Chris Hughton was pleased with Brighton’s efforts on Tuesday as Albion made it three out of three at Southend.
Hughton, taking the opportunity to mix up the side with a blend of youth, to give them a chance needed, and experience, saw Brighton record a 3-0 victory at Roots Hall.
Solly March continued his impressive pre-season with a first half brace with Glenn Murray heading in the third to seal a win as Albion kept a third cleans sheet too.
A tough workout was always expected and Hughton told the Official Website he was happy with Brighton’s performance.
‘What we managed to do was split the two teams and include some of the young lads, which was good for them. It was always going to be a tough one here, we came here a couple of seasons ago in the cup and it was not easy, but I thought we went about our business in the right way today.’
March was singled out for special praise and Hughton feels a full pre-season will benefit the England U21 international.
‘What Solly needed was a good pre-season. He came back from the under-21s with a slight injury and we hope he`s benefitted from having a full pre-season with us. He was able to have a rest at the end of last season and started pre-season with us, and at this moment, we`ve been getting the benefits from it.’
Having arrived on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea just a matter of hours before the friendly there was a place in the starting XI for Izzy Brown.
Albion had to fend off plenty of interest in Brown to secure him with his versatility important to Hughton.
‘There was interest in him, and credit to the work that the club has done and to the lad himself, he wanted to come. He was around us last season in the games against Huddersfield, so he knew us quite well. We were at the same end of the table, and it`s a really good opportunity for the lad to develop with us.’
Adding: ‘He can play on either flank and he`s done that right the way through his upbringing. He went out on loan to Holland in what was his first loan and played out on the left. At Rotherham he played upfront and at Huddersfield he played at number ten. He gives us good scope in the front areas, he`s developing and hopefully he can develop here.’
Prior to the game a deal to take Oliver Norwood to Fulham on a season-long loan was confirmed.
The Northern Ireland international left the Amex Stadium with Hughton’s best wishes as Norwood, 26, joining the Championship club is best for all involved as it’ll give him football the midfielder wouldn’t have at Brighton.
Explaining the move Hughton told the Official Website: ‘Ollie made a key contribution towards last season`s success and this is a good move for all three parties involved. It gives Ollie the opportunity to play regular football. Fulham are getting an excellent midfield player, and we`ll monitor his progress throughout the season.’
