Home form holds the key for Brighton and Hove Albion

New Year's Eve seems some time ago now.

I'm not sure if you've been going 'dry' ever since or whether those resolutions are still in place but the first two weeks of 2015 have flown by.

I'm sure it's been the same for the new Albion manager Chris Hughton.

He's certainly started well and maintained the momentum from Nathan Jones brief spell as caretaker. Most new bosses don't usually have to wait nearly three weeks before their first home game but Hughton will finally greet the Amex crowd as the Seagulls boss this weekend.

In a way it's a shame the opposition is the same as his first game in the FA Cup, Brentford, but it's then  two more on the bounce with Ipswich and Arsenal to follow. Will he wear a suit or track suit? Will he switch dugouts? I don't know, but what I do know is the home form holds the key to the second half of the season.

Previous Championship promotion campaigns have been built on the bedrock of home form and the current battle against the drop is just the same.

Albion still have to play seven of the current top eight sides at home this season, with Middlesbrough the only exception. That game was a 2-1 defeat and the from against top sides hasn't been what we expected in August.

The Seagulls have picked up just five points from a possible 36 against teams in the top half of the table and that will have to change.

The team seems more positive, the squad seems more robust, and with a manager who has overseen two wins out of two, the signs look promising.

A bumper crowd is expected this weekend, let's hope they are treated to another invigorated performance, a vital three points at home and continued momentum in 2015.