A Shefki Kuqi goal midway through the first half gave Town a 1-0 over Brighton and took the Blues back to the top of the table. Town had a number of chances in the second half but they failed to add to their lead.

Midfielder Tommy Miller recovered from his elbow injury to retake his place as the Blues switched to a 4-4-2 formation. Dean Bowditch was on the bench having got over his ankle injury. Alongside Bowditch 16-year-old Irish midfielder Owen Garvan was in the senior squad for the first time.

Brighton made their intentions clear from the off, playing five across the midfield and defending in depth. As a result, Town failed to make a chance until the 12th minute when Sheki Kuqi had a shot blocked and Jim Magilton hit an edge of the box strike wide.

On 17 Tommy Miller almost broke through the massed ranks of the Brighton defence but Paul Reid stuck out a toe to dispossess him at the last.

Brighton weren't far from going in front with their first chance of the game in the 20th minute. A Charlie Oatway cross ought to have been dealt with easily but found Darren Currie ahead of Drissa Diallo on the edge of the six-yard box but the former Barnet midfielder sent the ball over the bar.

A minute later, Town were ahead. Tommy Miller's flick gave Ian Westlake space to shoot on the edge of the area. The midfielder's shot deflected off a defender and into the path of Shefki Kuqi, who slipped the ball over Michel Kuipers for his ninth goal of the season, celebrating in his usual manner.

Soon after, Tommy Miller broke impressively down the right and crossed to Darren Bent at the near post, the striker stabbing wide.

On 25 Kelvin Davis claimed a Charlie Oatway header before a mazy Darren Bent run and cross saw Kuipers block at Kuqi's feet, the loose ball falling to a Brighton defender.

Just after the half hour, a loose ball again cannoned into the path of Kuqi, however, his header wasn't high enough to beat Kuipers and the Dutch keeper grabbed hold of the ball. Kuipers was again in action on 40 when he did well to hold on to Bent's 25-yard shot.

Town had had virtually all the possession in a first half which went largely as predicted. Brighton had shown little in the way of attacking football but had defended stoutly, although there was little doubt the Blues deserved their lead.

Tommy Miller came close to adding to that lead in the first minute of the second half, the midfielder's shot from 25 yards flying millimetres past Kuipers's left post.

Kuqi had a shot blocked and then hit another effort wide which the continually perplexing referee Trevor Kettle gave as a corner. While Jim Magilton was preparing to take the kick, Kuipers was spoken to by Mr Kettle after pushing Darren Bent who was standing in front of him. Once the corner was taken Naylor headed back across goal and Bent nodded wide.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 53rd minute when there was a mix-up between Jason De Vos and Kelvin Davis. The keeper was left out of his goal with Steve Claridge on the ball. The veteran squared to Danny Cullip who went down too easily when challenged by Kevin Horlock, receiving a yellow card from Mr Kettle.

Brighton had come out after the break with a more positive approach and enjoyed much more of the game in the second half, although Town keeper Kelvin Davis still had a relatively quiet 45 minutes.

Just before the hour, Jim Magilton played through Kuqi on the right but the Finn hit a shot which was blocked and bundled the rebound into the sidenet. Fellow striker Darren Bent was unimpressed as he was well-placed inside the area had Kuqi played the ball across to him.

On 61 Guy Butters picked up a yellow card for pulling back a rampant Kuqi. Two minutes later, Kuqi and Westlake both failed to connect properly with Bent's low cross from the right.

A second Town goal appeared only a matter of time but poor decision-making seemed to be affecting most of the Blues' attacking players, Bent, for example, shooting from a tight angle when laying the ball back would have been a much better option.

Drissa Diallo received his fourth yellow card of the season in the 69th minute for a foul on Daniel Harding.

Kuqi went close to his second goal of the game in the 76th minute, Richard Naylor heading a deep Jim Magilton freekick back in to the Finn but Kuipers blocking. Jason De Vos's rebound was also blocked.

Two minutes later, Magilton failed to get enough on a chip to beat Kuipers, while Steve Claridge got his first chance of the game but headed Darren Currie's freekick wide.

With ten minutes left on the clock, Seagulls' sub Leon Knight carved out a shooting opportunity for himself from the right-hand side of the area but Davis saved and held on at the second attempt. Shortly afterwards, Matt Richards replaced Jim Magilton in the Town midfield.

Referee Kettle had managed to annoy both sets of fans throughout with some confusing decisions and continued to do so towards the end with some strange bookings. Leon Knight received a yellow card for dissent before Tommy Miller was booked for foul on Danny Cullip with the Brighton player even pointing out to the referee that no offence had been committed.

Matt Richards was next into the book after an innocuous clash with Paul Reid, as the game entered an inexplicable four minutes of injury time.

Oatway headed wide for the Seagulls prior to Matt Richards making an impressive 50-yard run, finding Tommy Miller. The ex-Hartlepool man cut inside a defender and unleashed a goal-bound effort which Kuipers did well to push round the post.

Just ahead of the whistle, Davis saved low from Knights's shot from a tight angle on the left.

Three vital points and back to the top of the division, if not always the most fluent display, with Brighton under pressure throughout the first half before making more of a game of it in the second.

Town had the chances to win more comfortably and on a number of occasions Shefki Kuqi and Darren Bent shot from positions where they would have been better off teeing up the other.

The Blues continue to look more solid at the back, one bad mix-up aside, keeping another clean sheet. Richard Naylor in particular and Jason De Vos again having good games.

Town: Davis, Diallo, Wilnis, De Vos, Naylor, Horlock, Magilton (Richards 81), Miller, Westlake, Bent, Kuqi. Unused: Supple, Garvan, Couñago, Bowditch. Att: 26,269.

Photo: Action Images

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