Cox hits winner as Albion go through

9:38pm Tuesday 9th October 2007

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Albion 2, Barnet 1.

Not every club in the lower divisions take the Johnstone's Paint Trophy seriously.

Albion manager Dean Wilkins certainly is and why not with a final at the new Wembley at stake.

Wilkins named the strongest team he could, with Guy Butters and Nicky Forster missing through injury.

He was rewarded with a place in Saturday's southern section quarter final draw - even though he was not at Withdean to see the Seagulls get there.

Assistant Dean White took charge, with Wilkins confined to his sick bed by flu.

Jake Robinson's first goal since December will make him feel better, as will another for Dean Cox as Albion kept confidence levels high by stretching their unbeaten sequence to four matches.

League Two Barnet pushed them all the way but Adam Birchall's reply was not enough to prevent their first defeat in eight games.

Barnet also treated the competition seriously, fielding their strongest possible side in the absence of injured skipper Ismail Yakubu and on-loan Charlton teenager Josh Wright, who is on England under-19 duty.

A slick pitch was ideal for both teams to express themselves and there was plenty to entertain the crowd in a first half played at a good tempo.

Barnet were lively early on and the diminutive Birchall should have done better with a shot on the turn which finished a long way wide of the target.

Bas Savage has thrived for the Seagulls since reverting to the right flank, where he played for Reading.

The big man delighted his fans - of which there are many - by turning Barnet left-back Nicky Nicolau inside out not once but twice before delivering a low cross to the near post which Alex Revell, sliding in, just failed to connect with.

Robinson, fed by Andrew Whing, had an angled drive from 12 yards blocked away with his knees by Lee Harrison, Barnet's veteran keeper, in the 20th minute but the young Albion striker ended his goal drought a minute later.

Dean Hammond's cross found Robinson unmarked close to the penalty spot, with the visitors looking in vain for offside.

He rounded Harrison, only to then scuff his attempt to find the empty net. Nicolau desperately tried to clear and thought he had done so but the linesman indicated the ball had crossed the line.

Revell, himself goalless since the home game against Northampton in August, tried to get in on the act with a volley over the bar after Robinson had headed on a pass from Cox.

Albion seemed to be in control at that stage and yet Barnet could have been level, or even ahead, by the break.

Matt Richards has shown nothing like his best form since joining the Seagulls on loan from Ipswich. The left-back was guilty of a terrible back pass in the 31st minute straight into the path of Jason Norville. Fortunately for Richards the Trinidadian forward's low shot lacked the power to beat Michel Kuipers, who kept it out with his right hand.

Birchall squandered a good opportunity when he fired over from Jason Puncheon's through ball and Puncheon also showed why he has already scored six goals from midfield this season.

His sweetly struck effort from 25 yards was parried by the diving Kuipers to keep out Albion's advantage intact.

The Seagulls, of course, have a free-scoring midfielder of their own in the shape of Cox. The pint-sized playmaker dented Barnet's revival towards the end of the first half with his fourth goal of the campaign two minutes into the restart.

Robinson, crowded out by two defenders, still managed to work the ball to Cox. His rasping shot struck the underside of the bar but Robinson was on hand to head back across the face of goal for Cox to nod in.

Albion instantaneously introduced Tommy Fraser for George O'Callaghan, taking the opportunity to save the on-loan Ipswich midfielder for Saturday's trip to his old club Port Vale.

Cox's goal temporarily put Albion in the comfort zone on the return to Withdean of their former loan signing Joe O'Cearuill.

The young Irishman could do nothing to prevent the Seagulls from siezing command of the tie on his full debut at the heart of the Barnet defence in place of Yakubu.

Cox was also withdrawn, fit-again Frenchman David Martot taking his place, but no sooner had he departed than Barnet engineered a route back into contention with 16 minutes remaining.

Birchall, escaping from Tommy Elphick, made amends for his earlier profligacy with a shot which Kuipers partially blocked but which still found its way into the net via the underside of the bar.

Albion: Kuipers, Whing, El-Abd, Elphick, Richards, Robinson, O'Callaghan, Hammond, Cox, Revell, Savage. Subs: Sullivan, Rents, Elder, Fraser, Martot.

Barnet: Harrison, Devera, Burton, O'Cearuill, Nicolau, Carew, Bishop, Porter, Puncheon, Norville, Birchall. Subs: Beckwith, Hatch, Thomas, Seanla, Hart.

Referee: Andy Hall (W Midlands).

What did you think of Albion's performance against Barnet? What do you think of Jake Robinson since he got back into the team? Let us know your thoughts.