The Albion were loitering between mid-table and the play-off zone, but with the game in hand that could take them up there. But was it just wishful thinking?

It was another of those damp, cold, "Oh-for-a-new-stadium" days! A good, enthusiastic crowd, helped by a packed family stand with kids-for-a-quid. I couldn't make it, but a whole batch of family did and a good game it was, probably helped by the right result!

Doncaster started as you would expect. They are looking at Championship football next year and the Seagulls are just pretenders.

A long-range shot thudded against Michel Kuipers cross bar, but stayed out. It was pretty tense stuff and as the game unfolded it became clear there weren't going to be too many goals. In fact one could win it – and did. No score at half time and all to play for.

Into the second half and Brighton were the more enterprising side.

Captain Nicky Forster, who-else, used his speed to break through into the Doncaster penalty area. He sped between two defenders and was clipped. Ronaldo-esque he went down, with the referee right up with play to award the penalty.

Recently it has been Forster's penalties that have kept the Brighton promotion challenge on course. The home crowd had every reason to be confident, as Nicky had been tucking them away, but still held their cumulative breaths! Forster struck it well but the Don's keeper guessed right and was there diving to his right hand post to keep the ball out.

He couldn't hold and Nicky Forster's follow up allowed him to clip into the net. 1-0 and the one and only goal of the game.

There was the usual nerve-wracking "Can the Albion defend a one goal lead" scenario, but yes they could - and did.

A most valuable three points took the Seagulls up to 9th on 55 points The even better news was the trump card of a game in hand.

The hypothetical three points takes our team up to the dizzy heights of 5th equal on points with Southend. Notts Forest who we play at the end of the month could be just one point ahead of the Seagulls in 4th.

It was down to earth, or should I say up to Huddersfield, on Tuesday night. As I was in foreign parts I had to rely on satellite TV and BBCi "Score"!

There wasn't even time to settle down comfortably as after a mere four minutes up came a score from the Galpham Stadium – Andy Holdsworth scored, 1-0 to Huddersfield. Our game in hand, the hypothetical three points, was turning out to be a joker rather than a trump card.

A goal down at half-time so can Dean Wilkins get us scoring? It sounded like we were lucky to be only one behind as Michel Kuipers had two good saves to make and Kerry Mayo cleared off the line.

Whatever manager Wilkins said at the break, it worked! On 47 minutes it was Nicky Forster with yet another penalty!

Watching BBCi might not be as exciting as the real thing but they did keep showing League One "As it stands". That penalty put us up to sixth equal. One more goal and we would be fifth!

But it all went wrong with just 11 minutes to go. The ref must have decided to even things up, as it was a penalty to Huddersfield, Luke Beckett, 2-1 to the hosts. And so it ended with Brighton back in ninth spot.

As it turned out a Forster penalty was not enough to give us anything from the game. Where are the goals from open play? When is Glenn Murray going to get back to his scoring ways? To be fair he was unlucky yet again, failing by the smallest of margins. In stoppage time his shot was palmed onto the post by the Town keeper. That's how close he came to finding the net and how close the Albion came to the draw they deserved.

Now it's back to Withdean on Saturday where we must beat Swindon Town. We need the win and results for the teams above us to start going our way!