5:01pm Saturday 13th March 2010
By Howard Griggs
Albion's Withdean curse struck again as their four-match unbeaten run ended with a 1-0 defeat at home to Swindon Town.
Young hotshot Charlie Austin struck the only goal 21 minutes to condemn Albion to a loss which drops them one place to 18th in the table.
The Seagulls bossed much of the game but did not look like getting out of it after falling behind.
Albion have enjoyed good results at Leeds, Charlton and Colchester in the last four games but the win at home to Exeter remains their only three points at Withdean since October.
They will now try to rectify that record at home to Brentford on Tuesday.
Manager Gus Poyet named an unchanged line-up for the third successive game and his pre-match plans were boosted by the absence of Swindon's 21-goal top scorer Billy Paynter who was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The Robins suffered a further blow on 13 minutes when goalkeeper David Lucas limped off with what also appeared to be a hamstring problem.
They also lost Paynter's replacement, Vincent Pericard, in a first-half which Albion bossed.
Andrew Crofts fired wide with a low shot and Gary Dicker shot over the top but the best chance was a header from Glenn Murray which Gordon Greer cleared off the line with Smith beaten.
Murray also had a good penalty appeal turned down when he appeared to be floored by Greer.
Swindon's best chance was a shot by substitute Mark Marshall in first-half stoppage-time which Peter Brezovan saved at his near post.
The visitors were forced into a third charge at half-time as Danny Ward, who had been pushed up front in place of Pericard, went off injured.
Three minutes into the second half Elliott Bennett burst into the penalty area on to Dicker's pass and fired over.
Austin shot narrowly wide of the far post on 58 minutes after a slip by Adam El-Abd and that signalled Swindon's best spell of the game.
Brezovan made a fine save to keep out Greer's header from an Alan Sheehan corner on 65 minutes but was beaten four minutes later.
Marshall crossed from the left and Jon-Paul McGovern laid the ball back for Austin who fired low into the bottom corner from 12 yards.
Poyet reacted by throwing on two forwards including Nicky Forster, who got the biggest cheer of the day.
However, their only real chance after falling behind came in the first minute of added time when Kazenga LuaLua's shot was saved low down after a great run.
Albion: Brezovan; Calderon, Elphick, El-Abd, Painter (Forster 75); Bennett, Navarro (sub Holroyd 71), Crofts, Dicker, LuaLua; Murray. Subs not used: Hart, McNulty, Carole, Hoyte, Walker.
Swindon: Lucas (sub Smith 13); Darby, Cuthbert, Greer, Sheehan; McGovern, Douglas, Ferry, Ward (sub Easton 46); Pericard (sub Marshall 33), Austin. Subs not used: Timlin, Ritchie, Amankwaah, Jean-Francois.
Referee: Grant Hegley (Hertfordshire).
For a full match analysis, reaction and pictures from the game see The Argus on Monday.
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