can understand the frustrations. Everybody wants to win and nobody was more disappointed than the players.

"We are all down. We know we dominated the game again, created chances and hit the bar twice. They had one chance in the whole game and it has gone in the net.

"It's a heartbreaker in a way. The lads accepted the criticism for the Doncaster game because, fair enough, things never came off. It was a lacklustre display.

"This time everybody wanted the ball in the first half. We absolutely dominated them and just couldn't get it in the back of the net, which is the story of our season at home. We have got to keep plugging away and hopefully it will turn."

What is both baffling, and also quite disturbing, is why two locally born and bred youngsters like Robinson and Cox have been singled out.

Okay, they have had disappointing second halves of the season and Wilkins arguably stuck with them longer than he should have but overall they have both done pretty well.

Robinson, without a League goal since the end of October, still leads the scoring chart with 12 in his first full season as a first team regular.

Cox has exceeded expectations in his debut season at senior level, contributing nine goals from midfield and setting up a lot more besides with his eye for a pass.

Stick is normally reserved for seasoned professionals. The problem for Wilkins - and perhaps there is a lesson here - is that Butters was the only outfield player in the squad on Saturday who falls into that category. He would rather the fans vented their anger at him than the likes of Robinson and Cox.

The veteran stopper said: "If they want somebody to have a go at then have a go at me. I am older, I have been through it before. I know how to handle it.

"Some of the young lads feel they are giving 100 per cent and it is not working for them at home. Because they are young they don't understand just yet that the fans do get frustrated. All they feel is that they are trying to give 100 per cent and then to be criticised they feel something is against them.

"I understand everyone's frustration about the situation. We want to be higher up the league than we are. If our home form was half decent then we would be in the play-off positions now. Scunthorpe have been promoted and we have taken four points off them.

"We want a new stadium, we want to win every game but that is not going to happen. People have got to realise at the moment we are playing at Withdean. There is no atmosphere as such. That is no criticism of the fans, it is just the accoustics of the stadium, but get behind the young lads.

"Fans pay their money and are well within their rights to criticise the players. That is not a problem after a bad result but I am not sure I understand fully criticising them before the game, which is what I am led to believe happened."

Butters hit the nail on the head with that last remark. Abuse before a ball has been kicked is ridiculous but there can be no complaints about the boos and shouts from fed-up season ticket holders in a South Stand which was half-empty by the final whistle following another depressing outcome.

Adam El-Abd apparently reacted with gestures and shouts of his own which, while perhaps understandable in the heat of the moment, was an ill-advised response in the circumstances.

Those suffering supporters had just witnessed a tenth game out of 11 at home without a win to celebrate and seventh out of nine without a goal to cheer, this against a team in the relegation zone recording only their second victory in 16 and first clean sheet since the beginning of January.

Albion's performance was, in fact, much perkier for long spells than has usually been the case during their barren home run.

The tempo and some of the passing and movement in the first half evoked memories of the halcyon days of October, November, December but they were found wanting once more in the final third and, infuriatingly, conceded yet again from a set-piece.

Kelly Youga looped a header against the underside of the crossbar from a corner for Billy Paynter to nod in his fourth goal in 13 games since joining Bradford on loan from Southend at the end of January.

Butters, three minutes after Paynter scored, and Alex Revell, whose introduction coincided with another spell of sprightly domination, each hit the woodwork.

On the pitch Albion's season is closing with a whimper. They are still six points above Bradford which, with just three games to go and four other teams dividing them, will be enough to survive despite a hat-trick of defeats and only one victory in the last nine games home and away.

Off the pitch the recriminations may only just be starting.

ALBION (4-1-2-1-2): Scott Flinders (GK); Adam El-Abd (RB), Zesh Rehman (CB), Guy Butters (CB), Sam Rents (LB); Alexis Bertin (CM), Tommy Fraser (RM), Dean Cox (LM), Doug Loft (CM); Bas Savage (CF), Jake Robinson (CF). Subs: Michel Kuipers, Alex Revell (for Fraser 56), Joe Gatting (for Butters 86), Tommy Elphick, Zoumana Bakayogo.

BRADFORD (4-4-2): Donovan Ricketts (GK); Richard Edghill (RB), David Wetherall (CB), Mark Bower (CB), Kelly Youga (LB); Omar Daley (RM), Steven Schumacher (CM), Eddie Johnson (CM), Ben Parker (LM); Billy Paynter (CF), Moses Ashikodi (CF). Subs: Russell Howarth, Ben Muirhead, Matthew Clarke (for Paynter 90), raig Bentham (for Daley 90), Spencer Weir-Daley (Ashokodi 78).

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