The wait for Brighton and Hove Albion’s return to the big time is almost over.
Brighton manager Chris Hughton is on the verge of taking his side to the Premier League.
The Seagulls have not graced the top flight of English football since 1983. Their resounding 3-0 victory over Derby County on Friday evening put them one step closer to ending their 24 year absence from the Premier League.
With significant investment on and off the field from chairman Tony Bloom, the club has been periphery of the Premier League for a number of years. Now the prospect of the Amex stadium playing host to Premier League football is close to becoming a reality.
It was not so long ago that the club were focusing their efforts on gaining promotion back to the Championship. In 2010-2011 season, they were crowned champions of League One, three points ahead of Southampton.
We take a trip down memory lane, or to Meadow Lane on May 7th 2011 to be precise. Here is the starting XI who played for the Seagulls in the 1-1 draw against Notts County.
Casper Ankregen
The Danish shot stopper was signed by Gus Poyet, who was Ankregen’s assistant coach at former club Leeds United. After three years at Elland Road, he was considered a seasoned professional in the English game and proved to be a key figure. A productive season between the posts resulted in his side only conceding in 40 league goals. Only Southampton had a better defensive record. Ankregen is still with the club as both a player and goalkeeping coach.
Íñigo Calderón
Calderón quickly established himself as the first choice right back following a successful trial in January 2010. The Spaniard scored one of the goals in the 4-3 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge that secured promotion to the Championship. The former Alaves man went on to play almost 200 games for the club and was on the south coast until he was released at the end of the last season. He was a popular figure amongst supporters and won one player of the season award. He can be found playing his football in Cyprus for Anorthosis Famagusta FC.
Gordon Greer
Greer was appointed Brighton skipper after a summer £250,000 transfer from Swindon Town. The Scotland international was a dominating presence in the back four. His career with the club didn’t get off to the best start as he was sent off in their second game against Rochdale. Greer went on to play for the club in the Championship for a number of seasons before departing for Blackburn Rovers last summer.
Tommy Elphick
After coming through the academy ranks at Brighton in 2005, Elphick was a part of the side that finished bottom of the Championship. The defender played for five seasons in League One with Brighton. His partnership with Greer was a key component in the side’s success. The rest of his Brighton career was hampered by injuries. He was signed by Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth where he was promoted from both League One and Championship with them. He now aiming for a fourth career promotion with Aston Villa.
Marcos Painter
After a successful loan spell the left-back was signed from Swansea and played in every league game for the team. In a career that has been severely affected by long-term injuries, Painter enjoyed his best spell in football with Brighton, making over 70 appearances over a three year spell. He is currently a free agent after his short term contract with Portsmouth ended in 2015.
Elliot Bennett
Bennett had a season to the remember in this campaign. After assisting over 20 goals and finding the net eight times himself, the winger was named in the PFA League One team of the year. He played a significant role in the team but it was not all smooth sailing. Bennett handed in a transfer request in the January transfer window amid interest from Championship clubs. He was eventually signed by Premier League side Norwich for an undisclosed fee in the summer. Bennett is now playing with Greer at Blackburn.
Brighton are joint top of the Championship with just nine games left to play.
Liam Bridcutt
Bridcutt was a graduate of the Chelsea academy and Poyet was impressed enough to offer him an initial short-term contract. He impressed in the centre of midfield and played a starring role in midfield to help his side to promotion. Bridcutt was another one of the goal scorers on the promotion winning day in Dagenham. He excelled in the next two seasons and won back-to-back player of the season awards. He was snapped up by Sunderland but it did not work out in the North-East. He is now playing for fellow Championship promotion chasers Leeds United.
Yaser Kasim
This was Kasim’s one and only appearance for Brighton in his three years at the club. The former Tottenham Hotspur trainee was released in 2013. He is now playing for League One strugglers Swindon Town. An honourable mention should go to Gary Dicker who played a key role in the midfield alongside Bridcutt.
Matthew Sparrow
The right midfielder was signed by Poyet after previously spending 11 years for Scunthorpe United. Sparrow hardly set the world alight but put in a number of solid performances and he scored four goals to help the club secure the league title. Moves to Crawley Town and Scunthorpe followed his spell on the south coast. He emigrated to Western Australia in 2016 where he coaches semi-professional outfit Sorrento.
Ashley Barnes
Barnes scored Brighton’s final goal of the season. This was his first successful season in professional football. After being signed from Plymouth Argyle following a loan spell, the striker ended the campaign on 18 league goals. He finished as the club’s second top goalscorer behind Glenn Murray who finished on 22 goals. Barnes played for Brighton in the Championship until he was signed by Burnley and is now playing in the Premier League at Turf Moor.
Chris Wood
Before Chris Wood became one of the Championship’s most sought after centre forwards, the New Zealand international endured a number of loan spells whilst at West Bromwich Albion. He finished the season on a respectable eight goals after chipping in amongst the goals alongside Barnes and Murray. Wood is now at Leeds United and is plotting a promotion bid of his own this season. He has scored 22 goals and is the Championship’s top goalscorer.
Chris Wood (far left) scored 8 league goals in League One for Brighton and Hove Albion in 2010-2011.
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