Steve Sidwell has been getting some stick from across the globe about his 55-yard goal of the season.

The usual sort of stuff. It was a shank, a fluke, an intended pass.

All said in jest by an admiring fellow professional who knows a great strike when he sees one.

Sidwell, Anthony Knockaert and David Stockdale were all prize winners at the EFL awards night, the former for his long range strike at Bristol City.

Now they aim for the big prize and it might be fitting if they can reach the Premier League with a win at Easter.

After all, the current rise can arguably be traced back to the club’s last win in an Easter fixture, at Colchester eight years ago, when Sidwell’s mate Lloyd Owusu headed the winner.

The Argus:

Owusu celebrates with, from left, Dean Cox, Doug Loft, Gary Hart, Andrew Whing and Adam Virgo

Albion were six points from safety in League One when they made that Easter Monday trip to Essex.

Thirteen points from the last 15 secured survival in what was celebrated as the Great Escape under boss Russell Slade.

Tony Bloom took over as chairman weeks later and Gus Poyet was in as manager by mid-November.

We will never know what would have happened had they gone down, although, it can taken as read that Bloom’s support of his club would not have wavered.

We also know that a ground-breaking ceremony for what turned out to be the Amex was staged in a muddy Falmer field four months before that win at Colchester.

What is also indisputable is that the win on April 13, 2009, remains the club’s last in an Easter fixture. What better time to change that?

“A bullet header from a whipped-in free-kick right in front of our fans,” Owusu, now living in Australia, recalls of that finish from Gary Borrowdale’s excellent set-piece.

“That time is one of the best memories of my career even though I was only there for two months.

The Argus:

Tommy Elphick celebrates the Easter win at Colchester

“We went on that massive run. I still believe if that hadn’t happened the future for the club would have been very different.

“What has happened since is a great achievement by the club.

“I’m delighted for them. People like Glenn Murray, who was there back then.

“And Siddy, who is one of my best mates in football. I’ve known him since we were young kids at Brentford in 2001. We keep in touch.”

Owusu still plays part-time for Stanmore Hawks, a level he likens to the Ryman League, while working as a coach at Cranbrook, a private school.

His goals in those few weeks helped revive the season as Oldham, Bristol Rovers and Stockport were also beaten and a draw was fought out at current promotion rivals Huddersfield.

The theme was “raise the roof” as he celebrated goals in his trademark style – even at the largely roofless Withdean.

When the job was done, The Argus brought out a special poster to celebrate the escape.

The Argus:

“I’ve still got mine at home, framed on the wall,” said Gary Hart, who played up front in the run-in.

With Murray and Nicky Forster injured and Craig Davies struggling, Hart and Calvin Andrew played key roles alongside Owusu in Slade’s slightly lop-sided 4-4-2 set-up.

Hart, pictured, said: “I remember Colchester at Easter. We battled really well and it was the first game where we came in afterwards and thought we had a chance of staying up.

“That run kick-started my career again.

“I wasn’t playing at the time. Dean Cox went up to Sladey in training and said ‘Why isn’t Gary Hart playing?’ “I was sitting on the side and he was having a row on my behalf.

“I said, ‘What are you doing?’ but he said Sladey would listen to him.

“It’s a good memory even now. If we had gone down who knows what would have happened?

“They would have been difficult times.

“But everything contributes towards the history the club are making and now we are nearly in the Premier League. I think we, as players from back then, take pride in getting us to that early stage.”

The Argus:

Gary Hart in action during the key win over Oldham

Those players now poised to make the big step up stand to be celebrated as idols across the city for years to come.

Hart, who now lives back in Essex, said: “I’ve been down for charity games and the odd night out in Brighton.

“I still get recognised. Players say they don’t like it but, believe me, it’s nice to be recognised.

“I was good mates with Glenn. We got on well and we were both out through injury at the same time.

“He was one the laziest people I knew in terms of training but he had that way of doing it in matches.

“Not many players can do that. He’s a great player. It’s great to see him doing so well.”

The big time beckons for a club Hart joined from Stansted for peanuts 19 years ago.

He joked: “Glenn doesn’t even answer my tweets now, that’s how big time he is!”

OUR list of Easter results since 2009 comprises games scheduled for that weekend when the fixtures came out.
Particularly in the days of Gus Poyet, the Monday match could be shifted back to the Tuesday and one Saturday game, versus Southampton, was actually moved to a Thursday.
Easter Saturday matches have become a rarity with teams keen to have two full days between fixtures.

Albion have not won at Easter since 2009 – but they should have done. They led until injury time in the first of those matches, versus Southampton, and were beaten days later by a Hartlepool side who fielded an ineligible player.

The Argus:
Then was the lead they blew late on against Southampton on Easter Saturday, 2011, by which time they were already League One champions, the late leveller conceded at Forest in 2013 and the chances missed at home to Reading (above) and Charlton.


2009-10
Southampton (h) 2-2
Hartlepool (a) 0-2
2010-11
Southampton (h) 1-2
Colchester (a) 1-1
2011-12
Burnley (a) 0-1
Reading (h) 0-1
2012-13
Nottm Forest (a) 2-2
Charlton (h) 0-0
2013-14
Huddersfield (a) 1-1
Blackpool (h) 1-1
2014-15
Norwich (h) 0-1
Rotherham (a) 0-1
2015-16
No fixtures – international break