It was hard work and it was a long time coming but Albion avoided another Carling Cup upset in professional fashion.

The Seagulls had to wait until the 73rd minute to see off Boston's brave but limited challenge, Paul Reid sending them through to round two with a stylish first goal of the season.

It was a relief for Mark McGhee's side and spared them the exertions of extra-time or the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

The Seagulls are entitled to feel satisfied with their night's work. They had bowed out at the same stage of the competition against League Two opposition in each of the two previous seasons against Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers respectively.

Boston never seriously threatened to condemn them to an unwanted hat-trick or to emulate the spate of shocks provided by several of their League Two rivals against Championship clubs the night before.

It was not quite all plain sailing for Albion, however. Michel Kuipers, back between the posts for the first time since January against the team he served on loan last season, had to make a couple of good saves in the first half.

Georges Santos made a solid enough debut in front of him at the heart of the defence and the Seagulls can now look forward to Saturday's second round draw, when the dozen Premiership clubs not involved in Europe enter the fray.

Boston came to the South Coast with little to lose apart from another blow to their pride following a crushing 5-0 defeat at Shrewsbury on Saturday.

They were, not surprisingly, quick to get men behind the ball from the outset when Albion were in possession.

The Lincolnshire outfit were one of the clubs interested in signing Alex Revell when he was recruited by Albion from Braintree in the summer.

Revell started the evening again on the right, where the Seagulls have exploited his height to good effect Reid's gem sees Albion through already this season.

Jake Robinson was given the task of taking over from the injured Gary Hart through the middle, with Dean Cox on the left.

Albion controlled the possession in the first half and knocked the ball around nicely at times but Boston were difficult to break down.

Cox had a couple of early opportunities to breach the visitors' disciplined defence.

Richard Carpenter found him just inside the penalty area with an incisive crossfield pass but his shot skewed well wide of the far post.

A more obvious chance was spurned by Cox in the 14th minute. He fired wide in a cluster of bodies at the near post after a run into the box by Reid. Revell and Robinson swapped positions inside the opening half-hour in an attempt to give Boston something different to think about, yet it was the underdogs who almost broke the deadlock in the 30th minute.

A free kick was tapped to Tim Ryan and the leftback's wellstruck shot from 30 yards forced Kuipers into a diving, onehanded stop.

Reid looked more likely than anyone to open up the Boston rearguard in the opening 45 minutes.

The Australian got in behind them from rightback on more than one occasion but Andy Marriott was so well protected by the men in front of him that he did not have a save to make until the stroke of half time, when Robinson's drive from an acute angle was beaten away by Boston's much-travelled custodian.

Kuipers had been forced into a second significant stop by then. The Dutchman parried a shot on the turn from Paul Tait ten yards out after David Galbraith headed on a cross.

The ball broke for Bob Davidson, whose follow-up effort was going wide when it hit Carpenter painfully in the midriff before Albion scrambled their way out of danger.

The Seagulls continued to be frustrated after the break, in spite of the intelligent probing of Carpenter from his holding role in the centre of midfield.

While Albion laboured for a breakthrough, a flash of inspiration from Boston's on-loan Glasgow Rangers' midfielder Dany N'Guessan nearly stunned a sparse and increasingly agitated Withdean crowd.

The young Frenchman, bought by the Scottish giants from Auxerre, exploded a shot from long range, which dipped inches over the bar.

Revell responded with a rare touch of quality, controlling and turning on a cross from Robinson in one movement to drill just wide of the near post.

A double substitution midway through the second half emphasised things were not quite going according to plan for Albion, Joe Gatting coming on for Robinson and Doug Loft replacing subdued Tony Stokes.

The changes, albeit indirectly, had the desired effect. A free kick from Cox was deflected on to the roof of the Boston net for a corner before Albion's patience and persistence finally paid off.

Reid's eagerness to break forward was the key. He played the ball into Revell from midway inside the Boston half, continued his run to collect the return pass and planted a precise leftfoot finish beyond Marriott into the far corner.

Revell nearly took Albion into the comfort zone shortly afterwards with a low drive from Dean Hammond's cutback which Marriott gathered at the foot of his post.

Albion can now put the Carling Cup to bed until the middle of next month and concentrate on their League One campaign.

  • Albion (4-3-3): Kuipers; Reid, Santos, Lynch, Mayo; Hammond, Carpenter, Stokes; Robinson, Revell, Cox. Subs: Gatting for Robinson (withdrawn 65), Loft for Stokes (withdrawn 65), Elphick, Rents, Sullivan.
  • Boston (4-4-2): Marriott; Canoville, Ellender, Greaves, Ryan; N'Guessan, Talbot, Holland, Galbraith; Davidson, Tait. Subs: Farrell for Ellender (withdrawn 85), Clarke for Galbraith (withdrawn 79), Forbes for Talbot (withdrawn 85), Albrighton, Kirby.