An Albion development squad match at Culver Road, Lancing, more than a decade ago and Gus Poyet is not happy.

The first team boss had come down to watch the youngsters and they had just conceded a dangerous counter attack.

From his spot on the banking near the dugouts over on the far side, he had just seen Grant Hall chase back a yard or so behind the opponent who had the ball without getting into position to make a fair tackle.

“Grant, Grant,” he shouts across. “You’re allowed to foul!”

Of course, you are NOT allowed to foul according to the laws of the game.

If you commit a foul, you are punished by free-kick or a penalty and maybe a yellow or red card.

But Poyet was right from the tactical point of view.

A foul is a permissible tactical option to stop such an attack or halt an opponent and you accept the free-kick and possible card which follows.

That moment at Lancing came to mind on Saturday afternoon when thinking about the goal which put Burnley into a 1-0 lead against the present-day Seagulls.

Bart Verbruggen slid in to make an outfield-type tackle and looked to hoof the ball clear after being sold short by a Carlos Baleba back pass.

Under the laws of the game, he could not pick it up because it was a back pass.

Handling a back pass has been outlawed since 1992.

But, if we are thinking tactics rather than laws of the game, like Poyet was that day, then he WAS allowed to pick it up.

When the ball came off Baleba, it was not a ricochet or inadvertent rebound.

It looked very much like he was trying to pass the ball to Verbruggen and would have been interpreted as such by referee Simon Hooper.

Verbruggen’s instinct, therefore, to try and kick it clear was understandable.

But he was still in his own penalty area.

Had he picked the ball up, it would have been handball denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

But the laws of the game say handball by a goalkeeper in his or her own penalty area is punishable by an indirect free-kick and no other disciplinary action.

No red card for handling the ball when they are not allowed to and denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Law 12 states: “If the goalkeeper handles the ball inside their penalty area when not permitted to do so, an indirect free-kick is awarded but there is no disciplinary sanction.”

So Verbruggen would have conceded an indirect free-kick and no more had he dived on the ball and grabbed it in his hands rather than whacking it into Brownhill.

Still a very dangerous situation, of course, but not as dangerous as seeing the ball going into the goal.

There was a school of thought that Albion were unlucky the ball bounced into the net.

Not really. Given the angles and the positioning, they would have been fortunate had the ball bounced off target.

So, with more and more goalkeepers receiving back passes to feet, maybe it is one worth remembering.

If you’re in real trouble and if you’re still in your own penalty area, pick the ball up.

Concede the indirect free-kick.

Maybe the law will be changed as the game changes and that protection will be removed.

But, for now, and in Poyet parlance, you’re (sort of) allowed to pick it up.