By Tim Hodges from the Amex
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Wigan Athletic 0
The Seagulls won their first league game in nearly seven weeks with a Gary Gardner goal after just 50 seconds – the fastest ever at the Amex.
Sam Baldock raced on to a pass from Inigo Calderon and whipped the ball into the box. Elliott Bennett and Gardner were both well placed, but it was Gardner who fired past former England keeper Scott Carson.
The Seagulls had further chances in the first half. Joao Teixeira hit the bar and Carson saved Baldock’s shot from the rebound although the striker was adjudged offside.
Albion’s young keeper Christian Walton made routine but important saves from Martyn Waghorn and Adam Forshaw.
Wigan applied more pressure from the start of the second half but showed little in front of goal.
Walton showed strong hands from a Forshaw drive.
Neither side looked like scoring a second goal of the game and the most dangerous moment of the second half saw substitute Chris McCann fire tamely over from a free-kick for Wigan in the last minute.
The Seagulls move up to 20th in the Championship and take on Blackburn Rovers at the Amex this Saturday (8 November).
Five things we learnt from Albion’s home win against Wigan …
1) Christian Walton is a very confident and assured looking young goalkeeper. The 18-year-old oozed confidence.
2) Wigan manager Uwe Rosler is very animated, pirouetting and jumping around like a Strictly Come Dancing contestant.
3) Scoring a winner in the FA Cup Final doesn’t guarantee you a place in the team. Ben Watson, recovering from a broken leg, didn’t get an appearance at the Amex. He stayed on the subs bench.
4) Greg Halford, on loan at Albion from Nottingham Forest, is now Albion’s tallest player, although he signed too late to have a blue screen walk on as the teams were announced.
5) Although the attendance was announced as over 23,000 it would be surprising if there were more than about 16,000 fans through the turnstiles. The lounges looking particularly empty after the match.
