An old proverb states “An Englishman’s home is his castle.”
Setting aside the patriarchal overtones, if we apply that phrase to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Broadfield this year, then our fortress has burnt down, fallen over and sunk into a swamp.

In the ten games so far, eight in Crawley and two at the Amex, the Albion had a total of one single, solitary, victory. Add two home draws and our tally equalled just 5 points from a possible 30 prior to the Villa game. Anyone expecting any improvement to those figures on Saturday would have been sadly mistaken.

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Once again though the first half was fairly even. Villa started the brighter, looking to take advantage of Brighton’s possession-based style by pressing high and forcing a mistake. On two occasions Albion players were caught on the ball leading to Rachel Daly shots at goal, but fortunately neither threatened to open the scoring.

The Seagulls grew into it though, Guem-min Lee capitalised on some loose passing by Villa to craft an opening, only to curl her shot almost straight at Anna Leat. Probably the best chance in the entire game for the Albion then came on 31 minutes when a clipped pass from Maisie Symonds found Vicky Losada in the box. With characteristic flair, Vicky backheeled the ball into the path of Elisabeth Terland who fired wide when it seemed easier to hit the target – if not score. Lee also had another opportunity when a long ball from Jorelyn Carabali sent her through on goal. Unfortunately her pace wasn’t enough to outrun the Villa defender and the subsequent layoff and shot by Terland ended up safely in the arms of Leat.

The importance of making the most of your chances was highlighted just minutes later when Brighton were once again dispossessed in their own half. Kirsty Hanson was then allowed far too much time and space to run with the ball and she thundered a strike off the bar from just outside the area. Maybe Melina Loeck might’ve got a hand to it had the ball been dipping in, but it was a warning, no doubt about it.

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I feel like I’ve written this exact paragraph almost every week in these recaps – but the Albion went in at half time absolutely in the game, with good passages of play to build upon and with hope of a positive result. Unfortunately I’ve all too often been forced to write about what happens next.

The second half was very disjointed and quite frankly the quality smacked of two mid-table teams with very little on the line – though arguably that wasn’t the case. Then of course, as was seemingly predestined, Aston Villa scored.

A quickly delivered long ball over the top arched towards Maria Thorisdottir and Daly in a central area just outside the box. The former Lioness, using all her experience, maneuvered Maria aside so that the ball fell kindly to her feet. Or she fouled her – I think it could be argued either way – but that’s how Daly operates. The defence rallied and Maria recovered to put in a tackle to stop the shot from coming in. Unfortunately the ball rolled straight to Alisha Lehmann who side-footed a fairly tame effort past Loeck and into the net (64′). On replay you could see that the ball took a bobble off the pitch just as Loeck reached out to make what would likely have been a regulation save. Once the ball deviated from its original path, she was left with almost no chance to keep it out.

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Villa actually had one or two half-chances after they took the lead, particularly when Ebony Salmon and Adriana Leon were introduced, but they couldn’t quite force a second. Albion at that point looked as dangerous as a butter knife at a gun show so the action rather petered out until the final whistle came. Perhaps that’s a little harsh, but after being disappointed, again, at home, off an encouraging result last week, I think I’m entitled to a be a little sardonic.

Another close home loss, another game we deserved at least a point from and didn’t get one – the end of the season has started to feel a little like the beginning. Everytime we put a shift in like we did against Spurs, we get optimistic, then a result like this brings us right back down to earth.
The life of a Brighton fan, nobody said it was easy, but we never waiver in our support of the team and the club.

Notes

• The quality of passing was once again an issue – in particular where we were losing the ball, and how often our final chance creating action failed to reach the intended target. For a possession based team we do look quite nervy at times and that affects the decision making process.
• The defence was pretty solid, they dealt with the threat of Daly very well all game and it was just a strange set of circumstances that led to the goal. They just need to work on their composure once they lose the ball or a player breaks through the line, because it can quickly turn into chaos and then someone somewhere isn’t picking up their position or player – which leads to a goal.
• Our press is inconsistent. Sometimes we’re doing a great job, getting high, forcing the opponent into a mistake, other times we’re letting the opposition have far too much space, or allowing them time to take the ball from their own half to deep inside ours without any pressure at all. I’m not sure if this is a fatigue issue, specific players, or tactics, but if we want to be a pressing team it needs to become second nature amongst a squad that has the capability to enforce it week in week out.
• It was absolutely fantastic to see Dejana Stefanovic (AKA Deki) step out onto the field for the first time in almost a year. Even though she was only on for about 20 minutes, you could immediately see what a quality player she is and how much she would have brought to the team this year if she’d been fit. I believe her contract may be up in the offseason, but I do hope the club can agree an extension, even if it’s just for another year, to build herself back up and help us along the way.
• For all the huff and puff and the actual three points, just as in December in the league and February in the Conti Cup, I didn’t think Aston Villa were that good. Honestly, with a quality addition or two on our side, I think we beat them more often than not. There we are, some optimism for you!
• Katie Robinson didn’t start again and you have to wonder if that is management starting to plan for next season without her. I’m not saying there’s no chance she doesn’t come back, but I’m leaning towards unlikely as it stands. Ditto for Teri who I think is more likely to stay, but is equally more likely to get some unmatchable offer from a big club.
• Big thank you to everyone who has attended the Broadfield Stadium this season – we truly are the beating heart of the club. It’s fantastic to play at the Amex of course, but those couple of thousand trekking up to Crawley week after week are what keeps the engine running. I hope to see many of you at the Arsenal away game in two weeks time!

Bonus points if you got the reference in the opening paragraph from Monty Python & The Holy Grail!
SheGulls Podcast Episode 10 will be recorded Tuesday, and released Wednesday – slightly later this week as I’ve lost my voice! What do you mean Hooray?
Ooh and don’t forget to buy your BHA Women’s Team Summer Meet-up Tickets ASAP before they all sell out!