Sussex World's Matt Pole and is joined by Brighton & Hove Albion writer Sam Morton, Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford and Sussex sport guru Steve Bone. The Seagulls’ FA Cup adventure continues this weekend with a trip to Premier League rivals Sheffield United.
We look ahead to Saturday’s fourth round clash at Bramall Lane, and take a look at all the latest goings on at Crawley Town and our non-league teams in Sussex.
You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at SussexWorld.co.uk/sport, and you check out other great videos on ShotsTV.com and Freeview channel 276.
We look ahead to Saturday’s fourth round clash at Bramall Lane, and take a look at all the latest goings on at Crawley Town and our non-league teams in Sussex.
You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos and pictures online at SussexWorld.co.uk/sport, and you check out other great videos on ShotsTV.com and Freeview channel 276.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Welcome to another episode of the Goldmouth Action
00:14 Podcast, where we take a look at all the latest goings on
00:17 at Brighton and Hove Albion, Crawley Town,
00:18 and Sporting Sussex.
00:20 I'm Matt Powell, and this week I'm
00:21 joined by Brighton and Hove Albion writer Sam Morton,
00:23 Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford, and Sussex Sport guru
00:26 Steve Bone.
00:27 The Seagulls FA Cup adventure continues this weekend
00:30 with a trip to Premier League rival Sheffield United.
00:33 We'll look ahead to Saturday's fourth round crash at Bramall
00:35 Lane, and take a look at all the latest goings on at Crawley
00:37 Town and our non-league teams in Sussex.
00:40 You can read all the stories we are talking about with videos
00:43 and pictures online at sussexworld.co.uk/sport.
00:46 And you can check out other great videos on shotstv.com
00:49 and Freeview channel 276.
00:52 But as mentioned at the top of the show,
00:53 the Albion visit the Blades on Saturday,
00:55 looking to reach the fifth round of the famous old
00:57 competition.
00:58 How would you rate the Seagulls' chances in York to Sam?
01:01 It's not a tie that sets the pulse racing,
01:03 but it's eminently winnable.
01:05 Yeah, absolutely.
01:07 It's a tough game for Brighton.
01:09 Sheffield have been in improved form as of late, really.
01:12 They are definitely scoring some goals as well.
01:14 And they had eight goals in last four games,
01:17 so they're definitely on an improved run of form.
01:20 They recently signed Ben Britton-Diaz as well,
01:22 who's a good little player, and he put his goal in his Premier
01:25 debut against West Ham.
01:27 And it was a good result, actually, against West Ham.
01:29 It was a last-ditch equaliser that salvaged the point.
01:33 But I'm not sure how seriously or how much of a priority
01:36 the FA Cup will be for Sheffield,
01:37 considering they are rock bottom in the Premier League.
01:40 And that would obviously be the focus for them this season.
01:45 So you do wonder how much of a priority this game is.
01:48 Obviously, it will give the fans something to cheer about,
01:50 absolutely, if they can go far in the competition.
01:52 We obviously saw Wigan a few years ago, didn't we,
01:54 where they got relegated.
01:55 But they won the FA Cup.
01:56 So I think Sheffield may want to do their best in the competition
02:01 as well.
02:01 But it's a game that Brighton should be winning.
02:03 And obviously, as we saw from the Stoke game,
02:06 Roberto Di Serbi has taken this extremely seriously.
02:09 He played a really strong line-up.
02:11 And hopefully, we can see more goals,
02:13 because obviously in the last one it was 4-2 against Stoke.
02:16 So some more goals will be absolutely welcome.
02:18 And I think Brighton will want to get the job done pretty
02:21 convincingly.
02:23 Speaking of line-up, Sam, do we have any idea of how Brighton are on the injury front?
02:26 Have they still got the walking wounded?
02:31 Yes, so there's still a few players out with long-term injuries.
02:34 I think Sonny March will probably miss the majority of the season.
02:37 Julio Enciso is still out.
02:39 Although we have seen reports that Ante Fatih is back in light training.
02:43 So hopefully, we could see him again soon.
02:46 I think it will be relatively the same squad that played at the weekend against
02:50 Bournemouth, really, or Monday night against Bournemouth.
02:53 I think Tarek Lamptey obviously came on late in that game.
02:55 So I would expect him to make a start as he continues his recovery from a couple of
03:00 long-term injuries.
03:02 So it will be good to see how he gets on and get everyone in games together.
03:06 As I say, I think definitely a strong line-up would be expected for Brighton.
03:10 And just hopefully, we can start to see some more players return from injury as
03:15 the season progresses.
03:16 And obviously, we've still got Odinga and Kareem Othoman to come back.
03:19 And they definitely were missed against Wolves.
03:22 The kind of width that they provide, the creativity, because we saw Jal Pedro
03:26 dropping into those wide areas against Wolves.
03:29 And he was kind of everywhere on the pitch, really.
03:31 So I think having a natural winger back in the squad as soon as possible would only
03:35 benefit Brighton, really.
03:36 - Should Abby and See off the blades, Robo and Josebi Seidel will be in the hat for the
03:40 fifth-round draw, which is scheduled to take place on Monday evening.
03:44 If Brighton do advance, Sam, I'm sure most Seagull supporters will be absolutely
03:48 desperate for a home tie after trips to Stoke and Sheffield, respectively.
03:52 - Yeah, well, absolutely.
03:55 I think a home tie has always helped.
03:56 I think especially with the injuries they've had and the number of games they've
04:00 obviously had to play this season, just playing at home eases that pressure a little
04:03 bit and just makes it all round a bit easier for everyone to prepare for, and not having
04:08 the travel element of the match as well.
04:12 So I think, yeah, definitely they'll be looking to progress and hopefully get a home
04:15 tie to really get a bonus to the next round, really.
04:21 - Brighton, once they've taken on Sheffield United in the FA Cup, visit Luton Town on
04:26 Tuesday in the Premier League.
04:28 How do you see that one going, Sam?
04:29 Most people, I think, predicted Luton would struggle, but they've acquitted themselves
04:33 incredibly well, haven't they, since their promotion?
04:35 - Yeah, absolutely.
04:36 I was saying the other day, actually, that Luton are one of the most exciting teams to
04:41 watch in the Premier League at the moment.
04:42 They really just go out there to win, very much like Brighton, where they're very attack
04:46 minded and they just look to score some more goals than the opponent, really.
04:51 And obviously, they have a bit of a leaky defence, but that does make for quite exciting
04:54 games, very similar to Brighton, really.
04:56 And there was a game recently against Chelsea where Chelsea didn't like they had the game
05:00 won with 10 minutes remaining, and Luton suddenly went full throttle and had loads and loads
05:07 of chances and could have scored five goals in another day.
05:10 And it made for a really exciting kind of end to the game.
05:13 So, yeah, I think definitely what a team to be wary of for Brighton, especially, obviously,
05:18 if they've not kept too many clean sheets this season.
05:20 Obviously, they've got a couple of [inaudible]
05:24 on their own now, so hopefully they can continue that.
05:27 But it's just the case against Luton of really taking the chances when they come, because
05:30 obviously, they're very wasteful against Wolves, or couldn't really create that many clear
05:33 cut chances, I should say.
05:35 So, they really need to make sure they get that right against Luton and make sure that
05:39 they don't get punished.
05:40 And obviously, Luton are very potent going forward.
05:43 And Adebayo and Morris are both tall players that can really cause an issue.
05:47 But obviously, you'd hope that Lewis Duncan, Van Hecker, could stand up against that.
05:52 But players like Ross Barkley and Ted Chong, they can really cause problems, and especially
05:56 Barkley.
05:57 He's been exceptional for Luton this season, and definitely one for Brighton to be wary
06:01 of.
06:02 It's a trip for Luton, one that most Brighton should be wary of.
06:06 But I think of when they played Everton last season at the Amex, they did tend to struggle
06:10 against teams in the lower echelons of the table.
06:13 So, it's not a full conclusion by any means, is it?
06:17 No, it's a game where Luton obviously really want to go out there to win, to give them
06:27 a better chance of staying in the league.
06:30 And as you say, infamously, Brighton do usually struggle more against those kind of sides
06:35 rather than the teams that are higher up the league.
06:37 But I think Luton's playing style could potentially play into Brighton's hands.
06:40 I don't think Luton will just sit back and defend.
06:42 I don't think they have the players to do that, I don't think.
06:46 I don't think they are a team that's renowned for just sitting back and defending.
06:49 I think we saw it in the opening game of the season, where Brighton did, I think, score
06:53 four goals against them and obviously conceded one late on.
06:56 So, Luton have obviously wised up since then.
06:59 They've definitely done better than I expected to, actually, Luton, this season.
07:02 I think they'll be a much tougher test than they were on the opening day of the season.
07:07 Well, Saturday saw Brighton complete the signing of Argentine full-back Valentin Barco for
07:13 Brocco Juniors for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract until 30 June
07:18 2028.
07:19 How big of a coup is this signing for Albi and Sami?
07:21 He's highly rated by many in the know, from what I've read.
07:25 Yeah, really, really good signing.
07:27 He was obviously linked with Manchester City and Liverpool, among others.
07:31 He's just a typical Brighton signing, really.
07:33 I think, obviously, we've seen them pick up players from South America, like Mourinho's
07:37 Crusader and even Alexis McAllister.
07:40 They've turned them into well-beaters and sold them off for a big fee.
07:44 So, it could be another similar situation.
07:47 I just hope that Brighton can keep hold of this one and obviously see how he gets on.
07:51 He's obviously been described as a Marcelo-like left-back, but he can really cause problems
07:56 going forward, play in midfield or, obviously, at left-back.
08:00 It'll be interesting to see what the CV plans for him, really.
08:04 I think he's obviously made comments recently that he is a left-back by trade and that would
08:09 obviously provide competition for HD for now and especially, he's obviously been out with
08:13 some injuries, it'd be good to give him a rest every now and then.
08:16 So just having that competition for players will be brilliant for Brighton, really.
08:20 I think I've said before that it'd be a mistake to loan him out, I think.
08:24 With the injuries they've had and the players they need, the squad depth they need, I think
08:28 they really do need to keep him in the squad this season and start to bed him into the
08:32 team to start getting some minutes in the Premier League.
08:35 And even the FA Cup, I think the FA Cup could be a good way of giving him some minutes and
08:38 obviously the Europa League as well coming up.
08:41 So, definitely a player that I want to watch out for, absolutely, and hopefully he gets
08:45 the ground running.
08:46 Considering Brighton's success in developing South American players like Alexis McAllister
08:51 and Moses Quesada, like you said there, Sam, does Brighton become a more viable and safer
08:56 option for South American players as they take their first stepping stone into Europe?
09:00 Yeah, absolutely.
09:01 I think these players can look at their kind of compatriots and see the success that they've
09:06 had and see that as a kind of a route to follow.
09:10 And that can only be good for Brighton, good for the league.
09:14 And it just puts them on the map even more, really.
09:17 And I think, yeah, as you mentioned, even with Stukeland coming over as well, he's been
09:21 a revelation for Brighton.
09:23 So, I think absolutely.
09:25 I think it can only really be a positive for Brighton that these players look at the club
09:29 as such an attractive option with a manager that plays such attractive football.
09:33 And, yeah, it's excellent for Brighton, really.
09:37 And on the player front, Sam, I think the winter transfer window shuts on February 1st.
09:42 Are we expecting much in the way of any more ins and outs at Brighton or do you think it'll
09:47 be relatively quiet from here on in?
09:49 Yeah, difficult question, really.
09:50 I think De Servi was asked about it by TNT Sports after the Wolves game.
09:55 And he basically just told Jules Breach to ask the club, really, for any updates on transfers.
10:01 You see, he basically said that it's not his business.
10:05 He can't control who Brighton sign, who they're obviously going for in the market.
10:11 So it's a difficult one.
10:12 I think Brighton could do potentially another winger, as we've seen.
10:15 They've struggled in that area of late with injuries and players going off to play for
10:19 their country.
10:20 They could maybe do with another left-sided forward or even on the right, especially with
10:24 a study March expected to miss for the majority of the season.
10:27 This is a really difficult one.
10:29 They've been linked with Amine Adli from Bayer Leverkusen recently.
10:34 So he's potentially a bit of a wild card, a French forward that would demand a big fee
10:39 by the sounds of it.
10:40 So it's a bit touch and go whether that would be one that Brighton do progress, do try and
10:45 seal the deal for.
10:46 I mentioned the other day as well that I was surprised they didn't go for Calvin Phillips,
10:50 who's reportedly due to sign on loan for West Ham.
10:55 I think they were demanding quite a big fee, a loan fee, Manchester City for him.
10:58 But he could have been perfect, really, just to get the stopgap and fill it for Brighton.
11:02 And just someone like that, really, that can give a bit more support.
11:05 Because obviously Carlos Bolivar has struggled a little bit to kind of settle into the Premier
11:11 League.
11:12 I think that's to be expected for a young man.
11:14 I think he's only going to get better.
11:16 But just someone with the experience of Calvin Phillips could have really helped Brighton
11:21 in the second half of the season, guys, as they're obviously going to have lots of games
11:24 to contend with.
11:25 Brilliant.
11:26 Thank you very much for your time, Sam.
11:28 Hopefully your train journey isn't too bad.
11:30 We're going to have a quick break and when we come back, we'll talk all things Crawley
11:33 Town and non-league football in Sussex.
11:37 Crawley Town were without a league fixture this weekend as Saturday's trip to AFC Wimbledon
11:42 was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
11:43 But the Reds, however, did hit the road on Tuesday evening to take on Peterborough United
11:47 in the EFL trophy.
11:48 It wasn't to be for the Reds, was it, Mark?
11:51 But how did Crawley equip themselves at a posh side, a division above Crawley?
11:56 Yeah, first of all, I want to thank this podcast for reminding me to pay the dart charge because
12:00 I was going to, I went across the Dartford Tunnel and I forgot you've only got a limited
12:04 amount of time.
12:05 So I haven't got a fine.
12:06 So that's good.
12:07 But it was it was a really good game, actually.
12:09 And Crawley, certainly they sort of didn't disgrace themselves at all.
12:14 They went 1-0 up, really good goal from Nick Sarula, who was playing on the right rather
12:19 than the left this time.
12:21 And I think I spoke to Scott Lindsay about that afterwards and he said they were just
12:24 trying something different with him coming more inside, cutting in on his left foot and
12:28 it might create more attacking opportunities.
12:30 And it appeared to work like that on Tuesday.
12:33 But there were two really poor goals Crawley conceded.
12:36 Harrison Burrows, he broke into the box and he had a sort of speculative shot, but it
12:40 came like from under the foot of, I think it was, Joy McKenna.
12:45 And it did that awkward bounce thing where it just looped over Corey Adai and then Lawrence
12:49 Maguire inexplicably just passed the ball across his own box and went straight to Efron
12:55 Mason-Clark, who was the absolute quality for Peterborough.
13:00 And he just broke into the box and calmly slotted past Corey Adai.
13:04 But after that second half, Crawley were all over them.
13:07 Liam Kelly absolutely ran the show like he has done all season for Crawley.
13:12 There were chances.
13:13 Adi Adeyemo had one where it was a corner and the ball just fell to him.
13:19 Everybody in front of him was on the floor where they'd all sort of jumped up and collapsed.
13:23 And he just had the goal begging and he skied it.
13:24 It was such a shame he skied it over the bar.
13:27 Danilo Orsi, there was one that came across to him.
13:29 I think it was his only chance.
13:30 He had all game.
13:31 He sort of didn't really get a sniff.
13:34 His side footed it straight at the keeper.
13:36 Jack Rowles had a chance, which the keeper put Jed Steer, pulled off a wonderful save
13:41 to deny him.
13:42 So it could have been, I think I predicted before the game, Crawley were going to either
13:47 go out or go through on penalties.
13:49 And they should have at least taken it, the penalties.
13:52 They dominated possession.
13:53 I think they had 57% possession.
13:56 They had just as many shots on goal as Peterborough.
13:59 They did more passes, better pass accuracy as well.
14:02 They were sort of the better team effectively, but Peterborough were more ruthless in front
14:09 of goal when they needed to be.
14:11 So yeah, it's been a really good competition for Crawley though.
14:16 So fans have got to see the youngsters coming through.
14:19 It's done really wonders for Jack Rowles.
14:21 He's been playing in the league as well now.
14:24 He wasn't anywhere near the first team at the beginning of the season, but now he is
14:27 because of this competition.
14:28 Adi Adayemo, Joey McKain, apart from the first half when Mason Clarke really sort of gave
14:36 him a torrid time, second half he was absolutely brilliant, Joey McKain, and stifled their
14:42 attacks a little bit more.
14:43 So there's another person that's going to come through and sort of challenge those defenders
14:47 in the first team.
14:48 So no, really good, really good game.
14:50 Just a shame they just couldn't quite go over the line or at least take the penalties.
14:53 There's no game for Crawley Town this week owing to Wrexham's involvement in the FA Cup.
14:58 Is that a blessing or a curse for the Reds?
15:01 Surely, would they want to carry on the momentum or is it a chance this weekend to get players
15:05 back from injury?
15:07 I think it is a little bit of a blessing.
15:09 I think Scott Lindsay would rather be playing.
15:12 That's two Saturdays on the trot now.
15:14 Last weekend he said he sat on the sofa and did nothing.
15:16 This weekend he's going to a game.
15:17 He's going to find a game to go to.
15:19 He can't handle a Saturday without football, I don't think.
15:22 But yeah, Ben Gladwin, he's injured, but he's going to be out for quite a while.
15:26 So it won't sort of help him.
15:29 But Dion Conroy, I understand, has picked up a little bit of an injury.
15:32 He didn't play on Tuesday night.
15:33 Jay Williams got brought off early.
15:35 I think he was more illness than injury on Tuesday night.
15:38 So hopefully that gives him a bit of time to recover.
15:40 And the keeper they brought in, Ryan Sanford, he hasn't been in a matchday squad yet because
15:45 he's been ill since he signed.
15:47 So hopefully that will give him a chance to come back as well.
15:50 Well, excellent segue, mentioning the Crawley Town new boy there, Mark.
15:54 It has, by Crawley Town standards, been a relatively quiet transfer window so far, as
15:58 Scott Lindsay fine-tunes his squad for the second half of the season.
16:01 You mentioned Mr Sanford there, but what have the latest ins and outs at Crawley Town been,
16:05 Mark?
16:06 And are we expecting a busy end of the window for the Reds?
16:08 Yeah, I think we will see a bit more action, as it always happens to be the last couple
16:14 of days of the transfer window.
16:17 I know Scott had a recruitment meeting.
16:20 I'm assuming that's with the owners, etc. on Monday night.
16:23 I haven't heard anything more from that yet, and there hasn't been any sort of inkling
16:26 that they are going to sign anyone imminently.
16:29 But we saw Cam Swire.
16:32 He's gone back to West Ham.
16:33 He was on loan.
16:34 Didn't really make an impact at Crawley.
16:36 He was one of the players that started every group game in the EFL trophy.
16:42 Did OK, scored a couple of goals, but he was good in moments, but didn't really make that
16:48 big impact.
16:49 We've seen Luka Ashby-Hammond go back to Fulham again.
16:53 Akib, he did OK.
16:54 A couple of games he looked, I mean, for the Notts County game away, particularly in the
16:59 league, he was a bit suspect.
17:01 And Corey O'Day has reclaimed that first 11 starting position.
17:06 And yeah, Ryan Sanford, as we mentioned, brought in as the reserve goalkeeper now.
17:11 So it's been really quiet.
17:13 I'm holding Lawrence Maguire, who extended his contract, which Crawley fans have welcomed
17:17 massively because he's been really good.
17:19 I know he made that howler on Tuesday night, but he's been really good and it's great.
17:24 And who knows?
17:25 He seems to be enjoying it here.
17:26 He could be joining next year.
17:27 But Chesterfield, getting promoted, probably going to get promoted from the National League.
17:33 They might need someone with a bit of League Two experience and they might just keep him
17:36 on.
17:37 Who knows?
17:38 But yeah, they certainly need a little bit more backup.
17:41 Certainly with Ben Gladwin out for a long period, he's had a knee operation.
17:45 So they're expecting him back before the end of the season.
17:48 But when that is, I don't know.
17:49 So another sort of experienced midfielder and they definitely need backup for Danilo
17:53 Orsi as well.
17:54 He can't do all on his own up front.
17:56 So yeah, so maybe I imagine we'll see a couple more and I imagine there'll be loan moves
18:01 as well.
18:02 I don't know if there'll be any permanent signings at this point.
18:05 Watch that space.
18:06 Meanwhile, Worthing and Eastbourne Borough's National League South campaigns continue apace,
18:11 although both teams are experiencing contrasting fortunes, aren't they, Steve?
18:16 How have the Reds and sports been getting on since we last spoke to you?
18:19 I think it's been tumultuous, to say the least, down at Eastbourne, from what I understand.
18:24 Yes, that's one way of putting it.
18:26 Yeah, Worthing and Eastbourne having very different campaigns.
18:28 Couldn't be more different, really.
18:30 Eastbourne Borough, since I was last on here, have had a change of manager, got rid of Mark
18:35 Beard after he just didn't look like sort of turning around results.
18:39 He's had a very tough first half of the season and he's paid the price for that, which he
18:44 was very sort of philosophical about.
18:45 He said he gave it his best shot and he understood the decision.
18:49 Adam Murray has come in there, going to Eastbourne direct from a job as number two at Cheltenham
18:57 in, sorry, at Stevenage in League Two, League One.
19:04 Murray's had quite a tough start at Eastbourne Borough.
19:07 They've yet to win under him.
19:10 They have had bad luck in a couple of games.
19:12 It often happens when you're down the bottom, doesn't it?
19:15 Everything that can go against you does go against you.
19:17 Against Averley at Priory Lane the other night, they went 1-0 up, looked pretty good, they
19:22 were playing well.
19:24 Averley then equalised late in the first half through a goal that was allowed to stand despite
19:28 an offside flag having gone up in the build-up to the play.
19:33 Averley then won it in the second half with what most at the ground thought was quite
19:37 a soft penalty.
19:38 So, Eastbourne Borough still six points adrift in the relegation zone as we speak, 17 games
19:44 to play.
19:46 Most people seem to think they probably need to win something like eight of them.
19:49 It's doable.
19:52 The battle is certainly not lost yet, but you've got to find those eight wins from somewhere
19:57 and they haven't had eight wins in the rest of the campaign.
20:00 So people are starting to look at time running out there.
20:04 So tough task ahead of them to stay in National South, which certainly wasn't what Simon Leslie
20:11 was expecting when he came in last summer as the new owner.
20:15 But at the other end of the table, as you say, Worthing doing really well.
20:19 Second place and now a couple of points clear in second place.
20:23 Long way behind Yeovil, I don't think anyone's going to catch Yeovil at the top there.
20:26 12 points clear, likely to win the title and get the automatic promotion spot.
20:31 But Worthing, you would say a very good bet for the playoffs at the moment.
20:35 And if they carry on the present form, they'd be looking at going straight into a home playoff
20:40 semi-final, which would be an improvement on last year when they did reach the playoffs
20:45 but lost away to Oxford City.
20:47 A little bit inconsistent still.
20:50 They have had a couple of home defeats that they wouldn't have expected.
20:55 They've had slow starts to games where they found themselves 1 and sometimes 2-0 down
20:59 in 15, 20 minutes.
21:01 And that's been a frustration for Adam Hinshawood.
21:04 But generally, the good performances are far outweighing the bad ones.
21:08 They're in a good position.
21:10 Big game this weekend for them.
21:11 A home to Torquay, who are one of the clubs not too far behind them and looking for a
21:16 playoff spot as well.
21:17 And I was speaking to Adam Hinshawood yesterday and as he said, if you said a few years ago
21:21 that Worthing would be playing Torquay, Jovo and Maidstone and actually giving a good account
21:26 of themselves and on occasions being favourites to beat them, you wouldn't have believed it,
21:30 would you?
21:31 That shows how far they've come in a short space of time.
21:33 So let's hope they have a good end to the season and same for Eastbourne Borough at
21:37 the other end too.
21:38 And in the division below, five Sussex teams are also battling it out on the Isbjian Premier.
21:43 How have Hastings, Bogner, Lewis and Horsham as well as Whitehawk been forming so far this
21:48 season, Steve?
21:49 Looking at the table, I think it's safe to say Horne Churchill probably win the league,
21:52 but all five of those teams there, I think they're in the mix for the playoffs, I'd say.
21:56 They are really.
21:57 It's been a funny season for our teams in that division.
22:02 In a way, they've all had similar seasons.
22:03 They've all had some very good spells and they've put some good runs together, but they're
22:08 all a little bit prone to inconsistency.
22:10 They've all lost games that they would have expected to win and that has kind of stopped
22:14 them from breaking into the playoff picture.
22:17 So as we speak, none of the five Sussex teams are in the top five, but Hastings and Bogner
22:23 are the two just outside it at the moment, both five points off the playoff spot.
22:27 Bogner had a quite shaky start to the season, but have put a good run together now.
22:32 Very strong at home, so they're unbeaten at home in the league and they've won their last
22:35 four games in the league and five games in all competitions.
22:39 That's put them seventh and thinking of playoffs, which they certainly wouldn't have been thinking
22:44 of a few months ago.
22:46 Hastings likewise has been pretty good since Chris Agatha came back.
22:51 He replaced Paul Barnes back in the end of October, start of November.
22:56 They've only lost a couple of games since then.
22:58 Did lose at Carlsholton last weekend, which was a bit of a setback.
23:01 They've never quite had the consistency to go on and actually get into the top five,
23:07 but they're not far off it.
23:09 Made a couple of good signings and you'd have to say Hastings and Bogner both with a good
23:14 chance of making the playoffs.
23:16 Just behind them Lewis and Horsham.
23:18 Again, both of those clubs have been higher in the table at different points.
23:23 Lewis currently ninth, Horsham thirteenth.
23:26 Horsham's issue, as you know, is that they've had so many cup runs that they're way behind
23:31 on their league campaign.
23:33 They've played 21 and have actually still got 21 games to play.
23:36 That's going to test them.
23:37 They're going to be playing Saturday, Tuesday every week pretty much between now and the
23:41 end of the season.
23:42 If anything, if anything is going to stop them getting into the playoffs, that is probably
23:46 it.
23:47 That schedule is going to be very hard for them to keep up with the size of squad they've
23:53 got.
23:54 Whitehawk at times have looked like they could go on and run this season, but they've just
23:58 tailed off at the moment, down in sort of 13th, 14th place.
24:01 They've got a lot to do to get into the playoffs, but I don't think they're in any relegation
24:05 trouble.
24:06 So, yeah, all these teams have got to play each other.
24:12 There's a lot of Sussex Derby's to come.
24:13 Those will go a long way to dictating who does what.
24:16 But some exciting months ahead for all our teams in that division.
24:20 Best of luck for those teams between now and the end of the season.
24:23 Very, very quickly, we'll have a stroll down Steve Bowne's score prediction corner, starting
24:26 with the great man himself, Mr Bowne.
24:28 Sheffield United beat Brighton on Saturday in the FA Cup.
24:30 How do you see that one going?
24:32 I think Brighton are going to go a long way in the cup this year, actually, as they did
24:35 last year.
24:36 I'm going to go 3-1 Brighton.
24:37 Mr Morton, how do you see that one going?
24:38 I was going to go with the exact same score.
24:39 I was going to say 3-1.
24:40 I think it will be a comfortable win.
24:41 Sheffield will get a goal.
24:42 I think Brighton will get through.
24:43 Mark, do you see it going the same way?
24:44 No.
24:45 One annoying replay and they'll go through on the replay, Brighton.
24:46 And then, what in my opinion is probably the more tricky game, is Brighton's trip to Luton
24:47 in the Premier League on Tuesday.
24:48 Sam, you spoke about it a little bit there.
24:49 How do you see that one going?
24:50 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
24:51 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
24:52 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
24:53 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
24:54 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
24:55 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
24:56 I think it's going to be a very, very close game.
25:16 Steve Bone, you normally predict a draw for Brighton in the league.
25:18 Are you going down that same path again?
25:20 No, I'm not.
25:21 I'd like Brighton to beat Luton because Luton are another one of the teams I haven't got
25:25 a lot of time for.
25:26 I don't really like Luton much.
25:27 But I do think Luton might edge that one.
25:30 I'm going 2-1 Luton.
25:31 Sorry, Brighton.
25:32 At some point, I'd quite like to do a podcast where we go through every team in the football
25:36 league and see whether Steve Bone likes them or not.
25:38 I think that would be a great episode.
25:39 That would be really good.
25:40 It would be a little bit longer than 25 minutes, but never mind.
25:44 I'm sure people will watch it.
25:46 Finally, Mark, Luton, Brighton.
25:48 Yeah, how do you see it going?
25:50 Another draw.
25:51 2-2, I reckon.
25:52 I think there will definitely be goals in it, but I'm going to go 2-2.
25:54 Excellent stuff.
25:55 Freddie Moore, we shall wait and see.
25:57 Thank you very much for your time, chaps.
25:58 You can catch up with all the latest sports news covering everything we've talked about
26:01 today at sussexworld.co.uk/sport.
26:04 And you can watch more excellent videos on shotstv.com and Freeview channel 276.
26:09 Thank you very much for listening or watching, and we will see you all next week.
26:14 Bye.
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