Having secured just two points from their last four games Bristol Rovers will be anxious to add a third away win to their total for the season. Meanwhile Dean Wilkins' Brighton & Hove Albion team have already won three of their four home games, a feat that Rovers boss Paul Trollope must envy.

Rovers' abysmal home form (just three points from five games) has already become an issue of concern. Before the start of the season, when the January move to Cheltenham Town's Whaddon Road was envisaged Lennie Lawrence said it was essential that Rovers got off to a great start at home. Little could he have realised how far off the mark he was to be. It is a good job that their away record is so impressive.

Brighton are currently two points and two positions above Rovers in 10th place and come into this game having won 2-0 at Bournemouth and drawn 0-0 at Swansea. Wilkins commenting on his team's performance at their south coast rival's ground almost mimicked Ian Holloway's infamous "Let's have a coffee" quote, "We're pleased to have won what was in the end a kind of ugly game. It's something we've spoken about in detail if games are not going quite right to keep our passing and movement. We kept a good solid disciplined shape and we're pretty basic and that's what got us the three points."

Dean Cox and Bas Savage netted second-half goals to leave struggling Bournemouth bottom of League One.
Cox opened the scoring 17 seconds after half-time when he lashed home Savage's right-wing cross.

The Cherries never recovered and their defence was in pieces in the 66th minute, when Savage tapped in Nicky Forster's low cross. Brighton keeper and former Gas player Michel Kuipers did not have a serious save to make and Bournemouth were booed off at the end.

Looking back at the history of the Sussex team, Brighton & Hove Albion was formed in 1901 and played their initial games in the Second Division of the Southern League on the County Cricket Ground in Hove. In the second season of its existence the club moved in to the Goldstone Ground and secured the championship, winning promotion to the First Division.

The Southern League clubs (including Rovers) were absorbed by the Football League as a Third Division (South) in 1920. It was 38 years before Albion secured the one promotion berth available, but before the Second World War the club became renowned cup giant-killers, defeating the likes of Everton, Sheffield United and Chelsea at the Goldstone Ground.

In 1958, as champions of Division Three (South), Albion entered the Second Division for the first time and finished a creditable 12th. The record attendance of 36,747 at the Goldstone was set with the visit of Fulham. The club lasted four seasons at the higher level before falling straight through the Third Division and into the newly formed Division Four in 1963.

Boosted by the signing of Bobby Smith, a recent England international and double winning Spurs legend, the crowds flocked to the Goldstone as Albion secured the championship in 1965; the average gate in the bottom division was a remarkable 18,000. Seven years later the club finished runners-up to secure promotion once more to Division Two, but the higher grade proved too much after just one season.

In 1973 ambitious chairman Mike Bamber secured the services of the outspoken Brian Clough as manager, putting Albion in the spotlight. Clough didn't stay long but his stint did include that memorable 8-2 home defeat to a rampant Rovers. His successor Peter Taylor put together a promising side which Alan Mullery led to promotion in 1977. Club legend Peter Ward top scored during that campaign with 32 goals.

The following season saw Albion challenge for promotion to the top flight for the first time before being pipped on goal difference by Tottenham Hotspur. Supporters came in unprecedented numbers as the average Goldstone gate reached over 25,000.

Promotion to Division One was secured a year later in 1979, and Albion - or the "Seagulls" as they had become affectionately known - remained in the top flight of English football for four years. In 1983, despite being relegated, the club reached the FA Cup final for the first time, famously drawing 2-2 with Manchester United at Wembley before losing 4-0 in the replay.

Albion remained a force in the Second Division and came close to securing promotion back to Division One in 1985, but were relegated in 1987. However, the club bounced straight back and, after three seasons in Division Two, reached the 1991 play-off final for a place among the elite once more. Sadly the 32,000 Albion fans at Wembley were disappointed to lose out 3-1 to Notts County.

A year later the club was relegated and fell into financial difficulties. In 1995 the board of directors sold the Goldstone Ground without a viable alternative stadium, precipitating a two-year revolt among supporters desperate to install a popular consortium as owners. Relegated to the bottom division in 1996, Albion were forced to battle for their Football League lives in the last game of 1996/97 at Hereford, a week after the final game at the Goldstone.

Having survived the showdown on the pitch, and with the new board installed, Albion had to endure two years sharing at Gillingham. Attendances fell to an all-time low as fans undertook the 140-mile round trip into Kent. Led by the board, supporters campaigned for a return to Brighton & Hove and secured the temporary use of Withdean Stadium in 1999. It wasn't adequate, but it was in Brighton & Hove. A full house of almost 6,000 saw Albion hammer Mansfield Town 6-0 in their first league game back in Sussex.

Boosted by the goalscoring of former Gas player Bobby Zamora and the inspired management of Micky Adams, Albion won the Third Division championship in 2001, the club's centenary year. Amazingly - and in spite of the departure of Adams, who was replaced by Peter Taylor - the Seagulls secured the Second Division title the following year. It was only the seventh time in history a team has won two different titles in successive seasons. With Withdean bulging at the seams week after week, the team of 2001/02 lost just six league games all season.

Despite relegation back to Division Two in 2003, the club rediscovered the winning formula in 2003/04. The season started with Steve Coppell in charge; he left for Reading in the October, but Mark McGhee arrived and led Albion to promotion via the play-offs. Furthermore, and despite the limitations imposed by the temporary home at WIthdean, McGhee managed brilliantly to keep Albion in the newly-formed Championship in 2004/05.

Unfortunately, McGhee and the Seagulls could not repeat the act the following season and were relegated to League One. Then, in September 2006, the board decided a change was needed and the club parted company with McGhee. Dean Wilkins and Dean White took caretaker charge, before Wilkins was given the job permanently at the beginning of October. An 18th placed finish last season saw the Seagulls hover above a relegation spot which they never really looked like filling.

Rovers and Brighton have met a total of 100 times with the Seagulls having secured 44 victories, the Gas 35 and 21 draws. The most recent game was a 2-1 victory for Rovers at Withdean in a League Cup tie just over three years ago. The last League meetings were back in 1995/96 season as both home teams ran out winners, the Seagulls 2-0 in Sussex and Rovers 1-0 at Twerton.

The highest scoring game between the teams was that remarkable 8-2 away win for Rovers at a frosty Goldstone Ground on 1 December 1973. Rovers' Don Megson joked with the media afterwards that he was annoyed that his team had let in two goals for the first time that season. It was a game that introduced the dynamic 'Smash and Grab', Warboys and Bannister duo to the nation as the match was covered on national TV. In previous seasons remarkably both teams have recorded 7-0 victories in this fixture, Rovers on 29 November 1952 and Brighton on 29 January 1927.

With the respective records of both teams this season there is little to suggest that there would be a repeat of either score but who would have predicted Portsmouth 7-4 score against Reading this week?

Written by Gerry Prewett

Gerry wishes to acknowledge the official Brighton & Hove Albion website in compiling this preview.