As good as it gets? Brighton and Hove Albion must make sure that’s not the case

So it was somewhat ironic that on the exact 50th anniversary last Sunday, both the long-time feelings of disappointment and frustration revisited me in spades as we lost on penalties to Man Utd, missing out on a return visit for the final.

Losing is part and parcel of being a football fan of any club, as is being gracious in defeat, so congratulations Manchester United and good luck against City on 3rd June, I think you’re going to need it!

Clearly at any level, but especially the high level the Albion now find themselves in, the margins are very slim and the pinch points significant.

The biggest pinch point for the Albion? Without a doubt the loss of striker Evan Ferguson to injury at Chelsea the Saturday before last was pivotal - with United, due to injury and suspension, having to field effectively a makeshift back four, Ferguson would have had a field day at Wembley.

Another, the apparent lack of quality on the bench. To not use all five subs in a two-hour game, raises serious questions, not over the ability of the manager, but the depth of his squad given the injuries Albion had suffered in the build up to Sunday’s semi-final.

At the start of the season if the Albion support had been told the Seagulls would get to the FA Cup semi-final and finish 8th in the EPL, to a fan they would have snapped you hand off. Now, after Sunday, an 8th-place finish, and out of the places for European competition, will be deemed a failure.

When I left Wembley on Sunday, gutted at losing at the lottery that is a penalty shootout, I did wonder “is this as good as it gets?” Have the Albion finally peaked at the national stadium?

A cursory look down the coast at Southampton shows how quick the fall from grace is once the wheels come off. Failure for the Albion to qualify for Europe will definitely see Alexis MacAllister and Moises Caeido exiting the club, with a further argument that given his performances this season a number of clubs will come knocking for Karou Mitoma.

That would be a team effectively decimated. We all know the production line is good, but replacing those three and putting the said ‘newbies’ straight into first team action? A huge ask.

My Albion based optimism, still believes 5th, 6th or 7th place can be achieved, but if Wembley defeat does knock the stuffing out of the Seagulls, this could yet prove to be the most significant summer in the club’s history.