Magic of the FA Cup: Brighton draw Middlesbrough away
Clearly, the Albion have used up all their good draws in the Carabao Cup this season. Forest Green Rovers, Arsenal and Charlton Athletic away have paved the way for the FA Cup to throw up a third round trip for Brighton to bloody Middlesbrough.
There are just two reasons to be positive about visiting the Riverside Stadium. The first is that it is a very winnable tie, even if Roberto De Zerbi does make wholesale changes.
Brighton have not progressed beyond the fifth round of the FA Cup since reaching the semi finals in the 2018-19 season.
With Premier League safety looking pretty assured barring a catastrophic cock up once the campaign resumes after the winter break, the Albion can afford to give plenty of attention to the competition.
Just like in the Carabao Cup, all it would take is a few of the European Super League Elite Six to crash out early and the Albion will fancy their chances of Wembley.
One of those clubs is guaranteed to go in the third round, the draw having paired Manchester City with Chelsea. If the Blues were to be eliminated, then Glow Up Graham would have only the Champions League left to fight for this season and the pressure on him from Chelsea fans would subsequently increase. Which would be a real, real shame.
The second positive is that Middlesbrough is the land of the parmo. Purchasing from a takeaway this glorious culinary delight of breaded chicken topped with white bechamel sauce and cheddar cheese for the long journey home is almost enough to tempt even the sanest of people to spend a January afternoon on Teesside. Almost.
Said journey to Middlesbrough will not be able to happen by train on this occasion. The RMT Union are set to strike on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th January, so using the railway to get to Middlesbrough v Brighton in the FA Cup will be impossible unless the game takes place on the Sunday.
That could have a seriously detrimental impact on the Albion’s away following, even with the temptation of a parmo to lure fans to the Riverside.
Middlesbrough has never been the happiest of hunting grounds in the past for Brighton. The minds of most Albion fans will turn to a famous afternoon in December 2011 when Wetherspoons ran out of turkey just two weeks before Christmas.
Oh yeah, there was also that final day of the 2015-16 season, when a 1-1 draw meant Boro won automatic promotion to the Premier League whilst Brighton entered the playoffs.
Mike Dean is still despised by Seagulls supporters for the red card he showed to Dale Stephens when the Albion had all the momentum after equalising minutes earlier.
Although in a roundabout way, Mr Dean might have actually done Brighton a favour. Remaining in the Championship gave Chris Hughton another year to build for the top flight.
Middlesbrough were relegated after one season, replaced by an Albion side who have remained in the Premier League ever since.
Boro meanwhile have never come close to promotion back to the promised land. They currently sit 14th in the Championship but just four points off the relegation zone in the most madcap division in world football.
Brighton have been to the Riverside once since that day, when the FA Cup fourth round threw the teams together in the 2017-18 season.
Glenn Murray came off the bench to score a 90th minute winner and prevent a replay. Murray had been arrested on suspicion of tax fraud four days before the game.
The only other previous meetings between the Albion and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup came in the 1905-06 season.
Brighton doubled admission prices to 5p (Paul Barber likes this) for the visit of Football League Division One outfit Boro to the Goldstone but only 7,462 turned to see a 1-1 draw as supporters stayed away because of the blatant profiteering in ticket prices. #FansNotCustomers trended over the telegram network afterwards.
Another 1-1 draw at Ayresome Park necessitated a second replay held at Bramall Lane. Middlesbrough got the job done, winning 3-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Alf Common – the first ever player to cost £1,000.
