Key events
Looks like the lens of the expensive-looking goalside camera bothered by Baleba’s powerful drive has been sheared clean off. Pity the poor photographer, who is nevertheless having a wry chortle about his misfortune with a pal, a piece in each hand. At least he shouldn’t have any problem processing his insurance claim, everything was captured live on national television. There are witnesses.
Half-time cup-themed entertainment. Courtesy of the newly crowned SJA columnist of the year and popular culture commentator of the year. We spoil you.
HALF TIME: Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Onwards and upwards.
45 min: Anderson’s half clearance is met by Baleba, who chests down and from the edge of the D, creams a shot inches wide of the right-hand post. The ball smashes into a camera, sending it flying and possibly necessitating some repairs. The nearest either team has come to a goal.
44 min: Mitoma hangs a leg across Dominguez and steps on his toe. Nuno not happy. Still a little residual annoyance from September’s brouhaha.
42 min: Minteh curls long from the right. Sels claims an awkward ball at the far stick with Mitoma lurking.
41 min: That was some proper alpha defending from Milenkovic, who took control of what momentarily looked a dangerous situation. Mitoma held off with ease.
39 min: Rutter drops deep, swivels in the centre circle, and wedges a glorious pass down the middle to release Mitoma. But Mitoma can’t get the ball out from under his feet, and suddenly Milenkovic arrives to swat Mitoma aside and usher the ball back to his keeper.
37 min: Baleba goes long down the left. Mitoma scampers after it but Murillo comes across to make sure he can’t take up possession. Rutter then nearly intercepts a clearance but the ball pings back to Sels. This is not a classic in the making.
35 min: Some untidy play from both teams, just outside the Brighton box. Anderson finally imposes some order, sending a pass wide right for Gibbs-White, who then whistles a low cross through the six-yard box. Awoniyi slides in but gets nowhere near to connecting.
33 min: Estupinan comes straight through the back of Yates, who was shielding the ball out on the Forest right. He’s slightly fortunate not to go into the book.
32 min: It’s Estupinan’s turn to launch a speculative effort from long range. The ball swerves all over the place and Sels makes a meal of parrying clear. But the keeper does just enough.
31 min: Van Hecke looks long down the middle. Ayari eyebrows on for Mitoma, but Milenkovic steps in to intercept. Small signs that Brighton are beginning to rise from their slumber. Small signs.
30 min: Van Hecke larrups a speculative ball down the right flank. Rutter chases after it, but isn’t getting ahead of Williams, so tugs him back by the shirt. It counts as an action in the final third, I suppose.
28 min: Ayari latches onto a loose ball and drags a long-distance shot wide right. In fact there was a nick off a defender. Nothing comes of the resulting corner, but that’s a little better from the hosts, who have otherwise achieved nothing so far.
26 min: Forest may not have scored yet, but their dominance has if nothing else quietened the home crowd. The away fans making all of the noise with some library-themed goading.
24 min: This is all Forest. Brighton can’t keep hold of the ball at all. “It’s too bad the Premier League only allows a maximum of two digits for shirt numbers,” writes Peter Oh. “If Brighton’s Swedish midfielder were to add two zeros at the end of his, Ayari 2600 could become an instant cult hero among video game enthusiasts of a certain (advanced) age.” Ah yes, when game consoles had wood panelling. And people have the nerve to say the 1970s was the decade taste forgot.
22 min: Forest have enjoyed 88 percent possession during the last five minutes. Most unBrightonesque all right.
21 min: Webster deals with this one.
20 min: Danilo wins yet another Forest corner down the left. This one isn’t dealt with by Van Hecke, and Mitoma is forced to put it out for a first Forest corner on the right. Anderson to take.
18 min: Baleba blooters a long ball down the right. Hoof. A proper John Smith’s tribute act. Minteh chases, but can’t get the better of Milenkovic. Most unBrightonesque.
16 min: Aina bursts into space down the inside-right channel and feeds Awoniyi. From the right-hand edge of the six-yard box, Awoniyi drills a low shot goalwards from his tight angle. Verbruggen kicks away. The rebound falls to Williams, who can’t control in time to return with a second shot. Brighton clear their lines. Forest the better side so far, and that’s the first bit of serious action to prove it.
14 min: Mitoma skittles Gibbs-White near the centre circle. Murillo loops the free kick forward. Some head tennis. Then Danilo powers down the left and hooks back infield, but Hinshelwood is on point to intercept. Effort trumping art at the moment.
12 min: Gibbs-White sends Williams scampering down the left. Williams wins another corner. Danilo sends it in again. Van Hecke heads clear once more.
11 min: Awoniyi catches Van Hecke late. On first viewing it’s not a great challenge, but it’s side on, and the Forest man slipped slightly as he arrived on the scene. All accidental, to be fair, and Van Hecke doesn’t make a big deal of it. That happened near both benches, the folk within keeping their counsel and their cool. For now, anyway.
9 min: Webster spreads a lovely diagonal pass towards Rutter down the inside-right channel. Rutter can’t quite take the ball in his stride. Had he managed to do so, he’d have been barrelling into the box and shooting. As it is, Murillo is able to come across and clank clear.
7 min: Verbruggen takes his sweet time over a simple clearance and nearly gets closed down by Danilo. He manages to kick upfield but only via a flick off the Forest player.
5 min: It’s pretty hectic during these early exchanges. Quite a few misplaced passes, both teams pressing like billy-o.
3 min: Van Hecke heads the corner away. Brighton avoid conceding a super-early goal that would have sent the nerves jangling in the wake of that seven-goal shellacking.
2 min: Williams works his way down the left and earns the first corner of the game off Rutter. Danilo wanders over to take.
1 min: Rutter jinks past Anderson down the right and is upended. Sixteen seconds on the clock. A reminder that Morgan Gibbs-White and both managers were sent off here last September.
Forest get the ball rolling. A huge roar of Albion. The away end giving it plenty as well.
The teams are out! A cracking atmosphere in Sussex by the Sea. The Seagulls in their blue and white stripes, the Tricky Trees in first-choice red. We’ll be off in a minute or two.
The BBC ask whether Fabian Hürzeler has mentioned that 7-0 shellacking to his players. “No … it’s always important to look to the reactions … big losses … negative experiences … we went through it … what makes us stronger … that’s the focus … reminder to do the basic things right … outrun the opponents … Forest have played like this against big teams like Chelsea and Liverpool … very defensive … transition moments … set pieces … we have to be alive in all phases … try to control the game … it will be a balance between everything.”
Nuno Espírito Santo, who has surprised a few by dropping Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, speaks to the BBC. “The cup is a good chance for players who work so hard and don’t have minutes in the Premier League … players deserve moments … game by game … today is a tough one.”
So having already mentioned Gordon Smith, and at the risk of seriously testing the patience of Brighton fans … here’s a reminder of what happened when these teams last met, at the start of February.
Seagulls supporters can take some succour in not having lost at home to Forest since 2015, a sequence of five matches. The last time this particular fixture was played, in the Premier League last September, it all kicked off in a most entertaining fashion, with all the usual thinking-of-the-kids caveats.
To whet the appetite / summon up old demons, here’s how Brighton came so close in 1983. One of the great finals, and such a shame the replay was a competitive non-event. (No need for us to link to that and pour more salt into the wound, bringing up Gordon Smith again is more than enough.)
Meanwhile this is how Forest won the cup in 1959. Not such a classic, this one, and the Pathé summariser wants a clip around the lug for repeated references to “Notts”.
Both of these teams go into this early-evening quarter-final with the wind in their sail. Brighton are unbeaten in seven, a run that has included two wins over Chelsea, victory in the FA Cup at Newcastle, and a come-from-behind draw at Manchester City. Forest meanwhile are four without defeat, a sequence that has seen them frustrate title hopefuls Arsenal and beat champions City. Good luck calling this one.
Brighton make two changes to the starting XI named for the 2-2 draw at Manchester City. Danny Welbeck and Yasin Ayari replace João Pedro and Diego Gómez, who drop to the bench.
Forest make three changes after their 4-2 win at Ipswich. Ryan Yates, Taiwo Awoniyi and Danilo replace Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who drop to the bench, and the injured Chris Wood.
The teams
Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma, Welbeck.
Subs: McGill, Dunk, Gruda, Joao Pedro, Adingra, Cashin, Gomez, O’Riley, Tasker.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Yates, Danilo, Awoniyi.
Subs: Carlos Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Hudson-Odoi, Toffolo, Alex, Jota Silva, Elanga, Boly.
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside).
Preamble
“And Smith must score!” Brighton & Hove Albion dream of putting an end to 42 years of Peter-Jones-soundtracked yearning. So near and yet so far away from a first FA Cup. Nottingham Forest have won the thing before, of course, but you’d have to be of stately vintage to have witnessed the last time they did so, in 1959, Elton John’s cousin and all that, and there are even a couple of generations who’ll be too young to have seen Brian Clough’s close call of 1991. Both teams desperate, then. Both teams believing. Both teams certainly good enough to lift the old pot come May. But only one will remain standing by the end of the night, which could stretch as far as extra time and penalties if needs be. Kick-off is at 5.15pm. It’s on!
