How the Irish fared: Chris Hughton happy as Brighton on the up

Twelve months ago Chris Hughton’s Brighton were in the early stages of an unbeaten Championship run that would ultimately stretch to 21 games.

They would lose just five times during the regular season, agonisingly missing out on automatic promotion due to goal difference before falling to Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off semi-finals. Such heartache can break a team and Hughton’s men started this season sluggishly. However, in recent weeks they seem to have rediscovered their mojo, winning three league games on the trot without conceding a goal.

Their most recent success, a 2-0 win over Barnsley on Saturday, lifted Brighton to third, three points behind leaders Norwich.