Brighton vs. Hartlepool, Saturday 12th February, Kick-off: 3pm

Sports Saturday with Ben Holt, 2-6pm, Juice 107.2, www.juicebrighton.com
 
Build up to the game begins at 2pm, featuring interviews with manager Gus Poyet, and midfielder Gary Dicker, and from 3pm we'll have regular updates from the Withdean and around the country. Plus, the chance to win an Brighton & Hove Albion home shirt.
 

February is the month where Albion will see who their real promotion rivals are. It’s not particularly clear at the moment - as soon as a team look to be the one to challenge, they concede a last minute goal and drop points (see Bournemouth and Southampton last Saturday).

So who are the main title and promotion contenders?

The in-form team at the moment is Lee Clark’s Huddersfield, with a finely balanced squad including plenty of goalscorers - Jordan Rhodes, Gary Roberts, Anthony Pilkington, and returning striker Danny Cadamarteri, all on the score-sheet recently. An excellent run seeing them earn 17 points from a possible 21 has placed them in 3rd position, a point behind Bournemouth with a game in hand. We may find out in the next couple of weeks if they are the team to challenge Albion, as their next two games are against fellow promotion hopefuls Oldham and Bournemouth.

Southampton are still second favourites with the bookies, but despite all the talent they’ve got, last Saturday’s 4-4 thriller at London Road will be a worry for Nigel Adkins. The Saints led by two goals twice, but were pegged back by the Posh and dropped two vital points. Since thrashing Oldham 6-0 last month, they’ve only managed five points from a possible twelve. They host Carlisle on Saturday; a must-win for Adkin’s side.

Charlton have done well since bringing in Chris Powell; they’ve won three and drawn one, and still have a couple of games in hand over the teams around them. Bradley Wright-Phillips is a perfect signing for them, as he’s shown already with two goals in as many games, and with experienced players such as Johnnie Jackson and Christian Dailly, they’ve got a great chance of getting automatic promotion. Their last three matches have seen three wins and three clean sheets, but on Saturday they face Peterborough, who have scored nine in two matches.

As for Bournemouth, how costly will conceding that Dean Cox equaliser last Saturday prove to be? The Cherries are being written off for a top two finish because of the number of games they’ve played, but credit where credit is due, if the Cherries had avoided a last minute Orient equaliser on Saturday, Lee Bradbury would have taken 13 points from 5 games as manager. With trips to strugglers Walsall and Bristol Rovers coming next, it’s a great opportunity to keep the pressure on Albion. But anything other than 6 points from those two games, and a play-off spot will surely be their best chance of gaining promotion.

For Brighton & Hove Albion, it’s very simple: keep doing what they’ve been doing and the wonderful new stadium at Falmer will be hosting Championship football next season. A win against Hartlepool on Saturday would almost guarantee top-spot for another week. It’s a remarkable achievement to think that they’ve been top since September, but they don’t want to surrender their spot at the summit. Maintaining 1st place is somewhat out of Gus Poyet’s hands; if Bournemouth win all their remaining games in February, they will go top, but having played four more than Albion. The important thing is for Brighton to ignore the teams around them and the league table, and instead focus on themselves. The pressure is on the rivals to keep getting results, and that is not a pressure which Gus Poyet envies. 

Last 5 matches:
Brighton:
W (2-4 Bristol Rovers away)
D (0-0 Leyton Orient away)
W (0-1 Watford away)
W (2-0 Colchester home)
L (1-0 Bournemouth away)

Hartlepool:
W (1-0 Colchester home)
L (4-0 Oldham away)
D (1-1 Notts County home)
L (4-0 Peterborough away)
D (0-0 Bristol Rovers away) 

Albion's starting line-up vs. Bristol Rovers (last game):
Ankergren, Greer, El-Abd, Calderon, Painter, Bennett, Dicker, Bridcutt, Barnes, Murray (Sandaza), Wood (Noone); Subs not used: Brezovan, Elphick, Taricco, Battipiedi, Holroyd