Match Preview: Brighton v Fulham
Brighton and Hove Albion v Fulham was one of the easiest games to predict in the Championship.
By and large, Fulham would play superbly and the Albion would be absolutely terrible. Yet somehow, we’d always come away from the game with the most undeserved victories. Whether it was two goals in 90 seconds at Craven Cottage or Fulham tearing us apart at the Amex yet still losing 2-1, games with the Cottagers tended to be a guaranteed three points.
Nobody know how that will pan out in the Premier League. The two sides have never before met in the top flight and both have changed considerably in the two years that have passed since those last meetings thanks to some massive spending this summer.
One thing is for certain though – it is unlikely to be boring.
Who are Fulham?
Fulham were formed in 1879 as Fulham St Andrew’s Church Sunday School which would’ve been quite the mouthful on the classified football results with James Alexander Gordon. They became the second London based team to turn professional, yet despite being one of the oldest clubs to play in the capital city, they’ve only spent 25 years of their history in the top flight. Fulham have never won a major trophy either with the closest they’ve come being when they reached the FA Cup Final of 1975 to West Ham United and their unlikely run to the final of the Europa League in 2010 under Woy Hodgson where a team featuring Bobby Zamora lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in extra time. Fulham’s nickname is the Cottagers, not because they like to visit public toilets with George Michael but because of the pavilion that was built at their home ground by the great architect Archibald Leitch, which still stands in the corner of the ground 112 years on.
What are they like now?
Fulham had endured several barren years since the disgraceful decision to tear down Craven Cottage’s Michael Jackson Statue, but they bounced back in style last season when winning the Championship play off final. Under Slaviša Jokanović, the Cottagers have a reputation for playing attacking football which is excellent on the eye. They’re also bankrolled by an ambitious owner in Shahid Khan. Khan actually oversaw their 2014 relegation to the Championship but unlike most foreign owners who then run a mile, he continued to remain involved and reaped the rewards last season. A splurge of cash followed this summer but most pundits seem to think that Fulham have invested as wisely as any other team in the Premier League this summer and there has been talk of a top 10 finish.
Which players should we be worried about?
The Albion were very close to signing Aleksandar Mitrović on a couple of occasions last season from Newcastle United. Seasoned Brighton watchers will now that transfer targets who slipped through our fingers or who we deemed not worth the cash being asked for their services tend to ram that decision down our throats next time we meet. We’ve already touched upon the excellent business that Fulham have done this summer, but arguably their best move was holding onto Ryan Sessegnon. Sessegnon maybe only 18 years old, but he’s one of the hottest teenagers on the planet and was very close to making Gareth Southgate’s World Cup Squad by all accounts, despite never having played in the top flight at that point. He’ll no doubt be joining one of the big boys very soon.
What’s the Albion’s record like against Fulham?
It’s absolute level pegging, with 20 Brighton wins to 20 Fulham wins and only five draws. Three of those draws remarkably came in back-to-back games as the sides played out a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup Second Round of 1995-96 at Craven Cottage, followed by a 0-0 draw in the replay which was eventually won on penalties by Fulham. Brighton were relegated at the end of that campaign to join the Cottagers in the bottom tier for the 1996-97 and the next meeting was another 0-0 at the Goldstone.
What’s the best WeAreBrighton.com memory of Fulham at home?
Life doesn’t get much better than a seven hour pub crawl around Brighton before a Friday night game in the April sunshine and a 5-0 win. Take a bow Fulham’s visit to the Amex in 2016.
What’s the worst WeAreBrighton.com memory of Fulham at home?
That FA Cup Replay defeat was one of the worst games of football imaginable. What’s more, it was broadcast live on Sky in the days when Brighton appearing on television was rarer than finding a snowman in Arizona. Needless to say, it was five long years before the people who invented football in 1992 wanted to show the Albion again.
Whose played for both sides?
Who hasn’t played for both sides might be an easier question. Micky Adams’ arrival at the Albion in 1999 saw him sign virtually every player who’d helped win him promotion with Fulham in 1997. Goalkeeper Mark Walton was already here, but in came Paul Watson, Darren Carr, Danny Cullip, Charlie Oatway, Darren Freeman, Richard Carpenter, Paul Brooker, Ryan Palmer and goodness knows who else. In more recent times, Oliver Norwood spent last season on-loan at Fulham, David Button signed for the Albion from the Cottagers in the summer and Bobby Zamora, Steve Sidwell, Rohan Ince and Darren Bent have all represented both clubs.
Other than football, what’s Fulham famous for?
Fulham is considered a prime London area by estate agents and is also technically home to another Premier League side in Chelsea. The sport isn’t just restricted to football as there is the Hurlingham Club for polo and Queens Club for tennis.
Where’s the betting value for Brighton v Fulham
Given that the statistic of only five draws in 45 meetings, the Brighton-Fulham double chance seems sensible. There are also likely to be goals – Hughton knows he will have to attack at home and Fulham themselves are good going forward. Throw in the fact that only one of our previous six games has featured under 2.5 goals, and it seems pretty likely that we’re going to top the 2.5 mark.
Prediction
We’ve only lost one Premier League at home to a side outside of the top five and a score draw is probably the most likely result. But seeing as Cottagers Confidential have already predicted a 2-2 draw, we’re going to go for a 2-1 Brighton win. And a crap performance, of course.
