# 2004–05 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season

During the 2004–05 English football season, Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. competed in the Football League Championship, after promotion from the second division the previous season.

## Season summary

Brighton finished 20th out of 24 clubs, narrowly avoiding the drop by a single point, but achieving their highest league position for 14 years.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 18 | Watford | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 52 | 59 | −7 | 52 | |
| 19 | Coventry City | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 61 | 73 | −12 | 52 | |
| 20 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 40 | 65 | −25 | 51 | |
| 21 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 66 | 86 | −20 | 50 | |
| 22 | Gillingham (R) | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 45 | 66 | −21 | 50 | Relegation to Football League One |

## Results

Brighton & Hove Albion's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Championship

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 7 August 2004 | Reading | A | 2–3 | 15,641 | Molango, Robinson |
| 10 August 2004 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–2 | 6,387 | |
| 14 August 2004 | Coventry City | H | 1–1 | 6,368 | Virgo |
| 21 August 2004 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0–3 | 8,681 | |
| 28 August 2004 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 5,996 | Broomes (own goal) |
| 30 August 2004 | Leicester City | A | 1–0 | 22,263 | Virgo |
| 11 September 2004 | Watford | A | 1–1 | 14,148 | Virgo |
| 14 September 2004 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 6,804 | |
| 18 September 2004 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–3 | 6,612 | Hinshelwood, Currie |
| 25 September 2004 | Gillingham | A | 1–0 | 8,365 | Knight (pen) |
| 29 September 2004 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–0 | 20,109 | Virgo |
| 2 October 2004 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | 6,418 | Currie |
| 16 October 2004 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–3 | 6,811 | Jarrett |
| 19 October 2004 | Cardiff City | H | 1–1 | 6,112 | Knight |
| 23 October 2004 | Leeds United | H | 1–1 | 6,716 | Virgo |
| 30 October 2004 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 25,532 | |
| 3 November 2004 | Derby County | A | 0–3 | 22,480 | |
| 6 November 2004 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–3 | 6,163 | Reid |
| 13 November 2004 | West Ham United | A | 1–0 | 29,514 | Butters |
| 20 November 2004 | Burnley | H | 0–1 | 6,109 | |
| 27 November 2004 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–1 | 26,269 | |
| 4 December 2004 | Rotherham United | H | 1–0 | 6,076 | Harding |
| 11 December 2004 | Millwall | A | 0–2 | 12,196 | |
| 17 December 2004 | Stoke City | H | 0–1 | 6,028 | |
| 26 December 2004 | Gillingham | H | 2–1 | 6,420 | Carpenter, Virgo |
| 28 December 2004 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 28,516 | Hart |
| 1 January 2005 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–0 | 15,898 | |
| 3 January 2005 | Watford | H | 2–1 | 6,335 | Mayo, Knight |
| 15 January 2005 | Sheffield United | A | 2–1 | 21,482 | Carpenter, Knight |
| 22 January 2005 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–0 | 6,704 | |
| 29 January 2005 | Leeds United | A | 1–1 | 27,033 | Butters |
| 5 February 2005 | Derby County | H | 2–3 | 6,587 | McCammon (2) |
| 12 February 2005 | Cardiff City | A | 0–2 | 11,435 | |
| 19 February 2005 | Sunderland | H | 2–1 | 6,647 | Carpenter, McCammon |
| 26 February 2005 | Millwall | H | 1–0 | 6,608 | Hart |
| 5 March 2005 | Stoke City | A | 0–2 | 14,908 | |
| 12 March 2005 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–5 | 15,606 | Oatway |
| 15 March 2005 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–4 | 6,306 | Virgo, Hammond |
| 21 March 2005 | Reading | H | 0–1 | 6,108 | |
| 2 April 2005 | Coventry City | A | 1–2 | 18,606 | Virgo |
| 5 April 2005 | Preston North End | A | 0–3 | 14,234 | |
| 9 April 2005 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | 6,638 | Reid |
| 16 April 2005 | Burnley | A | 1–1 | 11,611 | Hammond |
| 23 April 2005 | West Ham United | H | 2–2 | 6,819 | Hammond (2) |
| 30 April 2005 | Rotherham United | A | 1–0 | 6,549 | McLaren (own goal) |
| 8 May 2005 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 6,848 | Virgo |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 8 January 2005 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | 36,094 | Carpenter |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 24 August 2004 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–2 | 4,217 | Butters |

## First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | NED | Michel Kuipers |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Paul Watson |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Kerry Mayo |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Joe Dolan (on loan from Millwall) |
| 6 | MF | CYP | Alexis Nicolas |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Leon Knight |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Gary Hart |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Charlie Oatway |
| 12 | MF | ENG | Richard Carpenter |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Guy Butters |
| 15 | DF | WAL | Nathan Jones |
| 16 | MF | AUS | Paul Reid |
| 17 | FW | SUI | Maheta Molango |
| 18 | FW | SLE | Albert Jarrett |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Adam Virgo |
| 20 | GK | SWE | Rami Shaaban |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Chris McPhee |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Dean Hammond |
| 23 | GK | NIR | Alan Blayney (on loan from Southampton) |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Adam Hinshelwood |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Mark McCammon |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Dan Harding |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Gary Elphick |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Adam El-Abd |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Jake Robinson |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Dean Cox |
| 33 | GK | ENG | Chris May |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Joel Lynch |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Danny Cullip (to Sheffield United) |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Dean Blackwell (retired) |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Simon Rodger (retired) |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Darren Currie (to Ipswich Town) |
| 20 | FW | ENG | John Piercy (retired) |
| 23 | MF | ENG | David Lee (to Oldham Athletic) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 23 | GK | GER | David Yelldell (on loan from Blackburn Rovers) |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Steve Claridge (to Brentford) |
| 27 | MF | ENG | Dan Beck (to Eastbourne Borough) |
| 29 | GK | ENG | Ben Roberts (retired) |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Darren Budd (to Bognor Regis Town) |