Harty: Champions League spot could open up for Brighton and Hove Albion, but would it be a step too far?

A match taking place at the legendary Villa Park tonight (Thur May 7) may go a long way to defining this season for the Albion – and perhaps a huge part of the ongoing history of the club.

Aston Villa look to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the all-English Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

If, which all know is half of the word ‘life’, they were to beat Forest and go on and win the Europa League, as things stand, the team finishing in sixth place in the Premier League, below the current top five, will qualify for the Champions League.

At time of going to press, the much respected Football Web Pages is predicting the final EPL table will have the Albion in 6th place,.

I’d actually take issue with the said predictions – they clearly have us beating Wolves this Saturday and then drawing our last two matches, away to Leeds and home to Manchester United respectively.

We will obviously cross that respective bridge in a couple of weeks, but with a full house at the Amex with a game of that magnitude I’d wager we will have enough to beat United on that last Sunday afternoon of the season.

But now to the doubts.

I’m truly torn, it’s 29 years ago this week that we stayed in the Football League at Hereford, so the prospect of Champions League is truly in the realms of Fantasy Football.

But while the riches that the Champions League brings to every club taking part in it, part of me would prefer the Albion to be in the Europa League, a competition both Villa and Forest legitimately know they can win, as Spurs did last season.

I believe with a robust summer transfer window, the Albion, clearly on a par with all three of the aforementioned English clubs, can put a squad capable of winning the Europa League and then in 12 months’ time qualify for Champions League.

That said, Real Madrid away on a Tuesday night, or Bayern Munich coming to the Amex on a Wednesday, it certainly beats the midweek visit we had to Rushden and Diamonds not that long ago!

My nagging doubt is while it would the ultimate rollercoaster ride for Albion fans young and old, and competitively taking on some of the best teams on the planet would, to reiterate, create some unforgettable nights both home and away, would the squad be strong enough or good enough?

I know we would be in the Europa League as an alternative – and sorry readers if I appear to sound almost entitled, but this wouldn’t be my first rodeo when it comes to the Albion punching above their weight.

So if the predicted table is to be believed, and if Villa do fail to win it, the CL places will only go to five spots.

European football in whatever competition is potentially there for us, and for me, the perfect opportunity for Harty book two, the ultimate season to write about the two clubs closest to my heart, with Albion crossing the English Channel again and Worthing locking horns with the finest clubs in the non-league pyramid.

“Brighton and Hove Albion (and Worthing) From Every Angle 2”? Fingers crossed.