WHEN the final whistle blew on Albion’s first win of the season, Dean White and Bob Booker made tracks towards one player in particular.

Russell Slade’s assistant and coach did not head off to congratulate Nicky Forster, delighted though they no doubt were by his decisive third goal in as many games.

Nor did they rush to embrace Dean Cox, who came off the bench in place of lively newcomer Arron Davies to set up Forster’s winner.

The handshakes were reserved instead for the unsung backbone behind a scrappy, gritty victory which, given the Seagulls’ stuttering start to the season, was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The evergreen Forster won the sponsor’s man-of-the-match. A goalscorer, especially when it is the winning goal, is always at an advantage but my vote would have gone to Adam El-Abd.

His determined defending throughout a tight contest in an unfamiliar role emphasised that El-Abd, 25 later this week, is not about to give up on his long Albion career.

It did not look good for him at the beginning of the season, when he was out of the side, or after his first start in the 7-1 horror show at Huddersfield.

El-Abd had a torrid evening, filling in at left-back, and was dropped for Stockport’s visit.

Tommy Elphick’s red card threw him a lifeline. He alternated with Andrew Whing between right-back and left-back in the gutsy draw at Millwall and made a stirring first home start since March in the problem left-sided position again. It bodes well for the versatile El-Abd’s bid to earn another contract with his only club.

“It's my last year, so I am fighting for my life really,” he said. “So many players were out of contract this summer that it has been quite scary.

“Matt Richards won an England under-21 cap and has played 300-odd games and eventually had to go on trial at Walsall.

“It is not an easy time to be in the lower leagues of football at the moment so when you get your chance you have got to grab it with both hands.

“The gaffer has brought in a lot of players but I don’t want to leave, I want to stay here. It’s my home town club and something special is going on here at the moment.

“A lot of players have come through the door and the stadium is around the corner. If I can get myself in the team and in amongst it and help the club out with getting us up the table that would be fantastic.”

Slade was appreciative of El-Abd’s contribution, as Albion made it an unhappy homecoming for former manager Peter Taylor.

“We have been working really hard with the back four and I thought he put in a really creditable performance,” Slade said. “He was nice and strong. It is not a position he is really accustomed to but he defended stoutly.”

Albion deserved the points, because they were the only team who looked like scoring, all-be-it rarely.

Davies, showing flashes of real promise in front of El-Abd, had the only chance of a grim first half when Forster cleverly released him, but the Welshman’s shot was at a convenient height for Scott Shearer to palm to safety.

Slade bravely excluded Cox, his chief playmaker, to give Davies an immediate debut. The move paid off as, within nine minutes of his introduction, Cox helped break the deadlock.

Remember Ben Foster’s save with an oustretched boot for Manchester United to deny Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie at Old Trafford?

Shearer produced something similar to foil Forster from Liam Dickinson’s pull-back but Wycombe fatally switched off, believing the danger was over.

Seconds later they were looking in vain for an offside flag against Cox when he squared for Forster to find an empty net.

It should have been two in the closing stages. Forster’s late replacement, Gary Hart, put clean through by Cox’s eye for a pass, dragged his effort the wrong side of the far post.

Taylor arrived back at Withdean worried about a leaky defence. He left bemoaning a toothless attack.

Michel Kuipers was late out for the start of the match after he was ordered to change his socks, because they clashed with Wycombe’s black kit. He could have remained in the dressing room for all the threat the visitors posed.

Kuipers’ biggest scare was self-inflicted. He was penalised by baby-faced ref Gavin Ward deep into stoppage time for taking too long to clear. Fortunately, the free-kick just inside his area came to nothing.

With excitement in short supply, it was one of those afternoons to admire the diligence in defence of El-Abd and his colleagues.

Slade said: “The biggest buzz I got was that, when we lost the ball, we were nice and solid and that was important.

“I felt if we could keep our discipline that somewhere in my side there was a goal in us.”

Albion (4-4-2): Kuipers; Whing (Elphick 46), Virgo, Tunnicliffe, El-Abd; Bennett, Dicker, Crofts, A. Davies (Cox 66); Forster (Hart 84), Dickinson.

Subs not used: Navarro, Thornhill, G. Smith, C. Davies.

Goal: Forster (75).

Red cards: None.

Yellow cards: Dickinson (6) dissent, Bennett (77) kicking ball away, Kuipers (90) time wasting.

Wycombe (4-5-1): Shearer; Moncur (Betsy 80), Oliver, Duberry, Woodman; Zebroski, Mousinho, Westlake (Pack 67), Green (Pittman 67), Phillips; Harrold.

Subs not used: Johnson, Young, Westwood, Beavon. Goals: None.

Red cards: None.

Yellow cards: None.

andy.naylor@theargus.co.uk