Tuesday nights re-arrange game with Leyton Orient is looking like a massive game for the Seagulls. Following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat away to Brentford the Seagulls sit just 2 points clear of the bottom 4 which includes Orient.

Orient themselves had a bad weekend going down 5-0 to Bournemouth, who are also struggling this season, so the importance of the game is clear to see for both sides.

That 5-0 defeat saw Bournemouth overtake the O’s thanks to goal difference. That was something Orient manager and one time Albion midfielder Martin Ling didn’t see coming before the game: “It’s a 10-goal swing to them - they get plus five and we get minus five”

“At the start of the day, I didn’t think it was humanly possible for them to go above us.”

So now the Seagulls will be coming up against a team with damaged pride. Before the Bournemouth game Orient had been on a decent run which had seen them beat Port Vale 2-1, thrash Crewe 4-0 away from home and hold Bristol City 1-1 at home. The best result of their season came back in December as they beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at the City Ground.

So it would be wrong of the Seagulls to go into the game expecting an easy ride just because of the result at the weekend.

Following the Orient game the Seagulls have the daunting prospect of Nottingham Forest and Bristol City visiting the Withdean with a tricky trip to Gillingham sandwiched in between.

A win against Orient would be vital in restoring some confidence ahead of those game. Anything other than 3 points and the alarm bells will continue to ring out loudly for Albion fans.

The potential return of Alex Revell next weekend is one of the bright spots of news in an otherwise depressing spell for Albion fans.

But is it wrong to expect to much from the former Braintree Town striker so soon after recovering from injury? With his fellow strikers firing blanks at the moment his return to the first team seems vital. Dean Bowditch could also return for the Forest game although doubts still remain over his fitness.

Joe Gatting could be in frame for a return to the starting line up after his brief spell on the pitch at the end of the Brentford game saw him look more dangerous than any of Albion’s other forwards had been in the entire 90 minutes.

New arrival Bas Savage does provide the Seagulls with a more physical presence upfront, but spending most of the game with his back to goal isn’t going to help the Seagulls find the back of the net more often. His height also encourages a long ball game which doesn’t suite many of Dean Wilkins squad.

If the answer to Albion’s goal scoring problems doesn’t lye in the current squad any further loan signing’s Dean Wilkins is able to make could have a massive impact of the course of our season.

Added on Sunday, February 11th, 2007 at 5:53 pm under Features by Wilka.