Skip to content

Chris Hughton pleased with Jurgen Locadia's contribution in Brighton's FA Cup win over Coventry

Coventry boss Mark Robins says game was a "positive experience" for his League Two side

Brighton's Irish manager Chris Hughton arrives for the English FA Cup fifth round football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Coventry City at the
Image: Chris Hughton saw Brighton beat Coventry 3-1 at the Amex Stadium

Chris Hughton was buoyed by a goalscoring debut from Jurgen Locadia and a strong performance from Brighton as they beat Coventry 3-1 to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Club-record signing Locadia opened his account with just 15 minutes gone at the Amex Stadium.

Connor Goldson and Leonardo Ulloa then scored either side of half-time to secure victory for the Seagulls and book their first quarter-final appearance since 1986.

"We certainly deserved it," said Brighton boss Hughton. "A lot of the talk before the game to the players was about attitude and the type of game it was and that if you don't match the opposition's endeavour then you can make it a difficult afternoon, but we started well and our application was really good.

"It's obvious the difference in the levels but the only way you can show that is by applying yourself well."

Locadia cost Brighton £14m when he joined from PSV Eindhoven in January, but has been unable to play until now due to a hamstring injury.

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 17:  Jurgen Locadia of Brighton and Hove Albion celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the The Emirates FA Cup Fifth
Image: Jurgen Locadia celebrates scoring on his debut

Hughton said he was "delighted" for the 24-year-old to score on his debut, and added: "What was more important was he came through the game. He hasn't played for close to two months and it was important he came through with no issues and looked quite strong.

Also See:

"He was in good form for PSV and was used to scoring goals. We are still learning about him. He has a flexibility in his game, he has not always played as a No 9, he played in a 4-3-3 at PSV on numerous occasions, sometimes in a wider area, and you probably saw that in his game today. To get off the mark in his first game I'm sure will give him a lift."

Asked how a cup run could help Brighton as they also try to stay in the Premier League, Hughton said: "We have been fortunate that we haven't had a lot of injuries and when that's the case you have a lot of players who are pushing to play. As you have seen in our rounds so far we have used the squad. That helps to create a changing room where most players are getting games and that helps the competition in the squad."

Brighton's English midfielder Dale Stephens (L) vies with Coventry City's Scottish striker Marc McNulty
Image: Dale Stephens (L) vies with Marc McNulty

Despite defeat, Coventry boss Mark Robins said the match was a "positive experience" as his side look to win promotion from League Two this season.

"Rather than trying to park the bus we wanted to try and take part in the game," he said. "It was important for us to do that, not just for today, because it's a big learning curve, but also moving forward in our league because we want to get promoted as quickly as we can.

"It was a good experience for us in terms of learning and development but also I thought we were a threat. We didn't just sit back.

"Our support has been absolutely magnificent throughout my time at the club but with that comes high expectation and the players have to deal with that. It will stand us in good stead moving forward.

"It was a positive experience even though we lost, everything was there to help and aid learning and give us the knowledge we can compete in terms of creating opportunities in the game. It should give them confidence knowing we can play and compete and we have scored goals against two Premier League teams [also Stoke in third round] and really could have had a couple more."

Super 6 £1m jackpot
Super 6 £1m jackpot

Simply predict six correct scores to win Jeff's £1 million. Enter your selections for free here.

Around Sky