Wednesday make the long trip South to Brighton on Tuesday evening as we look to end a run of 4 without a win and renew our playoff push.
Brighton have been in sparkling form in recent weeks having taken 20 points from their last 9 games. They've won their last 4 at home scoring 12 goals in the process.
Wednesday are currently clinging on to a playoff place in 6th position with 55 points from 35 games. Cardiff are level with us having played 35 also. Ipswich and Birmingham both have 54 points but have played a game less.
The Seagulls are soaring again after a bit of a wobble. They sit 4th and have 64 points from 35 games and are just 3 behind Middlesbrough in 2nd and 4 adrift of leaders Burnley.
Owls News
Head Coach Carlos Carvalhal says apart from Fernando Forestieri, everyone else is fit and ready to play. Forestieri serves the final game of his 2 match ban.
Sam Hutchinson comes back into contention as do full backs Liam Palmer and Joe Bennett. Both had solid games and played in a back four that kept a clean sheet in the last game at Hull.
Owls XI (possible)
Westwood, Palmer, Lees, Turner, Bennett, Hutchinson, Lee, Bannan, Wallace, Hooper, João
Brighton News
Captain Gordon Greer returns from a hamstring injury.
Gaetan Bong (smoke inhalation) is back in training but unlikely to start.
Brighton XI vs Preston
Stockdale, Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Rosenior, Knockaert, Stephens, Kayal, Murphy, Hemed, Baldock
Head to Head
Since the turn of the century, Wednesday have played 7 times down in Brighton - 4 at the Withdean and 3 at the AMEX. We've won twice, drawn twice and lost on 3 occasions.
The 1-1 draw there back in 2003 was a particularly dark occasion as it confirmed our relegation to the third tier for the first time in 23 years. A second half Bobby Zamora penalty cancelled out Grant Holt's first half strike.
3 years later though the fortunes were reversed when Wednesday consigned Brighton to League 1 with a comfortable 2-0 victory. The Easter Monday game saw the Owls take an early lead through a Gary Hart own goal and the points were sealed with a fine Burton O'Brien solo goal on 69 minutes.
Since Brighton have moved to the AMEX, we've won 1 drawn 1 and lost 1. The win came last year courtesy of a Giles Coke left foot cross that looped over the keeper and in at the far post.
Matty Fryatt looked to have secured the 3 points and The Owls first win of the season a year earlier. His strike shortly before half time was the only goal of the game until Keith Andrews struck an equaliser in the 89th minute.
Our first visit to the AMEX was in September 2012. We were soundly beaten 3-0.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton were founded in 1901 and were elected to the Football League in 1920. There isn't much to say about Brighton's time in the football league before the 1970's. To be honest, I didn't know much about the history of this football club before doing a bit of research. The truth is, there is nothing to know, they haven't ever had anything of note to celebrate.
Mike Bamber was the chairman of the Seagulls in the early 1970's. He put the club's name on the map by appointing Brian Clough as manager in 1972. Cloughie understandably lacked the motivation to live in the south and work at a small club like Brighton and made the decision to bail out early. Brighton hit ghe headlines again when they appointed former England captain, Alan Mullery as manager. It was under Mullery that they were promoted to the first division for the first time in 1979. The club managed 4 seasons in the top flight. The 1982/83 season was a strange one for Brighton. Manager Mike Bailey was sacked just before Christmas in 1982 and Jimmy Melia took over. Melia couldn't turn the poor results around and the club were relegated back to the second division. We all know that Brighton also reached the FA Cup final in 1983. They beat Wednesday at Highbury in the semi final. It was a game Wednesday should have won and it was a bitter defeat to swallow. Oh well, it wouldn't be Wednesday if we'd have won it. They lost the final in a replay to Manchester United. 'And Smith must score!'
Brighton's insignificance continued for the next decade but they made the headlines in 1996, again, for non footballing reasons. It became evident that the the Seagull's financial situation was becoming ever more perilous. The Directors decided they had to sell the clubs ground - The Goldstone Ground. The team were battling relegation from the football league in 1996/97 and looked doomed when Jimmy Case was sacked. Steve Gritt was given the seemingly impossible task of keeping Brighton up. Gritt cleared the road to safety and Brighton gained the traction needed to overcome a 13 point margin and 2 point deduction to take it to the final day against Hereford. The Bulls were the only team beneath Brighton in the league, therefore had to win. Robbie Reinelt's second half equaliser secured a 1-1 draw and survival for Brighton. A mass pitch invasion ensued and protest against the sale of the Goldstone Ground.
Leader of the fans group against the board, Dick Knight had taken control of the club. However, the sale of the ground to property developers went through and Brighton arranged to play their home games in another ghastly place, 70 miles away - Gillingham (shudder). Brighton played there for 2 seasons before moving back to the south coast and into the Withdean Stadium. Anyone who ever went will know it's not a football ground. Mk's National Hockey Stadium was better suited to football. My only visit there was in 2006 when we relegated them and two other teams on the same day.
Wednesday legend Micky Adams took charge in 1999 and were promoted to division 2 in 2001 owing a great deal to Bobby Zamora's goals. Adams left in October 2001 to become Harry Bassett's assistant at Leicester. Brighton had started the season well and Peter Taylor guided the Seagulls to the Division 2 title and a second successive promotion. The momentum gained could not be sustained and Albion were relegated after one season.
New manager Mark McGhee guided them to promotion back to the second tier in 2003/2004 through the playoffs. Brighton managed to stay afloat in division 1 this time around by finishing 20th. It wouldn't last. Paul Sturrock's Owls relegated them on Easter Monday 2006. McGhee was sacked early on the next season.
A succession of managers and struggles to avoid the drop back to the fourth tier followed. Dean Wilkins, a returning Micky Adams and Russell Slade held the hot seat until Gustavo Poyet was appointed in 2009. Poyet stabilised the club in League One and went on to win the title the next season. By this time, Brighton had finally gained the long awaited funding and planning permission their new stadium and it was built at the much talked about Falmer site. They moved in at the beginning of the 2011/12 season and achieved their best finish in the second tier for years, finishing just outside the playoff places. In the 2012/13 season, Brighton finished fourth in the Championship but lost out in the playoff semi finals 2-0 on aggregate to 'bitter' rivals Crystal Palace. Poyet and his staff were subsequently suspended for some unknown reason and were officially sacked under a cloud a few months later.
New coach Oscar Garcia guided Brighton to the playoffs again in his solitary season in charge. They lost to Derby in the semi final.
Last season, Sami Hyypia took charge and Brighton struggled near the foot of the Championship table. He resigned from his post in December 2014 with the Seagulls firmly ensconced in a relegation battle after a run of 1 win in 18.
Chris Hughton was appointed on New Year's Eve 2014. It's so far proved to be an inspired appointment after Hughton guided Brighton to safety relatively comfortably and he's progressed the team way beyond expectations so far this season.
Brighton and Hove Albion are another one of these Reading sorts that believe football has only existed for the last five years.
Played for Both
Richie Barker, Mark Chamberlain, Phil King, Leon Knight, Leroy Lita, Joe Mattock, Larry May, Ian Mellor, Chris O'Grady, Lloyd Owusu, Eric Potts, Howard Wilkinson, Danny Wilson
Final thoughts
I didn't think Brighton would be able to sustain their fantastic early season form and unbeaten run. The first defeat came in December and they began to wobble. Some terrific January signings has seen their form improve again and they're firmly in with a shout of finishing in the top 2.
I don't think any of the 1,300 or so travelling Wednesdayites are expecting 3 points from this one. Brighton have some real momentum and the automatic promotion places are within touching distance. Wednesday, on the other hand have hit a wall and have only taken 2 points from four games scoring 1 goal.
Having said that, we have some quality players who can cause them problems and worse teams than us have taken 3 points from the AMEX this season.
If someone offered us a point now, I'd snap their hand off.
Brighton 1-1 The Owls
UTO