Brighton & Hove Albion had their first season back in the top flight after a 34 year absence and they made it count.

They finished 15th, seven points clear of relegation at the end of the season, which if anything it was overachievement for the club who were expecting to be battling the drop until the final day of the season.

A big summer spend 

Brighton spent big in the summer signing Pascal Gross, Davy Propper, Matthew Ryan, Jose Izquierdo and Markus Suttner -  spending around £45 million to secure them.

There broke their transfer record three times in the summer, which showed their intent to spend the money needed, to get the quality they needed to stay up.

A tough start to the season

Brighton were not handed the easiest game to start the season, as they entertained Manchester City at home under newly appointed, Pep Guardiola. ​However, despite their squad being worth over £400 million less than City's, they gave a great account of themselves and kept the score at 0-0 till the 60th minute.

The Seagulls ended up being defeated 2-0, but it was a very promising start from them.

Albion then had to go away to Leicester City ​and again they suffered a 2-0 defeat.

Their third game saw them gain their first point of the season, drawing 0-0 away at Watford, however they should won the game against 10-men Watford, plus the fact they had hit the post.

Brighton's first Premier League goal and win and  Gross shines

Their fourth game saw them entertain West Bromwich Albion ​at The Amex. Brighton scored the opening goal in this game right on the stroke of half time when Solly March set up Gross, who stabbed his effort home and The Amex erupted with relief.

 

The match ended 3-1, with Gross getting another goal and then setting up Tomer Hemed for the third goal.

This not only secured Brighton's first three points, but also highlighted what a player Brighton had signed in Gross. 

September, October and November bring plenty of points for the Seagulls

Brighton did incredibly well in the next few months securing 16 points from 11 games, which saw them gain four wins, four draws and suffer three defeats.

This saw them climb up to what would be their highest position of the season after the win against Swansea saw them sitting in eight place, the position even more impressive when you look at the fact Brighton had to play the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal away up to that date.

December was a tough month

The last month of the year proved a tough one for the Seagulls, as they suffered a 5-1 defeat at home to Liverpool, plus 2-0 defeats away to both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. This meant they picked up a total of five points from seven games, leaving relegation worries lingering.

A new year and a change of fortunes

Brighton kicked off the new year well with a draw against AFC Bournemouth and victory in the FA Cup third round against arch rivals, Crystal Palace. The month saw the club spend again in the January transfer window, breaking their transfer record to sign Jurgen Locadia from PSV Eindhoven, Leonardo Ulloa on loan from Leicester, Tim Krul on a free from Newcastle United and Ezequiel Schelotto from Sporting Lisbon.

However they struggled towards the end of the month with defeat against West Brom and a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Chelsea.

February's goal of the season contender

February was an incredible month for Brighton as they played four games in the league and cup, winning three and drawing one. This saw them do the double over both West Ham, 3-1, and Swansea, 4-1.

The West Ham game saw a Goal of the Season contender produced when in the 59th minute a corner fell to Izquierdo 30 yards out and he curled his effort into the top corner, leaving the stadium speechless. 

February also saw Locadia score his first two goals for the club in the FA Cup before following that up with a Premier League strike against Swansea.

Two big scalps in the last three months

Brighton finished the season well, with them claiming two big scalps along the way. The first of these was at the beginning of March when they came up against a struggling Arsenal side. Brighton won the game 2-1 and this proved a key victory to spark The Seagulls survival bid.

This was then followed in April by an even bigger scalp. Brighton went into the third last game of the season against Manchester United and knew a win would secure survival, however they knew this was very unlikely.

But, they silenced any doubters with an incredible performance, which was capped off with Gros's header being given by goal-line technology with it crossing the line comfortably and giving Brighton a 1-0 win. The atmosphere was incredible throughout the game and the stadium was overjoyed and shocked that they had pulled off the unthinkable to guarantee their survival.

Brighton finished the season with losses to Manchester City and Liverpool, but it didn't matter as the Seagulls could look forward to a thoroughly deserved season of Premier League football again.

They will be hoping to kick on next season and make more quality additions to the squad to once against guarantee their survival in England's top flight.

 

 

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About the author
Adam Stenning
University Sports Journalism student, who has a real passion for sport especially Football. Am a huge Brighton and Hove Albion fan and season ticket holder there for the last eight years.