We couldn’t make the long journey down to Brighton, but our correspondent Kevin Sinclair offers up these thoughts on today’s game.

I can’t understand how we lost that game today. I was very worried at first because they were set up to be fluid and mobile in midfield, and we looked so square with Moose and Greening in the centre. Their number 9 was finding oodles of space between our defence and midfield. But they couldn’t find him with any passes and gradually we took control. It was 42 minutes until there was a shot, and I don’t think either goalie actually made a save all afternoon. But in the second half it was all us. We didn’t exactly have a lot of penetration, but they couldn’t even get out of their own half.

Cunningham looked like a liability to me. This was the first time I’ve actually seem him play, and I’m just not convinced he’s a good enough defender. The goal (and it was a neat, well-taken goal when it came) came down his flank. Apart from him Greening was the only new player from last season in the team today, but we looked very lightweight going forward compared with the Billy years. Moose was my man-of-the-match, but both Chambers and Morgan were excellent: their strength and size was I think the main reason Brighton couldn;t get anything going up front. Anderson looked very tired with about 15 minutes to go. This was exactly the kind of game that Dexter Blackstock would have made a colossal difference in.

Something else: the fans today were excellent, despite a drab (at best!) first half. That stadium has good accoustics, actually. I was pleased to see us starting with two proper wingers in McCleary and Anderson – it seemed quite an aggressive formation, even with Maj rather than an orthodox second striker. I’m not sure he and Tudders really work well together – on paper it should be good, but somehow they can never get any interplay going, it seems to me. Neither brings out the best inthe other. And I’ve actually only just realised that Blackstock was actually on the bench today. I wonder whether he’ll be the same player again?

[Seagull photo taken by ChillaII]