Albion liveblogs: Elliott Bennett crowns title win

We are stepping into the breach.

We have raided our vast archive of Albion liveblogs to bring you a taste of matchday.

These are the live and contemporaneous reports we have filed down the years as the fixtures were in progress.

They are not reflective pieces.

They offer a real feel of the match unfolding and give the context of how things were seen at the time.

We won’t bring you only classics.

There will be a wider cross-section of games which reflect life following the Seagulls.

Kicking it off, though, is a special day - the League One title clincher in April 2011.

Albion had secured promotion by beating Dagenham and Redbridge in midweek.

They arrived in the West Midlands knowing a win would secure the crown with four matches to spare.

You will see references to Southampton, who had a very strong squad and were second in the table when they had expected to be top.

As the live report shows, Albion had to work hard for this 3-1 win at Walsall.

But Elliott Bennett’s superb late strike gave the perfect finale to a perfect day.

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Albion clinched the League One title in a blaze of glory as Inigo Calderon, Glenn Murray and Elliott Bennett secured the points at Walsall...

Pre-game: Albion make two changes from the side which kicked off against Dagenham in midweek. Ashley Barnes, scorer of the winner in that match after coming off the bench, starts this time, as does Matt Sparrow. Chris Wood and Craig Noone drop to the bench. Many of Albion’s travelling fans are in early hoping to cheer their side to the League One title.

1st min: No change of ends so Albion defend the away end in the first half.

3rd min: So nearly an early breakthrough. Painter’s superb pass down the left finds Sparrow’s intelligent run from deep. Sparrow cuts the ball back and Barnes’s low shot is blocked in front of goal. As the attack continues, Bennett curls an effort just past the far post.

6th min: The leaders are playing with a swagger early on - and they should be ahead. This time they cut through down the right with Murray sending Calderon away. His low cross finds Sparrow who has one effort saved and another blocked.

7th min - GOAL: It was coming! From the resulting corner CALDERON heads home - although a defender on the line should really have cleared it.

10th min: Home keeper Walker calls for Barnes to be booked for diving - and is booked himself for doing so!

11th min - GOAL: What a mess! Bridcutt’s attempt to volley clear a mis-directed Walsall corner is horribly miscued and turns into an up-and-under into his own six-yard box. No one takes charge for Albion and BUTLER heads in from close range.

19th min: Albion have responded with a few minutes of more controlled possession - though the hosts were down to ten men. McDonald now returns after running repairs to a cut on his face.

23rd min: Cook’s brilliant run earns him a free-kick just outside the box as he is fouled by Painter. But Bridcutt helps atone for his earlier error by sliding in to make a super block of Taundry’s shot.

25th min: McDonald stretches out a long leg to make a brilliant tackle on Murray after Bennett’s first-time pass seemed to have sent the top scorer clean through on goal. It’s a lively half.

27th min: Cook’s attempted curler from 20 yards is deflected past the top corner. The resulting flag kick comes to nothing.

29th min: That would have been Albion’s goal of the season - but Murray is just unable to reach a cross from the overlapping Painter after a fabulous one-touch passing move.

40th min: After a pretty quiet spell, Albion create half a chance and Bennett shoots too close to Walker from five yards outside the box.

43rd min: Bennett’s cleverly volleyed pass seems to have got Barnes in behind the defence but the striker handles as he tries to bring it down on his chest.

45+2 min - HALF-TIME: It’s 1-1 at the break after Albion had initially threatened to run riot.

46th min: A long throw into the Albion box causes problems and leads to a corner, which Murray heads away.

47th min - GOAL: Albion hit back quickly as Bridcutt leads a counter raid. Sparrow’s shot is blocked for a corner, Bennett whips in the flag kick from the left and MURRAY meets it with an unstoppable glancing header - right in front of the away fans.

49th min: As the songs come thick and fast from the away fans, Walsall stitch together a great attack down the left and El-Abd has to get a very timely header on Williams’ cross.

52nd min: Painter shows some tricky footwork down the left to win a corner which leads to another before the danger eventually passes.

55th min: Panicky defending by Albion at a corner and Butler mis-kicks when the ball drops to him in the goalmouth.

60th min: Walsall send on Ledesma, the Argentinian midfielder Poyet was having a look at in the reserves not long ago. He replaces ex-Seagulls loanee Richards.

63rd min: “Are we keeping up?” sing Albion fans, in reference to Nigel Adkins’ famous quote from earlier in the season.

63rd min: Noone replaces Sparrow.

68th min: Lancashire replaces battered central defender McDonald.

71st min: What a block! As the ball bounces around the Albion goalmouth, Laird lets fly on the volley - but Barnes throws his body at the ball and somehow deflects it over the bar.

72nd min: Experienced goalgetter Byfield replaces winger Cook. Their football is not pretty but Walsall are getting the ball “in the mixer” and pushing hard for a leveller.

74th min: Gbarssin, lectured a short while ago, is now booked after pulling down Murray.

76th min: Wood comes for Barnes.

78th min: Bennett lines up a free-kick by the left-wing corner flag and whips a fabulous ball across goal to which the diving Calderon is just unable to get a touch at the far post.

79th min - RED CARD: Nice footwork by Ledesma to start a Walsall attack - but he is then deemed to have gone in dangerously on El-Abd and is shown a straight red.

81st min: Albion are swarming forward now and Noone has a narrow-angle shot blocked by Walker.

88th min: Murray has a stinging drive held at the second attempt by Walker.

89th min: As news comes through that Southampton have at last gone ahead, Wood is sent clean through, takes his time - and blazes over!

90th min - GOAL: The crowning moment! BENNETT leads yet another attack down the middle and this time does it all himself, blasting high into the net from five yards outside the box. A fabulous finish - and the celebrations are in full swing.

90+1 min: A nice touch. Before play resumes, Bennett makes way for Navarro, who will end a tough season for him personally out in the middle as the title is clinched.

Walsall: Walker; McDonald (Lancashire 68), Taundry, Williams, Butler; Richards (Ledesma 60), Gray, Gbarssin, Laird; Cook (Byfield 72), Macken. Unused subs: Bevan, Westlake, Nicholls, Grigg.
Albion: Ankergren; Calderon, El-Abd, Elphick, Painter; Bridcutt, Sparrow (Noone 63), Dicker; Bennett (Navarro 90), Barnes (Wood 76), Murray. Unused subs: Brezovan, Dunk, Kishishev, Sandaza.