Seagulls Soar into Round 3
Tuesday night saw the Albion eventually see off a spirited effort from League 1 side Oxford United to secure their place in the EFL Cup’s third round.
It was the perfect start for the Albion as Sam Adekugbe latched onto Oliver Norwood’s first time ball before smashing the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle. This came just 69 seconds into the contest.
Albion were pegged back by a scrappy Wes Thomas goal which had followed good work by the Oxford striker.
Chris Hughton’s men then struck three times in nine minutes late in the second half with Kazenga Lua Lua’s rocket from the edge of the area restoring Albion’s lead. Elvis Manu then doubled the visitors advantage with his near post toe-poke. Subsitutue Tomer Hemed ensured victory with a close-range finish following good work from Sam Baldock chasing down a lost cause.
In this six-minute spell Oxford captain John Lundstram had struck the underside of the bar with a ferocious effort. Dan Crowley scored a marvellous curling effort from range in added time to give the home fans something to shout about.
Albion have been rewarded with a tie at home to Championship rivals Reading, which will also see Albion new boy Oliver Norwood face the team he left in the summer.
Albion Back in for Duffy?
Albion are reportedly back in for Blackburn defender Shane Duffy.
It had appeared that the Duffy links were dead in the water but according to speculation the Seagulls are monitoring the situation with the Northern Ireland defender with keen interest.
It’s believed the Seagulls haven’t actually entered into negotiations for the Blackburn defender but do remain very confident on acquiring his services.
Albion have already seen two bids for the stopper rejected and are fully aware for the need for more defensive options during the season with Saturday’s trip to Newcastle set to really examine the Albion backline.
Duffy who has just a year left on his contract and has rejected a deal offered to him by Rovers is thought to be keen on a switch to the South Coast, but it is believed Duffy won’t be making a switch until at least after the weekend.
Another option for the Albion is West Ham’s 19-year-old startlet Reece Burke, with both the club and player believed to be keen on him gaining some loan experience having recently signed a four year deal with the hammers.
Furthermore Bradley Dack may well be back on the Albion’s radar. It’s believed Albion representatives were present during Gillingham’s shock League Cup victory over Premier League side Watford. This has renewed rumours that Albion may be looking to obtain the Kent club’s exciting attacker.
