Fans and forgiveness

The game marked the start of a run of five consecutive home games which will virtually map the destiny of Albion's season.

On paper all five were winnable but, as it was remembered on Tuesday, football is played on grass rather than paper.

Perhaps more worrying was off the field. The attendance was just over 4,700. Any more displays like the one against Tranmere and, with the play-off challenge petering out, the Albion core support could yet dip below the 4,000 mark.

I am renowned for my over-optimism when it comes to the Albion and I won't accept that a play-off place is out of the question until it is mathematically impossible.

But no matter how upbeat I remain, I am seriously concerned about the falling support.

It is no secret that the Albion will have to borrow, by way of commercial mortgage, a figure around the 30million mark to help build the Falmer stadium.

However efficiently the club is run, how can it possibly expect to service and repay a debt of that magnitude with such a small core support?

Some might argue that the Falmer stadium will see a return of a large number of supporters, but is that really the case if supporters get out of the habit of attending matches?

And the fact that, with hefty repayments, ticket prices are going to be of a certain level '” perhaps in some cases beyond the reach, at least on a regular basis, of the man-on-the-street whose forefathers packed the Goldstone.

There is no magic wand. But, in some small way, getting out and supporting the Albion now can help. So if you're a wavering supporter, or someone who hasn't been for years, please seriously think about paying the Albion a visit in the next few weeks '” and hopefully you will be entertained, because my optimism makes me believe it can't get any worse than Tuesday.

Our very own Tarring sprinter Wade Bennett-Jackson locked horns, criticised and ran against controversial athlete Dwain Chambers at the Indoor World Championship Trials in Sheffield.

Chambers won the day and with his victory came selection for next month and with it, perhaps, one of the biggest controversies British Athletics has had in recent years.

For the uninitiated, a number of years ago Chambers was found guilty of taking banned performance-enhancing substances and received a two year competition ban.

He tried his luck in American football, before returning to his original sport once his suspension was up.

While this is a very complex case, the bottom line is, what happened to the old adage of the slate being wiped clean once a punishment had been completed?

Athletics UK even went as far as issuing a statement when the selection was announced that they would rather have not picked Chambers, but felt obliged.

I think more is to come, because I can see Chambers, who the best sprinter in this country both indoors and out, taking his case to court in order to run at the Beijing Olympics in the summer.

Congratulations to local young boxer Max Wicks, son of Leigh, who has won his Southern Area Championship.

Max, who belongs to Adur Boxing Club in Shoreham, has long-term ambitions to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics in London.

With local athlete Tom Marsden also being talked about as a contender, how great for our town if we could have two competitors when the games arrive in this country.

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