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Withdean's Greatest XI Vote - Right Back
With the end in sight for Brighton and Hove Albion's
time at Withdean Stadium,
we've decided to put together a poll for the Greatest
XI to pull on the stripes
during our 12 year stay - with this weeks vote being for
the right back slot.
Right back is supposed to
be a defensive position, but since 1999 it has proven
to be anything but that for the Albion.
Current incumbent Inigo Calderon is only the latest in a long line of full
backs who have offered just as much at the back as they
do going forward.
Paul Watson was the main architect for
many of Bobby Zamora's goals with his set piece delivery,
and even came within one goal of netting ten in 2000-2001.
Adam Virgo's surges forward were rewarded of course with
that Swindon goal, and Paul Reid and Gary Hart were naturally
midfield players who found themselves filling in.
It's been a position that,
given how many players we have got through at Withdean,
has had very few men play there such has been there consistency
down the years - but who was the best for you?
Please
remember this is a vote for the player you thought to be
the BEST Albion right back - not your favourite!
Paul Watson
1999-2005,
197 appearances, 15 goals |
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Watson
arrived from Brentford in the summer of 1999
and he did not relinquish his right back spot
for another five years until injuries kicked
in. He was as dependable a full back as you
could have and arguably the best set piece taker
seen at Withdean. Not only would he score with
free-kicks, but the number of assists that his
quick routine with Bobby Zamora would produce
for the striker was remarkable. Watson completed
over 100 games back-to-back and in 2000-2001
his ever present record enabled him to come
within one goal of netting ten in a season.
His professional career came to a premature
end in 2005 after nearly a year on the treatment
table. |
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Robbie
Pethick
2001-2003,
63 appearances, 1 goal |
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A vastly
experienced right back, Pethick arrived from
Bristol Rovers on a free transfer in the summer
of 2001. Although he never really managed to
remove Paul Watson from the team, Pethick did
end up making a respectable 63 appearances over
the course of just over two years at the club.
A solid player who would very rarely get beaten,
his versatility was often his downfall as he
found himself featuring at right back, right
midfield, centre back and even central midfield,
plugging holes left by other individuals. His
best form arguably came at the start of the
2002-03 season, albeit in a team that was on
a run of twelve league defeats in a row. |
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Adam Virgo 1999-2005,
2008-2010, 134 appearances, 13 goals |
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The
first of three entries into the polls for Virgo
is the position where he established himself
as a first team regular under Mark McGhee. With
Paul Watson suffering along term injury, Virgo
was thrust into the side at right back and didn't
let anybody down. He held the position until
the end of the season, defying his appearance
as a big, bulky centre back with bursting runs
down the wings that ultimately culminated in
his 120th minute equaliser against Swindon in
the play-off semi finals. Part of the defence
that kept seven clean sheets in eight games
at the end of 2003-04 that had a huge bearing
on the Albion's success in gaining promotion. |
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Paul Reid 2004-2008,
94 appearances, 5 goals |
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Paul
Reid arrived as a central midfielder just before
deadline day in 2004 to help with the Seagulls
play-off push, but it was the next season as
a right back that he really made a name for
himself. Moving into the position after Adam
Virgo's conversion to centre forward, Reid was
a regular as either a full back or a wing back
as the Seagulls survived in the Championship
and in 2005-06, his versatility saw Mark McGhee
use him at left back on occasions. A serious
knee injury in 2006 kept him out of the game
for over a year, and he never recovered the
form that made him a formidable member of the
Albion's defence, with Dean Wilkins releasing
him in 2008. |
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Andy Whing
2006-2011,
91 appearances |
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Whing
originally arrived on-loan from Coventry in
2006 to cover for the injured Paul Reid and
ended up impressing so much that the Sky Blues
recalled him in December of that year. Dean
Wilkins got his man though when he joined on
a free transfer in the summer of 2007, and Whing
was an ever present from then, winning player
of the season in Albion's great escape under
Russell Slade for his never-say-die attitude
and looking at times like the only player in
that team who gave a toss. Unfortunately, his
days were numbered though when Gus Poyet arrived
with his new style of football with which Whing
was distinctly uncomfortable and he left in
January 2011. |
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Inigo Calderon 2010-,
47 appearances, 5 goals |
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One
of Gus Poyet's first moves in the transfer market
was the free signing of the Spaniard and it
instantly proved to be a shrewd move. Calderon's
cavalier style of defending fitted right in
with the way that Poyet wanted his men to
play as he roamed forward from right back with
his long hair flowing in a Jesus-like manner.
A capable defender as well as offering an attacking
threat, his influence was such that after just
six months at the club he was appointed vice
captain. A regular scorer when he finds himself
in the opposition half, rumours were abound
that Celtic were looking to make a bid for him
in Janaury. |
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