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Withdean's Greatest XI Vote - Right Wing

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 side of midfield.

The right wing poll has proven to be one of the hardest to produce, thanks to the consistency we've been blessed with down that flank over the years.

The dominant force has of course been Gary Hart, he made the position his own for the first five seasons at Withdean.

Since then we've had only a handful of other players which has culminated in the excellent Elliott Bennett, which means we have only managed to string together five, yes five, genuine candidates for the spot out wide on the right in the Withdean Greatest XI

Please remember this is a vote for the player you thought to be the BEST Albion right winger - not your favourite!

Gary Hart 1998-, 372 appearances, 45 goals
Oh Gary Hart makes his second entrance into the polls at right midfield, the position where he had arguably his greatest time as an Albion player. He first occupied the position towards the end of 1999-2000 when a certain Bobby Zamora arrived on-loan and was used as a lone striker, and he stayed there for the next five years before switching to right back. Hart racing at people with his electric pace and head down became one of the many trademarks of the back-to-back championships of the early part of the 00's and although a broken leg sustained at Peterborough at the end of 2001-2002 slowed him down, he remained a permanent fixture on the right wing until 2005.
Rod Thomas 1998-2001, 48 appearances, 4 goals
A sign of just who low into the barrel we've had to scrape comes with Rod Thomas making the list. Bought by Brian Horton in 1998 using the supporters buy-a-player fund money, he was a tricky winger who loved to dance down the right. Despite his time at the Albion being marred by injuries, he still managed to put in 48 appearances and get the crowd buzzing whenever he received the ball. Unfortunately, his work ethic was best described as slightly lazy when it came to tracking back which obvious didn't sit well with Micky Adams, and with Gary Hart converted to a right winger, Thomas saw himself released in 2001 with two years still on his contract.
Sebastian Carole 2005-2006, 2009, 2010, 60 appearances, 2 goals
Carole first arrived at Withdean from Monaco in 2005. His direct running and ability to cause full backs problems meant he only lasted at the club for one season as Leeds United took advantage of the Albion's relegation to snap him up on a free transfer in the summer of 2006. Carole was only gone for three years before Micky Adams bought him back to Brighton in January 2009 and he played 15 games as Russell Slade mastered a great escape. Remarkably, he then returned to the club for a third time under Gus Poyet in January 2010, but unable to dislodge Elliott Bennett from the right wing, he was released at the end of that season.
Elliott Bennett 2009-, 82 appearances, 12 goals
Arriving under Russell Slade in August 2010, Bennett became an instant favourite among the Seagulls support and his now rightly considered the key man of the team. Before the midway point of the current campaign, he was already responsible for over twenty of the Albions goals through either assists or scoring them himself. This resulted in a seven figure bid from Norwich City which was turned down by chairman Tony Bloom. If Brighton are to go up this season, then it is impossible to put a price on Bennett's contribution and every single fan will be hoping he is still here next season to perform his magic at the Amex in the Championship.