By Tim Hodges
Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Cheltenham Town 0
Two players who starred in Albion’s first ever competitive win at the Amex set Sami Hyypia’s new-look Seagulls on their way to victory in the Capital One League Cup – and the Finn’s first win as Albion manager.
Brighton-born Lewis Dunk and record signing Craig Mackail-Smith both scored in the last ten minutes of a fairly dour affair to send the Seagulls into the next round for the first time since 2011.
Both Dunk and Mackail-Smith were changes, along with Kemy Agustien and Adam Chicksen, from Saturday’s starting line up.
Albion’s best chance of the first half came from a Chris O’Grady header which was saved by Trevor Carson in the Cheltenham goal. Chicksen and Dunk also had half-chances before the break, Chicksen trying his luck from distance.
With Albion old boy Matt Richards in the Cheltenham defence, the visitors looked comfortable. Early in the second half they took the game to Albion and pegged the hosts back inside their own penalty area for a few minutes, with former Worthing player Byron Harrison looking dangerous.
However, Albion continued their measured approach and once Kazenga LuaLua was introduced many felt that the breakthrough was a formality.
When it came from the unlikely source of Dunk, it was from a LuaLua cross, with ten minutes left to play.
Then right on full time, Mackail-Smith steadied himself and fired past Carson for his first Amex goal for the first team since scoring against Charlton in December 2012.
Will Buckley, who came on as a substitute in Saturday’s defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, was not in the squad tonight and not apparently available for selection, fuelling speculation that a move to a Premier League club is imminent.
The Albion are away to Birmingham City on Saturday (16 August) in the Championship.
