Former Stoke city defender Matthew Upson has said that he believes that Brighton and Hove Albion are in a great position to reach the play-offs position despite the recent draw with Blackpool. Brighton have been competing for a play-off place throughout the season, but it is only in the last few weeks that the competition has materialised. The automatic promotion spots were recently filled up by Leicester City and Burnley respectively. This leaves four teams competing for the play-offs position in order to gain promotion to the Premier league.
Promotion to the top division of English football is expected to be worth more than £ 100 million due to the new TV money. As a result, many teams have been spending in excess of their transfer budget in order to achieve promotion. Brighton have been very prudent about this and the experience of players like Upson will be holding them in great regard towards the end of my campaign. The team have fallen at a disadvantage in the race for the top six after the recent draw with Blackpool. The result leaves them one point behind the sixth place, but they have played a game more than the rivals.
“We have got to be careful we don’t get too disappointed as we are still in a great position and it is all to play for. We are far from out of it and we are still in a great position. In those games this season we maybe haven’t maximised the points as much as we would have liked to have done. Blackpool was no different. It’s a difficult question to answer as there is not a lot different other than the team we are playing. Maybe it’s a slight psychological thing,” said the 35-year-old Upson, who has played for several top clubs in England.