Brighton & Hove Albion captain Lewis Dunk has called for his side to take inspiration from the opening day victory against West Bromwich Albion at the Amex.
Dunk believes that the Seagulls need to make their home turf a stronghold for positive results this season.
Ahead of their much-anticipated encounter against newly-promoted Newcastle United, Dunk has spoken of the importance to put in a performance similar to the type they put in against the Baggies.
West Brom performance was the Seagulls' best in a while, says Dunk
The 3-1 victory against Tony Pulis' West Brom was a brilliant result for Chris Hughton's side. The victory was inspired by summer signing Pascal Groß, who scored twice on the day. His captain Dunk believes that game set the bar for the team, for the rest of the campaign.
He said,"We need to make the Amex a fortress and somewhere people don’t want to come. Against West Bromwich Albion that was the best we’ve played in a long time, even going back to last year, and in the first half we were unbelievable".
He spoke highly of the way that Brighton "passed the ball around" and said that "not many teams" could have stopped them on their day. However, Dunk believes that victory cannot be a one-off result and that the Seagulls need to "play like that" every week, emphasising that they need to do more "at home".
"They’re the games you’ve got to win to stay in this league, so we’re going to be working on that and see if we can do it again on Sunday", he said.
Seagulls will treat Newcastle game like any other
Last season, when Brighton were in the EFL Championship, they lost the league trophy on the final day, courtesy of their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, which allowed Newcastle to win the title. Rafael Benítez's side will look to spoil the party once again for the Seagulls.
However, Dunk has said that the history won't matter for today's game against the Magpies, who currently sit seventh in the league standings.
He said: "We’ll be treating Newcastle the same as any other game at this level and will prepare as best we can and be ready for it." He spoke about how the Brighton players will be working on the opposition's weaknesses and strengths and will go into the game, with confidence.
He continued in saying:"It’s always about the next game and this season we’re learning with every game and improving with every game, after what was a very tough start".
Hughton will be hoping for a happy return to his former side, as he aims to turn things around after consecutive losses to AFC Bournemouth in the league and the Carabao Cup.