Inside track on Brighton | Brian Owen | OneFootball

Our final game of the year sees us on the road as we face Brighton & Hove Albion at Broadfield Stadium on Saturday evening (5.30pm UK).

Having been appointed manager of the south coast club in the summer, Dario Vidošić has made an impressive start to life in England, with Brighton currently sat fifth in the table, two points behind Arsenal and Manchester United.

Ahead of our clash this weekend, we had a chat with journalist Brian Owen to get a lowdown on the Seagulls…

How would you reflect on Brighton’s first half of the season?

Brian: “Brighton can be encouraged by their efforts and results so far, but with hopes of more to come. They have dramatically improved their home form, which had been a huge problem last season, and certainly have goals in them. Clearly, Nikita Parris and Fran Kirby are major signings who have raised standards and the club's profile, although Fran is currently out injured, which is a disappointment.

“But it feels like they can still play their best football for longer periods and the belief will be there is more to come from them in the second half of the season. They also currently have significant injury problems.”

Who have been the standout players so far in this campaign?

Brian: “This is actually quite a tough one to answer, which is good in itself. Fran and Nikita have lived up to expectations, which is saying a lot. Kiko Seike wasted no time in making an impression with her hat-trick on debut and has continued to be a threat.

“I also think Dario has got the best from Poppy Pattinson, who is a left-back with attacking flair. I believe we have just had a taste of what some others, such as Bruna Vilamala, Rachel McLauchlan and Jelena Cankovic, can do and I look forward to seeing more.”

What impact has Dario Vidošić made at the Club?

Brian: “He got off to a flyer with the 4-0 win over Everton and I don't recall such a buzz around a Brighton game at Crawley. The change of style, to something similar to that played by the club's senior and under-21 men, was smoothed by the efforts of Mikey Harris as interim boss for the second half of last season. Vidosic has continued that work and is a good communicator. But I believe he too will think he is just getting started. Certainly, he saw the 4-2 defeat at Chelsea as a chance missed more than a gallant defeat.”

What are the ambitions for Brighton for the second half of the campaign?

Brian: “The club's ambition first stated by chairman Tony Bloom in 2019 was for the men to be a top ten Premier League team and top four for the women. At the time, it felt like the women would achieve their goal before the men, but the opposite has happened.

“This now feels like the time for top four to be conquered in the WSL and they will also feel they can upset any team on a given day, which could be relevant in the cup competitions. They will also be keen to continue to build the fanbase both home and away.”

Last time out against Brighton