I can’t be more delighted with our start - Hughton

Albion boss Chris Hughton says he cannot be more delighted with his side’s start, after they extended their unbeaten run to 14 games this afternoon.
Albion boss Chris HughtonAlbion boss Chris Hughton
Albion boss Chris Hughton

The Seagulls drew 1-1 away to Reading but their lead at the top of the Championship was cut to two points as both Hull and Burnley won.

On the draw, Hughton said: “For us, being the away team, I thought it was the fair result.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“In the first half, I thought we were good but it was always going to be a tough game. They’ve got a lof of firepower and they can certainly score a goal and you know that if you come here you’ve got to defend well.

“I thought, overall, on the balance of play, a draw was a fair result.

“We scored a very good goal. It was very well worked. It’s always tough when you score then because the opposition have got to push.

“At the moment, I can’t be more delighted than I am with the start we’ve had. We’re still top of the division and we’re in every game. There isn’t a game we’ve played where we haven’t always been in it. We’re still unbeaten which, for us, is a massive achievement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We’ve had to fight and scrap for all the points that we’ve got. That’s the league, every game is a challenge but at least we’re competitive in every game.”

On Reading’s equaliser, where Matej Vydra tapped home the rebound after David Stockdale was unable to hold on to Nick Blackman’s fierce strike, Hughton said: “You’re always disappointed with every goal you concede and there are always phases of every goal you can pick out.

“If I’m looking at the ball coming off David Stockdale, before that the lad gets an opportunity to get in a shot from a central position, before that the ball gets to him and then of course the follow up.

“Anything we do is very much team related. As regards David Stockdale, he’s been excellent for us and we needed him today to make a couple of good saves and his command of the penalty area was very good.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Reading manager Steve Clarke said: “Having been 1-0 down going into the last 15 minutes of the game, it becomes a decent point against a very good team.

“They’re very strong defensively and don’t give much away, so it showed great character from us to get back in it.

“We spoke before the game about the first goal being a crucial goal in this game. We were hoping we would get it and they got it but the response was really good.”

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex

3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!