Albion fans used to love singing about "that man from Argentina".

And for some today's game at Lewes might bring back distant memories of one of Leo Ulloa's compatriots - and one of the more surprising summer signings of the Withdean era.

The player himself certainly remembers a sweltering Sunday afternoon at the Dripping Pan ten years ago very well.

Because target man Federico Turienzo admits he learnt an awful lot from a trying season with the struggling Seagulls after being pitched into a very foreign environment.

The young Argentinian striker, trying his luck in Europe with the help of an Italian passport and a glowing recommendation from Zbigniew Boniek, ended up at the Dripping Pan – and earned himself a contract.

But he only lasted one season, 2005-06, as Albion battled against the Championship odds.

Now, playing for third tier Deportivo Merlo in the state of Buenos Aires, he admits it was a challenging experience. But one which stood him in good stead for a long career in Italy and back home.

DID YOU KNOW?
Albion’s other trialist at Lewes in 2005, defender Brent Sancho, is now the minister for sport in his homeland, Trinidad and Tobago. He became famous as the player whose dreadlocks were pulled by Peter Crouch when the England striker scored against T&T at the 2006 World Cup.

“I’d advise any young striker here, given the option to go to England, to take it,” he told The Argus.

“A move to England would be very advantageous for any player who wanted to progress as a footballer.

“But if you don’t speak the language it’s going to complicate things for you.

“I still remember that first game on trial (at Lewes).

“I was in the changing room and people were saying things to me – and I didn’t understand a word.

“I didn’t know if they were insulting me or encouraging me!

“But I got the impression that I’d done okay and that was the start of my adventure.

“I didn’t have a contract but I saw the manager Mark McGhee and seemed to have made a good impression.

“I went to Italy and had an offer there but Brighton called me again and I got a contract.”

Turienzo never scored in the Championship and admits he struggled with the pace and intensity of the football.

He had not played for six months and arrived when much of the pre-season fitness work had been done.

“I didn’t have that solid base of fitness,” he admits.

“I was 22, inexperienced. I wasn’t ready for the intensity.

“They put me in the reserves and I played well, scored some goals.

“But it was hard to make an impact in the first team. I found the game really intense.”

He confirms what seems an unlikely connection with one of the greats of the Polish game.

“Yes, Zibi Boniek recommended me because he had seen me playing in Argentina. That was another reason Mark McGhee wanted to sign me.

“But I just think I had bad luck with injuries and muscular problems and wasn’t really able to adapt.

“Still, I loved the opportunity. It has served me well.

“Brighton’s a great city, it’s a good football club. I learnt a new language, although I’ve forgotten an awful lot of it!

“In terms of the football, I loved the professional approach, the way people trained, how they worked, how they did things right.

“When you come back to Argentina you realise how different things are.

“Here if someone is driving and a pedestrian is crossing the road, the driver will just miss him. In England, they stop and let him cross!

“There’s a lot of respect for people in England. It was an education.”