Cast your votes in the WAB Brighton Awards 2023-24

The 2023-24 season will go down as one of the most memorable in Brighton history – and now comes your chance to recognise the key players and best moments in the 15th WAB End of Season Awards.

Europa League football came to Sussex for the first time with the Albion beating some of the biggest names in Europe. Nobody will ever forget Brighton defeating Ajax, AEK Athens, Marseille or Roma and the away days which came with them.

To that end, the 2023-24 WAB Awards contain a new category for best Brighton Europa League moment. It is one of 10 different awards for you to vote on, including the coveted Look-a-Like of the Season. A club source reliably informs us is the award every Albion player wants to win over anything else.

Failing that, being named WAB Player of the Season us not a bad consolation prize. Previous winners include Andrew Crofts (left Brighton a month later), Glenn Murray (left Brighton a month later), Liam Bridcutt (left Brighton six months later), Stephen Ward (left Brighton a month later), Inigo Calderon (left Brighton a year later), Shane Duffy (sent on loan to Celtic a year later), Yves Bissouma (left Brighton a year later) and Marc Cucurella (left Brighton two months later).

Pascal Gross was Player of the Season 2022-23 and is still yet to leave over 12 months on. Should he retain his crown, he will become the first ever three-time winner.

Joining Europa League Moment of the Season as a newcomer is Amex Stadium Food of the Season. Thanks to social media accounts like Footy Scran, stadium food and drink is becoming ever more prominent and recognised than ever before.

It therefore felt like high time to acknowledge some of the high-quality, bargain buys put out by the Albion – such as the £5.50 scotch egg, £7 for three croquets and of course a cost-of-living-crisis defying bag of Starburst.

You have until Friday 7th June to cast your votes in the WAB Brighton 2023-24 Awards. Thank you for taking the time to celebrate an unforgettable campaign in the history of the Albion.

 

WAB Player of the Season 2023-24

Simon Adingra
Seven goals and three assists represented a superb first season in a Brighton shirt for the lively winger. Showcased his versatility by playing down both left and right flanks. It was not just for Brighton that he sparkled either; man-of-the-match and set up both goals for Ivory Coast as they won AFCON back in February.

Lewis Dunk
Dunk had arguably his worst year since the Albion were promoted to the Premier League. Yet it was still good enough to get him onto the WAB Player of the Season shortlist and belatedly see him become an England squad regular. That tells you everything about how fantastic he has been for Brighton.

Billy Gilmour
The Scottish international came to prominence in the final few months of 2022-23 and brought that form into 2023-24. Replacing Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo was never going to be easy without spending big money but Gilmour and Gross gave it their best shot.

Pascal Gross
Der Kaiser is aiming to become the first ever three-time WAB Brighton Player of the Season at our 2023-24 awards. 47 matches across all competitions yielded five goals and 13 assists – the most he has managed in a single campaign for the Albion so far. He is now the club’s leading all-time scorer in the Premier League and must be in the conversation for best Brighton player of all time.

Joao Pedro
A club-record £30 million on a forward who scored only 11 times in the Championship for Watford last season seemed like a lot of money last summer. Oh ye of little faith! 20 goals later – despite missing eight weeks of the season injured – and Pedro has been a steal. He lit up the European stage in particular with six Europa League goals from six matches.

Jan Paul van Hecke
Like Gilmour, Van Hecke is another player who did not feature much last season but has established themselves as one of the first names on the team sheet this time around. Easily the best Brighton centre back in 2023-24, which is saying something when Dunk has been his partner.

 

WAB Goal of the Season 2023-24

Kaoru Mitoma v Wolves (A)
Good enough to be nominated for the Official Premier League Goal of the Season award, Mitoma slalomed his way 50 yards down the pitch from the left touchline and into the Wolves box before beating Jose Sa. The hosts did their best to kick him off the park but nothing was stopping the Japanese Bullet Train.

Pascal Gross v Manchester United (A)
Goal of the Season tends to be won by spectacular individual strikers – could our WAB Brighton Awards 2023-24 buck the trend? The epitome of DeZerbiBall came at Old Trafford in September, when a 30-pass move started by a short Jason Steele goal kick ended with Pascal Gross putting the Albion 2-0 ahead against Manchester United.

Joao Pedro v Marseille (H)
Needing a goal in the closing stages to top their Europa League group, intricate passing from Adam Lallana and Gross worked the ball through a gap for Pedro to latch onto in the box. Some quick Brazilian feet later and the Brazilian forward picked out the top corner with a stunning finish.

Pervis Estupinan v Spurs (H)
It was a disappointing campaign for Pervis Estupinan thanks to a succession of injuries. Yet he still managed to score two absolute rockets. The first came off the bench in the 4-2 home win over Spurs in December, picking out the top corner with an unstoppable effort from 25 yards.

Pervis Estupinan v Stoke City (A)
Similar distance, different technique a week after that Spurs goal as Estupinan produced another jaw-dropping finish. This time he took a swing at a bouncing ball on the edge of the box, the result being a stunning volley which arrowed in at the near post.

Danny Welbeck v Roma (H)
Welbz is Dat Guy. Chasing a hopeless task of overturning a 4-0 first leg defeat against Roma, Welbeck did at least score the best goal of the tie when bending one into the top corner from a good 30 yards.

 

WAB Memorable Moment of the Season 2023-24

Top of Premier League after two games
Remember last August? The sun shone, Brighton banged in eight goals in their opening two matches against Luton Town and Wolves and sat top of the Premier League for a week. Anything seemed possible. Who could have predicted that nine months later the WAB 2023-24 Brighton Awards would be played out to a backdrop of Roberto De Zerbi having lost his job.

Manchester United 1-3 Brighton
One of the best performances and results of the season came in September when the Albion went to Old Trafford. Manchester United had not yet descended to the joke they were by the end of the campaign, so to dismantle the Red Devils 3-1 on their own patch was a stunning success.

Beating Nottingham Forest with 10 men
The first of three mentions for Nottingham Forest 2-3 Brighton in the WAB 2023-24 Awards. The Albion were approaching three months without a Premier League win when coming away from the City Ground with a dramatic, chaotic three points. Big balls, as De Zerbi used to say.

Brighton 4-2 Spurs
“What the **** are we going to do against Spurs without any fit or available wingers?” The answer was pass Tottenham off the park through the middle with Pedro in particular running riot. A game worth remembering for those who shouted loudest about De Zerbi having no Plan B.

Brighton 4-1 Crystal Palace
Those of us old enough to recall Palace 5-0 Brighton from 2002 had been waiting over 20 long years for a day like this. The Eagles were dismantled at the Amex. So much so that the self-proclaimed “best fans in the world” walked out on their team before half time. A perfect afternoon of football.

Goodbye Mister De Zerbi
Brighton announcing before the final game of the season that De Zerbi was to leave gave the Amex the opportunity to give him the send off he deserved. His emotional speech in front of the North Stand was classy, passionate and full of love and respect. Grazie Mister.

 

WAB Europa League Moment of the Season 2023-24

Marseille 2-2 Brighton
Trailing 2-0 in the Stade Velodrome, it looked like the Albion’s Europa League campaign was over before it had even begun. Then the fightback started. Pascal Gross and a late Joao Pedro penalty salvaged a draw in a hostile stadium where not many other teams would recover a two-goal deficit.

Brighton 2-0 Ajax
An evening which started with Ajax fans attacking Albion supporters by throwing around carpet at Brighton Station like a scene from Aladdin ended with a first Europa League win for the Seagulls. One of the most famous, successful clubs in European football beaten by Little Old Brighton.

Ajax 0-2 Brighton
Better was to come when the Albion went to the Johan Cruyff Arena. Who needs to take mushrooms in Amsterdam when Brighton beating Ajax 2-0 on their own patch can provide such a surreal experience?

AEK Athens 0-1 Brighton
Thursday morning at the Acropolis. Thursday afternoon drinking Mythos and eating gyros in the sun. Thursday evening watching Brighton beat AEK Athens to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. A tear gassing for good measure. Thursday night spent partying with Fatboy Slim DJing. What a trip.

Brighton 1-0 Marseille
The final game of the group stage was effectively a winner-take-all meeting with Marseille to decide who finished top. Brighton picked the most dramatic way to secure victory via a late Pedro goal to spark wild scenes of celebration around the Amex.

Brighton 1-0 Roma
Okay, so the Albion were all-but eliminated by the time Roma came to Sussex. But some pride was restored with a 1-0 win over the famous Italian outfit.

 

WAB Flair Moment of the Season 2023-24

Roberto De Zerbi loses mind after Forest (A)
That Forest game crops up for the second time in the 2023-24 Brighton awards thanks to De Zerbi completely losing his mind at the full time whistle and sprinting across the pitch to the celebrate with the away end. Just thinking about it makes me miss the mad Italian bastard and he hasn’t even been gone a month.

Roberto De Zerbi in the crowd v Marseille (H)
Another unforgettable De Zerbi celebration came three weeks after the win at Forest when the Albion head coach jumped into the crowd to celebrate Pedro’s later winner against Marseille at the Amex.

Joao Pedro celebration v Palace (H)
One. Two. Three. Four. Cut throat gesture because Palace had been killed at the Amex. The moment which perfectly summed up Brighton thrashing their arch rivals 4-1.

Lewis Dunk back heel v Sheffield United (A)
Any number of Dunk’s trademark chest back to goalkeeper could qualify for Flair Moment of the Season. It has now though become such a regular occurrence that where do you even begin? Instead, the Albion captain makes the shortlist for his ridiculous chasing down of a bouncing ball heading harmlessly out of play at Bramall Lane and keeping it in via a back heel straight to a teammate. Like watching prime Cafu.

Valentin Barco dressed as a chessboard for day in London
Future WAB Brighton awards beyond 2023-24 may well feature a Best Valentin Barco Outfit of the Season category. The Argentine teenager posted all over his Instagram a day in London with his family in which he can only be described as wearing a denim chessboard matching shirt and trousers.

Jack Hinshelwood becomes away fanatic
There is supporting your teammates whilst being injured and then there is Jack Hinshelwood. The young defender was spotted in the away end at Brentford, Bournemouth and Newcastle… even going so far as to travel back from St James’ Park on the train wearing one of the free Lewis Dunk t-shirts given to every fan as a thank you for supporting the Albion on the road.

 

WAB Comedy Moment of the Season 2023-24

Renaming the Amex Stadium the Amex Stadium
The big breaking news of summer 2023 did not centre around Brighton making a new signing or anything like that. No, it was the club’s decision to rename the Amex Stadium as… the Amex Stadium.

Lewis Dunk calls Anthony Taylor a bald prick
Okay, so Dunk might not have actually called referee Anthony Taylor a bald prick to get sent off away at Nottingham Forest. We will probably never know. What we do know is he said something terrible enough to pick up a straight red card. Cracking work from a captain leading by example.

Jason Steele FA Cup performance v Wolves (A)
The Streets will never forget Jason Steele’s performance at Wolves. Gifted the hosts the only goal of the game and then went up for a corner in the last minute. Fate decided the ball would fall to him five yards out with an entire net to aim at, only for him to miss. Brighton exited the FA Cup as a result whilst Steele registered a higher xG than any of his outfield teammates. Incredible.

2-0 down inside three minutes at Luton
“1: We’re underway against Luton.”
“2: Elijah Adebayo opens the scoring. 1-0.”
“3: Chiedozie Ogbene doubles Luton’s lead. 2-0.”

Attendance versus Aston Villa announced as 31,596
Aston Villa visited the Amex on a Bank Holiday Weekend. The game was moved to the Sunday at very late notice when a lot of Albion fans had already made plans. Brighton also happened to be on a terrible run of form, including no Premier League win for almost eight weeks and no goal for over a month. Unsurprisingly, there were thousands of empty seats. Official attendance? 31,596. Thank you for your fantastic support.

Finishing below Palace
The news of De Zerbi leaving meant it seemed to go hugely under the radar that Brighton had somehow managed to go from beating Palace 4-1 at the Amex and being miles clear to finishing the season below the Eagles in the table. Alexa, how do you mass delete tweets about minding the gap, teachers and apprentices?

 

WAB Villain of the Season 2023-24

Albion Medical Team
There is bad luck with injuries. And then there is the succession of problems Brighton suffered which suggest the issue was more than just bad luck. The fact the club moved to bring in a new head of medicine and head of performance for next season tells you something about where they feel the problem lies.

Moises Caicedo
Another snake who slithered off to Chelsea. Caicedo did little to endear himself to Albion fans following his departure with such incredible moments as telling Mauricio Pochettino Brighton lost to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in 2022-23, when in actual fact the Seagulls hammered Boro 5-1.

Oliver Glasner
Palace. Final three months of the season. Top four form. Makes you feel sick.

Sam Jewell
Another snake who slithered off to Chelsea. Jewell is yet to take up his new role with the Blues, but we are sure he will do something once at Stamford Bridge to further piss off everyone at the Amex.

Robert Sanchez
Another snake who slithered off to Chelsea. Threw his toys out of the pram before doing so and then tried to goad the away end when Brighton went to Stamford Bridge in December, only to be repelled by Dunk and Van Hecke.

Roma Ultras
You have to be highly deranged to think stabbing opposition fans in the arse is part and parcel of football.

 

WAB Amex Stadium Food of the Season 2023-24

£3.50 Bag of Starburst
A long-standing WAB favourite, the introduction of the £5.50 scotch egg (more of that in a minute) meant that the price of a bag of Starburst increasing from £3.20 to £3.50 for 2023-24 did not get the attention it deserved. Cost of living crisis. What cost of living crisis?

Burger with Gherkin
Burger with gherkin did exactly what it said on the tin. One burger burnt to a crisp with a solitary, lonely, shrivelled gherkin. All yours for a bargain price of just under £5.

Pulled Pork Sandwich
“£8 for something which looks like a cat has been sick into a burger bun” was how one disappointed Wolves fan termed his pulled pork sandwich. At least the football being a 0-0 draw on a Monday night in January made up for it…

£5.50 Scotch Egg
The addition of a scotch egg to the Amex Stadium food offering caused quite a stir in the national media. Costing £5.50, the Daily Star ran a headline describing it as more of a rip off than Moises Caicedo.

Sunday Lunch in Yorkshire Pudding
Roast chicken in gravy, Yorkshire pudding, potato rosti & cauliflower cheese all in a Yorkshire pudding. As one Albion fan wrote on Twitter: “They won’t sell you a bottle with a lid on in case you throw it, but they’ll happily sell you a biohazard discus for £8.50”

Three croquets for £7
Europa League home games saw the Albion rather admirably introduce a special item from the country of the visiting team. When Ajax were in town, that meant croquets. Three of them. For £7. Even the club seem to have realised this was a scandal as all trace of the £7 croquets have been deleted from their social media accounts.

 

WAB Look-a-Like of the Season 2023-24

Valentin Barco – Elton John
They both have ginger hair and pierced ears. That is all we have got.

Roberto De Zerbi – Volodymyr Zelenskyy
It was only towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign that a random Brighton fan posed the question as to whether De Zerbi looked like Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A bold shout which deserved far more recognition than the little it has received over the past 12 months.

Lewis Dunk – Neil from The Inbetweeners
A serial winner of this category every year at the WAB Awards since it was introduced, Brighton captain Dunk looking like Neil from The Inbetweeners is chasing a record-breaking third success in 2023-24 having last tasted victory in 2021-22.

Julio Enciso – Derek Acorah
There is always great excitement whenever an Albion player decides to bleach their hair and inadvertently ends up looking like Derek Acorah. That man in 2023-24 was Julio Enciso.

James Milner – Lee Evans
When Brighton signed James Milner in the summer, somebody directed WAB towards a website of England internationals and their look-a-likes. The attempted claim Milner was a spitting image of comedian Lee Evans genuinely left me shocked. And I say that as somebody who once included Glenn Murray and Prince William as a candidate for Look-a-Like of the Season.

Vincenzo Teresa – Gregg Wallace
The reigning WAB Look-a-Like of the Season winner. De Zerbi leaving Brighton is bad from a footballing point of view, but not being able to make Gregg Wallace references whenever fitness coach Teresa appears is the worst thing about the whole sorry situation.

 

WAB Sexiest Player of the Season 2023-24

Mahmoud Dahoud
Yes, Dahoud did really exist. And yes, he had a certain attractive quality about him. Sadly, he was not at Brighton long enough to grow the Bond Villain-esque moustache he sported at Borussia Dortmund to look even more like a stunning rogue.

Igor Julio
If Brazilians built like a brick shithouse are you sort of thing, then Igor is an obvious tick in the box. He looks like he has been chiselled out of granite.

Solly March
Having been nominated for Sexiest Brighton Player at every WAB Awards for the past half-decade, will 2023-24 be the year when March finally claims the crown? His boyish good looks have a certain appeal, but it is yet to be enough to take him to the title?

Kaoru Mitoma
Can Mitoma Mania extend as far as sweeping the Japanese Bullet Train to Sexiest Player of the Season? He has certainly had his admirers this season, including the executive box full of fanatics who flew from Japan to watch him sit on the bench in November’s 1-1 draw with Burnley.

Jason Steele
Performed reasonably well in this category in 2022-23, but that may have been because people were voting in the hope he usurped Sanchez as both Brighton number one and Sexiest Player. It will be fascinating to see how he gets on this year.

Joel Veltman
Suave, sophisticated Dutchman who rarely puts a foot wrong. Veltman is a class act and that is before you even recall the time he rescued a seagull from the chimney of his Hove home in 2022.

Polls close at 8pm on Friday 7th June. Thanks for voting in our WAB Brighton End of Season Awards 2023-24 and keep your eyes on WeAreBrighton.com for the results.