Vote for your WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month for November 2013
With the traditional write off that is the month of October out of the way, Brighton and Hove Albion returned to winning ways with three wins and one draw in a hugely encouraging November.
That three of the four games were on the road makes the 10 point haul even more impressive with away wins at Doncaster Rovers and Wigan Athletic and a draw in the “South Coast Derby” down at Bournemouth.
The months only home game was an excellent 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers although the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story as Tomasz Kuszczak gave arguably his best performance of the season in that victory.
There were a couple of genuine Goal of the Season contenders as well from Jake Forster-Caskey up at Doncaster and Ashley Barnes down at Bournemouth but perhaps most pleasing is the fact that this months shortlist doesn’t have a referee on it after Keith Hill took a shock second place in our October Player of Month poll.
Ashley Barnes
Three goals in three games at the end of the month in the central streikers role including that absolute stunner against Bournemouth means that he continues to make life without the injured Leonardo Ulloa much easier than any of us expected it to be.
Bruno
Below par so far this season although he probably hasn’t been helped by Oscar Garcia’s strange decision to play him as a central midfielder, this was a much improved month for the Spaniard in which he played an important role in some impressive defensive showings.
Craig Conway
With Will Buckley and Kazenga LuaLua both out, the on-loan Cardiff winger has had the chance to shine and he has taken it with a number of solid performances out wide, hinting at what he might be capable of when fully fit.
Andrew Crofts
The midfielder is becoming a vital part of the team not just with his performances from midfield but also his goals, scoring the winner away at Wigan Athletic to make himself joint top goalscorer for the season so far. He won October’s award and in truth has probably been even better this month.
Jake Forster-Caskey
The youth team product looks to have finally established himself in the first team after never really getting a real run of games under Gus Poyet. His stunning goal away at Doncaster Rovers and another strike in the home game with Blackburn Rovers were the highlights of an impressive November.
Gordon Greer
The Albion’s captain finally made his Scotland debut this month, helping them to two clean sheets in their two friendlies and he has bought that form back to The Amex where he has again been superb at the heart of the defence.
Rohan Ince
Immense against Blackburn and it says everything that he has kept his place in the side despite the fact that Liam Bridcutt has been fit for the majority of November. On this form, he makes the possible departure of Bridcutt in January seem less daunting.
Tomasz Kuszczak
That stunning save at Wigan single handedly earned two extra points from the DW Stadium by preventing a 1-1 draw and he made several key blocks at Bournemouth. His best performance though came in the game against Blackburn, which could quite feasibly have ended in 4-3 defeat without him.
Matthew Upson
The former England defender continues to impress at the heart of defence alongside Greer. He was superb in helping to keep that unlikely clean sheet against Blackburn and imperious away at Wigan as the Latics laid seige to the Albion goal late on in their search for an equaliser.
Stephen Ward
Another key component of the defence, he had his best game at Doncaster in the first away win since August. He may not get forward as much as Wayne Bridge used to, but he is certainly rivaling the former England left back for the impact he has made.
