What was THE season-defining moment ?

[Finchley Seagull]

Surely season defining moment was Stephens at Middlesbrough or their goal last night. We got through all the other season defining moment (if you're going to say Bolton away etc, then surely any game where we dropped points counts as season defining) and were in a position to really push in the last half hour before the joke decision to send off Stephens.

Similarly last night we were all over Wednesday and looked like we could get a second when the referee inexplicably allows Hooper to push Dunk and gives the goal. I really believe we would have won last night by more than two goals if the equaliser had been disallowed.

 

[pb21]

The home game against Burnley, specifically the ref doing an excellent impression of Ray Charles leading to the last minute equaliser.

Or on a more positive note, the second half comeback against Charlton.

 

[Machiavelli]

For every 'Burnley equaliser' or 'QPR red card', there's also a 'Bobby's last minute winner at Leeds' or 'MK Dons last-minute penalty miss'. These things happen.

Considering we've had a brilliant season, I'd say the die was cast with the iconic moment of Tomer Hemed up on the advertisement hoardings on a beautiful watery-sunshine day at Fulham having given us three deserved points from the spot.

It set the tone for the season, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute since.

This has to be it for me too.
It's not going to happen, but I really want to preserve this team, this season in aspic, because it's been awesome. Continual glory and commitment, only to be thwarted at the end, but what an ending. We could easily point to KLL's winner against Forest, but I was lucky enough to be at my second successive trip to Craven Cottage, and that was the moment that really set the tone (as did our performance in the first half of that Fulham game too, but that pales into insignificance after what we witnessed last night).

 

[Icy Gull]

Being unfortunate enough to come up against Charlie Austin and Will Hughes when they had hardly played a game all season. Two of the best players in the division saving their magic for when they played against us

 

[LlcoolJ]

The most positive moment I've had this season was reading that article about Starlizard and how bloody clever our Tony actually is. Given that UNTIL we go up we rely on his cash, I suddenly felt a lot more relaxed about the whole thing.

There have been some absolutely fantastic moments like the comeback against Charlton, Bobby's winner at Leeds, the MK Dons penalty miss and our players celebrations with the fans, Skalak's screamer, Roenior's "chin up" at Wednesday,the first half hour last night, so many actually.

And the last few weeks have felt almost unbearably difficult, as if everything was conspiring against us. Barton and the Stephens red were particularly hard to take as both situations were just so unfair. Don't mind losing/dropping points because we played badly, but not like that. Ups and downs though, we're Brighton, we're used to them.

My son said last night that at least supporting Brighton is always exciting instead of supporting some mediocre mid table team who are never battling relegation or nearly getting promotion. He's only 9 so he's only known the relatively good times but he gets it.

So for me the biggest moment this season was knowing that whatever happens, we're in safe hands and we will go again and I bloody love our club.

 

[Acker79]

I think far, far too often this season, we didn't capitalise on those great periods in games. We had 10-20min spells in lots of games where we failed to score, last night was just the last in a long line of matches this year where our dominance wasn't matched by goals. It is one of several things that irritate me about this season and prevent me from getting over not getting promoted.

Having said that, the last minute goal conceded against Burnley was what first popped into my head. We just haven't looked like we really believed we would go up, despite all the talk.

 

[Mike Small]

For me it's he second half V Derby. We were flat with no urgency. Only needing a draw V Boro would have made it so much easier.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Said this on another thread but for me it is Dunk's red against Derby. Games earlier in the season can be examined but when it comes down to the run in, we knew what was required and were having a fantastic attempt at that long winning run.

All of the momentum that we had built up over the previous matches was built on a solid core to the team. That stupid, needless challenge meant changes to the defence that had been so solid and, with Uwe's injury, left us without cover at centre back which then came back to haunt us in the first Wednesday game. Nothing against Greer, he did okay when he came in, but that forced us into unnecessary changes.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

6 games on the spin without a goal was eventually most unhelpful.....

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Actually on thinking about it, it was the failure to beat Wednesday in the awful conditions at the Amex in the main season where we fell slightly behind the promotion ask.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Actually on thinking about it, it was the failure to beat Wednesday in the awful conditions at the Amex in the main season where we fell slightly behind the promotion ask.

failing...with the exception of Hull to win any of the 6 pointers vs teams in and around us.....is the single biggest reason it could be argued....we must hope to change that next year

 

[Bodian]

Signing Knockaert - he helped us out of our slump, and we only lost once in the regular season after that. If he hadn't arrived, we might not have had all this excitement and other defining moments.