Sussex World's Matt Pole and is joined by Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford, Sam Morton, who covers both Brighton & Hove Albion and the Reds, and Albion writer Henry Bryant.
Brighton’s winless run continued as they were beaten 4-0 at home by champions Manchester City.
We’ll pick over the bones of Albion’s defeat, and bring you all the latest twists and turns from Crawley Town’s League Two play-off charge ahead of their final league game of the season.
You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at SussexWorld.co.uk/sport, and you check out other great videos on ShotsTV.com and Freeview channel 276
Brighton’s winless run continued as they were beaten 4-0 at home by champions Manchester City.
We’ll pick over the bones of Albion’s defeat, and bring you all the latest twists and turns from Crawley Town’s League Two play-off charge ahead of their final league game of the season.
You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at SussexWorld.co.uk/sport, and you check out other great videos on ShotsTV.com and Freeview channel 276
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to another episode of the Goldmouth Action Podcast, where we take a look at all
00:04the latest goings on the Brighton, Hove, Albion, Crawley Town and Sporting Sussex. I'm Matt
00:08Pole and this week I'm joined by Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford, Sam Morton, who covers
00:12both Brighton, Hove, Albion and the Reds, and Albion rye Henry Bryant. Brighton's winless
00:17run continued as they were beaten 4-0 at home by champions Manchester City. We'll pick over
00:22the bones of Albion's defeat and bring you all the latest twists and turns from Crawley
00:25Town's League 2 play-off charge ahead of their final league game of the season on Saturday.
00:30You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at sussexworld.co.uk
00:35forward slash sport, and you can check out other great videos on shotstv.com and Freeview
00:39channel 276. You may also be watching on later TV. Thank you very much for tuning in. I bear
00:45as mentioned at the top of the podcast, Brighton's winless run extended to five games following
00:49their home loss to Man City on Thursday night. Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Fonan, Julian Alvarez
00:54netted for City as Albion slipped to 11th in the Premier League. We were chatting a
00:57little bit before we started recording, Sam, and it didn't sound like it was great last
01:01night.
01:02No, it wasn't at all, Matt, really. It was another tough game for Brighton, which they've
01:07had a lot of recently. And we just started discussing that they are down in 11th place
01:12in the Premier League now, and the hopes really are slipping of another season in Europe.
01:16And obviously, a lot of that is down to the amount of injuries they've had and the fact
01:19that they've not been able to fill the same team twice, I don't think all season, really.
01:24And they've constantly been seen seemingly hit by new injuries every week. Obviously,
01:28this time it was it was Evan Ferguson and Pervez Estepinan confirmed to be out for the
01:32rest of the season for the game. And so that presents the opportunity for Valentin Barco
01:36to get his first full debut for Brighton at left back last night. And yeah, it didn't
01:42go to plan at all. I mean, to be honest, the first five, 10 minutes, they were quite bright
01:47and they were set up really well. And it looked like they were going to be frustrating
01:50Man City. A lot, I think, of the commentators and the pundits at the time were saying Man
01:54City just has to be patient and just not let Bryson's kind of game plan get to them, really.
02:01So it did start well for Bryson, but it quickly fell apart, to be honest, with Kevin De Bruyne
02:08unmarked and putting in a brilliant diving header. And then there's a bit of a controversial
02:12one with Phil Foden appearing to slip over his own feet outside the box, and he was given
02:16a free kick, which he stepped up and scored via deflection off Pascal Grosz. And yeah,
02:22Brighton's heads have completely dropped by this point. And they still decided to try
02:26and play out from the back, as they're told to do. And it was Valentin Barco, unfortunately,
02:30on his debut that made the killer mistake that was capitalised on, and Foden made it
02:343-0. So yeah, it was all just a bit dreadful at that time. You feared it could be a cricket
02:40score, to be honest. But they managed to get a half-time 3-0 down. And they did improve
02:46in the second half. It definitely looked more of a threat and looked like they might
02:49get a goal back. But as you say, Alvarez killed the game off and made it 4-0. It was another
02:54bit of a defensive mistake where Barco was turned inside out by Kai Walker. Jason Steele
03:00ran out to try and get the loose ball, but he couldn't quite get there. And then it was
03:04a tap-in in the end for Alvarez.
03:07I was going to ask you, Henry, how Valentin Barco got on on his full Brighton debut. But
03:13from what Sam said, it might have been a debut to forget.
03:17Yeah, absolutely. So it is fair to say that Valentin Barco did have a tough first start
03:22for the Albion in that game. And as Sam was mentioning, for Manchester City's third goal,
03:27he was dispossessed while the Albion were playing it from the back. And it allowed full
03:31Foden to capitalise. And again, for the fourth goal, Kai Walker was able to turn the Argentinian,
03:38which allowed a scuffed pass to Foden again for a brace in that game. But despite the
03:43errors and despite some of these chances that were mistakes that led to goals, Deserby said
03:50that he was Brighton's best player in the post-match press conference. And he would
03:55have definitely gained a lot of experience, it would be fair to say. He was very strong
04:00in his praise for Valentin Barco. And it's nice to see that he's able to protect his
04:07players and make sure that despite errors that did lead to a few unfortunate goals,
04:12which could have been avoided, that Deserby is able to protect his players in that sort
04:18of sense. And it was quite refreshing to see and quite nice to see. And I guess that provides
04:22confidence for those players, despite making those sort of silly errors that, you know,
04:29leading up to the next few games, especially with a big game at Bournemouth on Sunday,
04:32that we can refresh, restart in the few days we've got left before that game and hopefully
04:38get a result against a side that have crept up one place above us now, surprisingly.
04:44So we shall see.
04:45He did show a lot of character and despite making those mistakes, it didn't kind of deter
04:54him from going forward and trying to make a nuisance of himself. And he was probably
04:58the liveliest player for Brighton, really. He put in a couple of really good crosses,
05:03early on for Lewis Dunn for a header on goal. And there's another couple of ones where he
05:07played a lovely kind of defence spitting pass. And there's definitely signs of a really good
05:10player there. And Deserby was full of praise for him in the press conference. And it made me feel
05:16a bit guilty for giving him a low rating in my player ratings. I think it was a five or a six.
05:20But I think if it wasn't for those mistakes, it would have been higher. And it's just difficult
05:25to give a player that's made such crucial errors much higher than that. But I can definitely see
05:29why he would get that praise and the character and everything that he showed. So yeah, definitely
05:33promising signs from him. Can you be too harsh on a player who's making his debut in England,
05:38his full England debut, when they're playing Man City as well? Yeah, it was definitely about
05:42him as a fire. I think I noted that as well, just of all the games to throw him into. This is
05:48definitely one of the toughest. Because he came on as a substitute away at Liverpool, which is
05:53another really tough place to go. And he didn't look completely settled. And he's only on the
05:58pitch for a few minutes, but he lost the ball every time he got it. And he didn't really look
06:02kind of settled on the ball. And I did ask De Serbi when we'd maybe see more from him.
06:05And he wasn't actually in the squad for the following game at Brentford. He'd been left out
06:09to work on his own physical condition alongside Anssi Fati. So you're kind of wondering, would
06:13he get that opportunity this season? So I definitely was surprised when he played last night,
06:18especially against Man City. But I think to be honest, he did obviously make those errors,
06:22which you can expect for his age and his learning. And the way De Serbi wants to play at the end of
06:26the day, he wants his players to learn that system. But I think, yeah, definitely decides
06:30to be a good player there. Well, in his pre-City press conference, De Serbi did confirm that
06:35Talisman, Pervis Stupanian and Evan Ferguson will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign
06:41through injury. How big of a loss are these two, Sam? And why have injuries been such an issue
06:47this season? And how much do you think can be pinned on the European campaign?
06:52Yeah, you can say that, couldn't you? I think they're just not used to playing a number of
06:55games. And that really has had its toll. As I said before, they've not been able to field the
07:01same team two weeks running, I think, all season. They've always had someone out, obviously, for a
07:05long period of time. I think Soli March has been out from the previous time they played Man City
07:10at the Etihad. Jack Hinshaw has obviously been out for a long time. João Pedro was out for a while.
07:15And to be honest, Stupanian himself has had prolonged periods out and he's not had the
07:19best of seasons. I don't think he's not been able to put running games together and get to the form
07:23he was in last season. And same with Devin Ferguson. He had such a great start with the
07:28hat-trick against Newcastle. And obviously, he had such a brilliant breakout season last year.
07:34But we kind of expected him to kick on this year and show why he was valued
07:37so highly. And he's unfortunately not been able to do that. And a lot of that's been to do with
07:41injuries. He's just not been able to have it running the team, get the goals flowing.
07:46And when he has played, obviously, he's been relied upon to fill the boots of João Pedro,
07:51for example. And he hasn't quite been able to get back to that goal-scoring form. And it's a shame
07:56now that he will be out for the rest of the season, because the survey revealed that he'd
07:59been playing through the pain barrier. So, that might explain why he's not being at the peak of
08:03his powers, I guess. But yeah, it's so frustrating for Serbi, really, that all season long he's had
08:08to deal with injuries left, right and centre. It's difficult to pinpoint one reason why that is,
08:14but I think, yeah, potentially that is the fact they've had to deal with more games than they used
08:18to.
08:21Well, Albion travel to 10th place Bournemouth on Sunday. On paper, Henry, this is Brighton's
08:27easiest game of the run-in, but the Cherries are currently unbeaten and five at home in the
08:31Premier League. How do you see this one going? You mentioned the fact that they've leaped
08:34Frog Brighton in the table.
08:36Yeah, it's quite an interesting one for the Albion. I don't think a lot of Brighton fans,
08:41as I was saying, would have expected us to be behind Bournemouth in the league at any point
08:45this season, especially when we consider the goal that Brighton have had to get back-to-back
08:50seasons in Europe in any sort of way, shape or form. And Bournemouth, they sort of struggled
08:56last season and it's been quite a surprising mid-table finish it's looking like for Bournemouth
09:03at the moment. So it's a big test for the Albion to see if they can get a victory away from home,
09:07boost morale for the players and support of the club. There was a tweet that was going out the
09:13other day about a child at the Albion being told off by his dad and the punishment for misbehaving
09:20was watching all of Brighton's games for the rest of the season. And I just thought that was quite
09:29ironic and just sort of showed the, I guess, the nosedive in the excitement of football we're
09:35playing at the moment with the likes of Karim Atoma out as well. He's been such a big driving
09:40force in making creative sort of runs and creative attack in play with the Albion.
09:47But it won't be an easy task for Brighton. I mean, Dominic Solanke is on 18 Premier League goals.
09:52So he's an absolute barnstormer of the season so far for Bournemouth. And at the time of recording
09:58he's the fourth top goal scorer behind the likes of Olly Watkins, Cole Palmer, Erling Haaland.
10:04So I can't see the home side not getting a goal at least in this game. So it will be a really
10:09tough one for the Albion. And Brighton haven't won a Premier League match since beating a
10:14struggling Rottingham Forest at the start of March. So I think it will be a close affair.
10:18And Zerby will be looking to motivate his men and get them back on winning ways,
10:25maybe sort of boost that morale.
10:30Kyrie Oatle has done a great job at Bournemouth though, hasn't he? He's never going to win a
10:36manager of the season kind of thing, but he could be in this sort of conversation,
10:39him and Unai Emery, people like that. But yeah, done an incredible job with Bournemouth this year.
10:49Do you think Brighton are going to win another Premier League game this season, starting with you?
10:58Sorry, I think they will. I think they'll get at least one more. I think the games they've got,
11:01they've got to get at least one. As we were just discussing Man United,
11:04you never know what can happen against them. Same with Newcastle, they're a bit mixed form.
11:08So I think, yeah, they can get at least one more before the end of the season.
11:12Mark, can you see him getting one more win?
11:14No.
11:16Henry, do you share Mark's confidence?
11:19I'm always sharing confidence for the Albion. If that goes into paper, probably not. So I'm not
11:25sure what that's worth. But I think, you know what, I'm really confident that we'll be able
11:31to get something out of the Bournemouth game. And I'm hoping for a win there.
11:36Not saying there's a win, but hoping.
11:38Hopeful. Well, we shall see. Well, thank you very much,
11:40chaps. And we're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we're going to talk
11:42all things Crawley Town. Crawley Town's play of hope for Denton following Saturday's two-all
11:47draw at relegation threatened Sutton United. How big of a blow was this result to the Reds'
11:53playoff dream, Sam Morton?
11:54Yeah, it was a really frustrating one. Me and Mark were there watching
12:01at Sutton and it was one of those where you expect Crawley to win. It was such a bright
12:05start. They had lots of chances to open the score. And they eventually did towards the
12:10end of the first half through Liam Kelly's sensational goal right to the top corner.
12:15And we thought it was brilliant. Me and Mark were getting very excited, checking on the
12:18scores of the other games. It was all falling in really nicely for Crawley at the time.
12:23And all the rivals losing or drawing and it looked like Crawley were in the money.
12:28But obviously football can change very quickly. And it did. Sutton got an equaliser right
12:32at the start of the second half. And then meanwhile, Doncaster were mounting a crazy
12:37comeback and it was all going wrong. And then Sutton ended up going 2-1 up. So it really
12:41was just a bit of a disaster. Crawley did manage to nick a point, rescue a draw at the
12:46end and even could have won it. They had a goal disallowed. It was obviously Lollos
12:51that made it 2-1 and then Orsi thought he'd made it 3-2. But he was all offside and all
12:56the frantic celebrations were cut short. So yeah, a really disappointing one for Crawley
13:01in their kind of quest against the playoffs. But as we know, it's not over yet. And that's
13:05the message that Scott Lindsay was definitely sending out at the end of the game, that you
13:09never know what can happen in football when you just play to the last game, the last whistle.
13:14It's amazing, though, how incredible they were still in the playoffs at the end of Saturday
13:20because they haven't won in, what, four games now, five games? And they were still in the
13:25playoffs. I mean, they're so lucky with the way results have gone for them, I think, Crawley.
13:31I mean, Doncaster have just been incredible. And if they do get in the playoffs, Doncaster,
13:36the likelihood they'll win it because of the momentum they've got is incredible.
13:39Ten wins on the trot. But yeah, no, I was just amazed that they were still in the playoffs at
13:45the end. So yeah, they still stand a chance. Obviously, after Tuesday night's results,
13:48they were out of the playoffs going into the final game. But we'll get on to that, I'm sure.
13:53Yeah, I was going to mention that after the game, there seemed to be a spot of handbags
13:57at full time. What sparked the fracas, Mark, and what punishments have been doled out by the FA,
14:02if any?
14:04Here's a funny one, really. I don't really know what sparked it. And handbags is the right word.
14:08It was just a lot of... I think there was two people ended up on the floor. But I was chatting
14:12to someone yesterday, and they were saying the two people that ended up on the floor were both
14:15Sutton players, because it was one Sutton player trying to hold back another Sutton player,
14:19and the force he held him back, they both fell over. But yeah, it was just... I think it just
14:25got quite tense, really, the whole game, because I think Crawley sunk Sutton's level to some extent.
14:32Sutton were lumping it long, and Crawley sort of tried to match that. And they were
14:39big side Sutton. And it's just very physical. And I think the fact that Crawley got that late
14:44equaliser and then thought they'd won it and were celebrating, and I think the whole bench was
14:48celebrating as well. And I think that just wound Sutton up a little bit. And I think just as the
14:52final whistle went, I think somebody must have said something, and it just kicked off. And
14:57literally everybody was involved, players, staff, physios, everybody. It was quite odd.
15:02But the FA have charged both teams for... both clubs have allegedly failed to ensure that their
15:10players and technical area occupants did not behave in an improper or provocative way after
15:15the final whistle. So they've been charged with that, and the teams have until Friday to respond
15:20to the charges, which is today. So yeah, we'll see. It'll probably just be a monetary fine of
15:26some description. But I think Crawley have been charged earlier in the season. So whether they
15:32get a slightly bigger punishment because it's their second offence, I don't know. But yeah,
15:36it was just handbagged and just silly and just sort of marred what was an exciting day, really,
15:41because Crawley had their record attendance for a away league match. It was 1,100 and something
15:49Crawley fans were there, and it was a great atmosphere. But it was just a shame they
15:53couldn't just get that win. If they just won two of their last four or five games,
15:57they could have been in the play-offs already. So frustrating. But it's all down to the final
16:02day. It's going to be exciting. The hopes of claiming a player place got even tougher on
16:07Tuesday night as Doncaster won their game in hand. But as Mark said, the race to the play-off isn't
16:12over just yet. What results are needed, Sam, for Crawley to secure a top seven finish on Saturday?
16:17Yeah, well, it's very possible when you think about the form that some of the other teams
16:22are in. I think Barrow, for example, have been in a bit of a terrible run. So I think that provides
16:26Crawley with some optimism that if they do win and Barrow fail to beat Mansfield, that will be
16:32them in the play-offs. So they don't even have to lose. They can draw and Crawley will still go
16:36above them. Or if Crawley win and Doncaster lose at Gillingham, they go back above Doncaster.
16:42Obviously, that seems unlikely when they've won 10 games in a row. But Crewe as well,
16:46if they lose at Colchester, Crawley would go back above. But actually, a draw would be enough
16:53for Crawley with all sorts of circumstances happening, which would be that Barrow lose by
16:58two or more goals against Mansfield, Bradford fail to beat Newport and Walsall fail to beat
17:03Wimbledon or win by three goals or fewer. So yeah, crazily enough, a good draw could be enough for
17:11Crawley, but they have to win. They've got to go and win and hope that one of the teams above them
17:15drop points, which is very possible. They've got to focus on what they have to do,
17:20focus on their task at hand and go and get the win.
17:24When I spoke to Scott Lindsay yesterday, he said they know they've got to win. I mean,
17:30you just said a draw will do, but they've got to go out and win. But he said if they do win,
17:34a lot's got to happen for them not to get in the play-offs. So I mean, if Crewe, Doncaster
17:43and Barrow all win, then what can you do? There's nothing you can do. It's just unlucky.
17:48But yeah, there's some big games there. Something funny, the Crewe-Colchester one,
17:53it seems on paper like quite a big game because Colchester can still get relegated,
17:57Crewe have got to get something, but they both just need a draw. And it's just, you can imagine,
18:02I'm not suggesting there'll be any kind of thing, but when both sides just need a draw,
18:10it becomes quite a difficult job for them. But yeah, it's got to be exciting.
18:17Yeah, we'll preview the Grimsby game in a minute, but I don't mean to sound pessimistic. How will
18:23Crawley Town this season be viewed if they do miss out on the play-offs? Does it feel like
18:28there will be contrasting emotions if they do miss out, Mark? It'll be an odd feeling, I think.
18:33I think it will be. I think initially, if they miss out tomorrow,
18:38there'll be huge disappointment for everyone. And it'll just be a little bit of a missed
18:43opportunity because of the position they were in and the few latest results. But
18:51after Saturday and Sunday, they've got their awards evening. I'm sure that awards evening,
18:57whatever happens, will be an evening of celebration for what they've achieved this year.
19:01They won the fans over quite early on after what was a terrible year last year.
19:08They played some great football, got some incredible results, had a little run in the
19:14EFL trophy where they beat a League One club and things like that. So yeah,
19:20what he's achieved with the players he's got, it's been an incredible season.
19:24Scott Lindsay said yesterday that if we get to the play-offs, it's a great achievement
19:28in itself. But if he gets to the play-offs, it won't be enough for him. He'll want to win the
19:32play-offs. So yeah, it will be initial disappointment if they don't get it. But
19:39I think people have got to be realistic and think, wow, what a ride we've had this year.
19:45And I think, yeah. And I think the players feel the same. I think the players know that
19:49they've done something special this year with Calder Town. Absolutely. And we're going to
19:55combine the score prediction and the preview for the Grimsby game. Sam,
19:59Bred's host, fourth from bottom, Grimsby, at the Caulfield Stadium on Saturday. How do you see this
20:03one going? Yeah, it's a tough one to call because obviously Grimsby have nothing to play for.
20:10They're already safe down in 21st position. So they've not had a brilliant season themselves,
20:16but they have done enough to survive. So the pressure will be completely off them going into
20:21the game. And it's difficult to tell if that will be a problem or actually help Crawley because
20:26obviously when they went to Sutton, they're playing a team fighting for their lives. And that can
20:31obviously impact a game regardless of what form they're in. And obviously as we saw that, they
20:36nearly got the win in Sutton. So you kind of have to hope that Grimsby will not be firing on all
20:42cylinders and take the foot off the gas a little bit. And Crawley need to get an early goal to
20:47get rid of those nerves. If they concede a goal on the break, for example, it would just get a
20:54bit messy. So I think, yeah, get an early goal, settle those nerves and hopefully get a comfortable
20:59win and have a few more goals as well. So they're definitely a banana skin as we know, but any game
21:04can be in League Two. So they need to just focus on their task at hand and do what they do best and
21:10get the win they need. And your score prediction?
21:13Score prediction? I'm going to go for a 3-1 Crawley win.
21:18Mark, I will ask you the exact same question as Mr Morton. How do you see it going and what's
21:21your score prediction? So yeah, it's got Lindsey referenced yesterday that, yeah,
21:26it's dangerous playing a team who've got nothing to play for because they play with more freedom
21:30than they have done probably all season. And he thinks Grimsby are in a false position. He thinks
21:34they're a really good side. So it's not going to be easy at all. And it is. I think the fans will
21:42be more nervous than the players. And speaking, we spoke to Lawrence Maguire and Liam Kelly
21:45yesterday and there doesn't seem to be any nerves or readiness going into it, although it seemed like
21:51there was on Saturday with the players. But I think this week, because they know exactly what
21:56they've got to do, they've just got to win. I think, yeah, I think they're going to go out and
22:00win maybe. Yeah, I don't know if they're leaving conceded. I think it might be two or three-nil.
22:05And like you say, I think I fully agree with Sam that that early goal is key because the longer it
22:10goes on nil-nil, the nervier it will get. But very quickly, I spoke to Scott Lindsay and I said,
22:19some managers now you speak to, you say, oh, well, you keep an eye on other scores. No, no,
22:23no. We just focus on ourselves. Scott Lindsay was like, no, I'm going to have my phone on me. I'm
22:27going to be checking every five minutes because he just wants to know because it might mean that
22:32he has to make a tactical change in the game and all that. So, yeah, they'll get an early goal.
22:38They'll cruise it. But again, it's just relying. It's just going to be a nervous
22:41wait at the end what the other results are. Absolutely. And we'll have a quickly race
22:46round. Brighton go to Bournemouth. Henry, how do you see that one going? What's your score prediction?
22:52Well, I think that Brighton showed some promise in some areas, obviously making mistakes against
22:58Manchester City. But I think that if Brighton are able to, how they did in the first 10 minutes,
23:05create that attacking threat with the likes of Jal Pedro, who did look good in that game despite
23:094-0, I think that Brighton can get a shock result, surprisingly, against Bournemouth. And I reckon
23:15it can be 2-1. Sam Morton, what's your score prediction for that one?
23:20I think a draw. I'm going to go for a 1-1 draw. Dominic Solanke is on a bit of
23:25good form. A tough one for Brighton to deal with. Yeah, just another tough game. I think
23:30a 1-1 draw. Yeah, I think I'm going to agree, Mr Morton there. What do you think, Mark?
23:342-1 Crawley. Crawley are going to win at Bournemouth. No, 2-1 Bournemouth. I think
23:41it's just not happening for Brighton at the moment. So, yeah.
23:45Well, we will wait and see. Thank you very much for joining us this week,
23:48chaps. You can catch up with all the latest sports news covering everything we've talked
23:51about today at sussexworld.co.uk forward slash sport. And you can watch more excellent videos
23:55on shotstv.com and Freeview channel 276. Thank you very much for listening and watching,
24:00and we will see you next week.