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Crawley Town are looking to book themselves in the third round of the FA Cup when they face Lincoln City at the Broadfield Stadium on Saturday – and one man who knows how special the third round can be is Rob Elliot.

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The former Charlton keeper never progressed too far in the FA Cup as a player but in 2011 – the year Crawley got to the fifth round where they played Manchester United at Old Trafford – his side got a plum third round draw.

In League One at the time, the Addicks drew Tottenham Hotspur away. The game ended 3-0 to the home side, with Jermain Defoe scoring two and Andros Townsend getting the other. The Spurs side that day had a host of big names playing including Luka Modric, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Niko Kranjčar and Michael Dawson.

And it’s still a special match for Elliot, who was 24 at the time. He said: “I never got too far down the line in the competition, but I remember when I was at Charlton and we were in League One and we drew Spurs away in the third round and I got to play against Luka Modric and Jermaine Defoe.

"I can't remember exactly, but all these top superstars. When you're a young player making your way through the lower leagues, it's a great opportunity to test yourself against the very best. I was pleased with my performance that day and it probably gave me a little bit of belief and hope that I could get to the Premier League if I kept working hard and I kept improving.”

And Elliot did go on to play in the Premier League – and Europa League – with Newcastle United. The 38-year-old still believes the FA Cup is a special competition for clubs and players.

"The FA Cup is a great occasion for that in terms of if you do ever play against higher or lower opposition, you can really show where you're at as an individual,” he said.

"It’s a competition that I really enjoy. I think the best thing about it is it's a bit of a release from the league, but it's about winning the game, isn't it, ultimately? I think for us and the way we do things, we want to keep the performances and the continuation of how we play because for us to continue doing well and progressing and climbing up the league table, we need to be consistent in our performances and we need to make sure that we have that solid base and it's the togetherness that will keep us in this league and keep us improving.

"Saturday is something I'm looking forward to, especially against such a good team. It's going to be a really tough test.”

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Graham Potter assesses Brighton’s Premier League win against Tottenham

Former Brighton boss Graham Potter said two Albion players made a huge difference in their remarkable 3-2 victory against Tottenham at the Amex Stadium yesterday.

Albion were trailing 2-0 to Spurs at halftime but second half strikes from Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck sealed a vital three points for the Seagulls.

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Potter, speaking on Match of the Day2, was impressed by the contribution of experienced Welbeck and also praised second half substitute Pervis Estupinan.

"Estupinan brings a physicality,” said Potter. “He can match Tottenham's physicality. In the first half the full back [Ferdi Kadıoğlu] was having problems in the 2v1 overloads.

"He [Estupinan] gets on the front foot and is able to match their intensity. A couple of times, goals came from sliding passes down to [Kaoru] Mitoma.

"All of a sudden Mitoma can now move inside and threaten the back line of Tottenham. He made a good impact.”

Potter also worked with former Arsenal striker Welbeck during his time with Brighton. Welbeck joined the Seagulls in 2021 on a free transfer following his injury-hit stint at Watford.

The 32-year-old is currently playing some of the best football of his career at Brighton and has four Premier League goals to his name this term.

"On and off the pitch he has been fantastic,” said Potter. “He came in on a free transfer and just brings that experience that know how and how to act and how to be in a winning dressing room.

"He has really helped th younger players and it is great to see him scoring as well. He's a centre forward and he wants to score goals.”

In the battle of the high-lines, Albion got off to the worst possible start.

Brennan Johnson – who nearly scored minutes in the game when Spurs beat the offside trap – did eventually open the scoring after 23 minutes.

The in-form wide man finished confidently after Dominic Solanke’s defensive splitting pass.

Albion had chances to equalise – with Danny Welbeck missing a golden chance from Kaoru Mitoma’s superb cross.

Spurs made the hosts pay with James Maddison doubling the hosts lead with a strike that Bart Verbruggen should have saved.

Brighton were a different side in the second half and got the early goal they needed when Yankuba Minteh capitalised on a defensive mistake by Destiny Udogie.

Georginio Rutter then grabbed his second goal in successive games with a classy finish after he was given the ball by the irresistible Mitoma.

A resurgent Albion weren’t done there, as Rutter turned provider with some tenacious play on the right to cross for Welbeck. The veteran striker was in the perfect spot to head home and send the home fans delirious.

The hosts held on to secure their first league win since August. It was also the first time they've won a game from two goals down since May 2021 when they beat Manchester City.

Here’s how we rated the Brighton players:

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All the latest team news for Brighton vs Tottenham

Tottenham look set to be without striker Son Heung-min for their clash at Brighton this Sunday.

Son, 32, missed Tottenham 's impressive 3-0 Premier League win at Manchester United last Sunday and Thursday's Europa League 2-1 win against Ferencvaros in Budapest. The Spurs skipper sustained a thigh injury during the 3-0 win against Qarabag FK in the Europa League last Thursday.

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Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said Son is “unlikely” to face Brighton and this morning the South Korean FA issued this statement: "We have decided that Son Heung-min, who injured his left thigh, needs rest. We have decided to exclude him from the national team squad for the sake of protecting the player."

South Korea were hoping to have their talisman available for World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iran during the upcoming international break.

New Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler is looking forward to facing Tottenham and their manager Postecoglou for the first time. Hurzeler suffered his first loss as Brighton manager last week after their 4-2 defeat at Chelsea.

"I respect him a lot,” said Hurzeler. “Not only because how he his playing, the entity of Tottenham, of the style of play, it's impressive but also, as a person he is very humble, very polite person and I'm really looking forward to meet him and compete against him."

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Railway engineering work will impact football fans travelling to the Brighton and Hove Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur match on Sunday (October 6).

Buses will replace trains between Three Bridges and Lewes / Brighton all day on Sunday.

The Southern Rail routes affected are: between London Victoria / London Bridge and Brighton / Lewes / Seaford / Eastbourne, and between Brighton and Eastbourne / Hastings / Ore.

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The Thameslink route affected is between Bedford / London Blackfriars / London Bridge and Brighton.

A notice on Brighton and Hove Albion’s website reads: “All home and away fans can travel for free on buses and trains within our travel zone on production of their digital matchday or season ticket this Sunday when we take on Tottenham Hotspur at The Amex.

“Make sure you give yourself plenty of additional time to get to and from the Amex Stadium.

“Please check Southern Rail's website before travelling by rail. Certain trains departing from Falmer post-match will not stop at Moulsecoomb or London Road.

“Buses will replace trains between Three Bridges and Lewes / Brighton.

“Direct trains will run between London Victoria and Brighton, diverting via Horsham and Littlehampton. These trains will be subject to extended journey times.”

A disruption notice on the Southern Rail website informed passengers that engineering work is taking place between Three Bridges and Lewes / Brighton, ‘closing all lines’.

It added: “Buses will replace [Southern] trains between Three Bridges and Lewes / Brighton. Direct trains will run between London Victoria and Brighton, diverting via Horsham and Littlehampton. These trains will be subject to extended journey times.

“Trains between Brighton and Ore will run to an amended timetable.

“Buses will replace [Thameslink] trains between Three Bridges and Brighton. Check before you travel.

“You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries journey planner.”

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use the National Rail travel information pages.

A spokesperson added: “You can find the location of your bus replacement by checking station signs or by searching for your station on our station information pages.

“Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.”

Brighton and Hove Albion fans are reminded to ensure they have their digital matchday or season ticket ready to be shown when asked by station staff.

Brighton & Hove Buses and Stagecoach will be operating a normal Sunday service across the Travel Zone.

Mill Road and Brighton Racecourse park & ride sites are open from 1.30pm with spaces allocated on a first come, first served basis. Click here to read more.

Engineering work is also taking place between Lewes and Eastbourne, closing all lines ‘very early on Sunday morning’, Southern said.

The route affected for Southern trains is between Haywards Heath and Eastbourne

A spokesperson added: “Between 12.40am and 7am, buses will replace trains between Lewes and Eastbourne.

“Please note that some of these trains run at the end of Saturday service.”