Sussex Express Seagulls Scene

They are still very much a Premiership outfit, currently just outside the play-off zone. They also boast a magnificent stadium with over 26,000 in the ground.

The bad news was Bobby Zamora was out injured. In came Tony Rougier for what would be his last game for the Seagulls before returning to Reading.

The ball bobbled about so much on the Portman Road pitch I wondered if the Tractor Boys had ploughed it recently! Perhaps this was the reason for Danny Cullip's poor back pass that led to the first goal from Marcus Bent?

It was not a happy half time for Seagull fans. Two fellow strugglers were winning away from home!

Albion's rollercoaster season continued to provide surprises as they proceeded to go 2-1 up with less than 10 minutes to go. First Gary Hart crossed for Tony Rougier to head onto the underside of the bar and score off the goalkeeper's back! The second was a pinpoint cross from Paul Brooker for a Rougier tap in. That was Tony's fourth goal in his loan period in which he's become something of a Seagull legend! Unfortunately Brighton, without Zamora, couldn't hold out and Ipswich came back to equalise with six minutes left .

Rougier, who had a great game, said afterwards that he is sorry to be leaving, but asked fans to believe as he did that the Seagulls would stay up. We were left wondering if the Albion's medical staff could work their own miracles and give us Bobby Z, or even the elusive Paul Kitson for the Palace game!

The BIG game was on Tuesday night at Withdean against old rivals Crystal Palace. There are 5,000 of us who were at Selhurst Park in October who really don't wish to remember the savaging the Eagles handed out to the then rock bottom Seagulls. It was, however, a rebuilt and more confident Albion that took the field this time; boosted no doubt by a Withdean in full voice.

The last visit by Palace for a league game was on Boxing Day 1988 and the fans clearly relished the occasion. The significance of the game did not go unnoticed by the FA too; sending as they did Paul Durkin, perhaps England's best known ref, to keep control of the action.

It was all Brighton for the first half, with Beasant only really being tested once by the Palace attack, brilliantly tipping a shot over the bar. No goals by half time, but the Albion faithful felt sure they would come after the break.

Though Palace had a good spell for the first 10 minutes of the second half, normal service was soon resumed with the Seagulls streaming forward on the attack. Palace opportunities were few and far between and matters went from bad to worse for them as defender Danny Granville was quite rightly sent off mid way through.

It proved, however, to be one of those nights when effort is just not rewarded with goals. Hart will have been asking himself how, with barely five minutes of normal time left, he missed from very close rage; his volley rocketing high over the Palace bar.

A goalless draw and we left Withdean with the sound of Palace fans singing: 'going down, going down...'. I feel the Seagulls may yet prove them wrong.