Watching Lamptey live is why I cannot wait for fans to be back at the Amex

After nine long months, football supporters can return to stadiums in December depending on local lockdown restrictions. There is much for Brighton fans to look forward to about about being back at the Amex.

Singing Sussex by the Sea. Queuing to get on a train to and from Falmer. Trying to figure out how Graham Potter is planning to cram five centre backs into his starting line up while enjoying a flat, warm pint of Fosters.

Cheering an Albion goal (maybe). Forgetting everything going on elsewhere in the world for 90 minutes. Shouting at Solly March, despite the fact he has been one of the Albion’s best players so far this season. Even paying £3.20 for a bag of Starbust suddenly seems palatable; proof that absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

There is one other joy to come from having fans back at the Amex. For the first time, Brighton supporters will be able to watch Tariq Lamptey in the flesh.

Had the Amex remained empty for the entirety of the 2020-21 season, then there is every chance that the vast majority of us would never have seen Lamptey live.

Lamptey signed from Chelsea for a bargain £3 million in January but he had to wait six months to make his debut. That came in the second game post-lockdown, an impressive 0-0 draw away at Leicester City

It took just 90 minutes at the King Power Stadium for everyone to realise what a special talent the Albion had on their hands. Lamptey has been tearing up trees ever since and it is little surprise that some of the biggest clubs in the world are now being linked with his services, including Atletico Madrid and European champions Bayern Munich.

Lamptey is clearly an ambitious player; hence why he turned down the offer of a new contract at Chelsea in favour of finding first team football to accelerate his career – if he was not in a hurry to reach the top, he would be happily sat on the bench at Stamford Bridge right now instead of earning rave reviews at the Amex.

If Lamptey keeps playing the way he is, it is just a matter of time before he secures a move to one of Europe’s giants for a massive amount of money.

A January sale seems unlikely as the Albion would then be left scrambling to find a replacement with just a month to do so. The summer though will be a different proposition; it would be staggering if Brighton are not fighting off bids which would smash the club’s incoming transfer record of the £15 million Fulham paid for Anthony Knockaert.

Imagine then if the turnstiles of the Amex remained shut for the entirety of the 2020-21 season. Lamptey could have departed the Albion come the end of the campaign with only the 2,500 supporters who attended the pre-season friendly against Chelsea having have the privilege of watching him live.

Which would have been a travesty. We have been lucky enough to see some great players pull on the stripes – or all blue as it is now – throughout the years.

Knockaert, Vicente, Glenn Murray and Bobby Zamora were a joy to watch. Think of a world in which you only got to witness them playing for Brighton on the television?

Or a situation in which you were not there to see Colin Hawkins slamming home an own goal or giving away a penalty and getting sent off just 90 seconds after coming on?

It does not bear thinking about. Which is why the opportunity to watch Lamptey live at last is what I am most looking forward to about being back at the Amex.

Just how quick he is? How much excitement does seeing him tear up and down that right flank bring? Where does he really rank in the annals of Brighton greats when judged with the human eye and not via Sky Sports, BT Sports, Match of the Day or a dodgy stream complete with overexcited Chinese commentary because the Premier League are charging supporters £15 to watch on PPV?

I suspect that the answer to those three questions is very quick, very exciting and one of the best. With fans allowed back at the Amex, we can now make those judgements for ourselves.

There are very little sights as thrilling in football as a winger in full flight, rampaging up and down the line and causing carnage wherever they go.

Lamptey does all that and he brings with it abilities as a rock-solid defender. He is destined for the very top of the game and in 40 years time he will be one of those players that we tell our grand children about. “I saw Tariq Lamptey for Brighton at the start of his career.”

The fact that, because of coronavirus, we have come so close to never seeing Lamptey play live – and it should also be remembered some may not yet do so if they are vulnerable, shielding or downright unlucky when it comes to the ballot to select who gets tickets – serves as a reminder that we should never take watching the Albion for granted again.

It may be a frustrating experience 75% of the time which burns a black hole in your finances. But then a player like Lamptey comes along and makes it all worthwhile.

Live football, losing yourself for 90 minutes, a bag of Starburst you have to re-mortgage your home to afford and the opportunity to watch future Ballon d’Or winner Tariq Lamptey. There is so much to look forward to as fans are allowed back to the Amex.