Injuries forced Neil McDonald in to more changes for this long trip South to the Withdean Stadium, with Peter Murphy missing out with a troublesome thigh tendon injury.

James Krause came back in to the starting line up, with Danny Livesey deputising at the heart of the defence alongside Kev Gray, who himself had shaken off the after effects of a painful dead leg.

A very young Albion line up, with 8 of the starting eleven aged 20 or under, shaped up in a very attack minded formation with no less than 4 recognised strikers in advanced positions.

The promise of a sunny, wintry day on the South Coast gave way to an absolute deluge with 15 minutes to go, soaking the hardy travelling fans who were amassed a good half of a pitch length behind the exposed goal.

Albion started brightly but it was United who would have a strong shout for a penalty in the 3rd minute when Hawley sprang forward from a quick throw. Surging in to the box, he got goal side of Butters, who appeared to shove him in the back, but the Ref waved play on showing no interest at all.

Kev Gall showed his pace in the next attack when he broke the offside trap, but he chose to shoot early, making it an easy task for Henderson to gather.

Alex Revell earned a corner when he pressurised Livesey as Cox lofted a ball in to the area on 5 minutes, and Dean Hammond will be disappointed as he put his free header from the corner straight at the defenders. Mayo was on to the loose ball but his shot was wild, rising high over the target from 19 yards out.

Hammond almost inadvertently set Cox up with another rushed volley that was threatening to head for the corner flag until the elusive forward got his head to it, directing it at Westwood, who was happy to be able to pick it up in front of his 6 yard line.

Neat, precise football opened Carlisle up in the 11th minute when Cox and Rents combined to release Hammond. He had space in front of him but his 20 yarder was always going wide as he lost his balance at the vital moment.

A game being played in a subdued atmosphere was having its fair share of half chances and Gall forced a corner when he picked up a loose pass and ran on. Butters had to stretch a leg out, conceding the corner as the ball flew off his shin and over the bar. McDermott delivered that one, and the well drilled routine saw Gray lose his marker before powering a header inches wide of the near post upright.

The Cumbrians were playing well, and another well flighted free kick from McDermott in the 17th minute saw Livesey get the merest of touches as he helped it on its way to a goal kick from 7 yards out.

Staying forward, Krause was the next to rattle a long ball in to the box, and Holmes was the recipient, sending a looping header dropping beyond the far post.

The Gulls got back in to it in the 22nd minute when Gatting found himself with time to ghost beyond Krause and in to a shooting position. Westwood stood tall, waiting for the attempt, and was able to beat it down in to the ground as it came right at him.

Alex Revell gambled on a through ball 60 seconds later and it needed a sliding interception from Krause to prevent a testing shot on target. The corner was met by the head of Hammond, and Westwood had to scramble across to claw it out of the top corner as it flew towards the back of the net.

Dean Cox found himself in the book for diving on 29 minutes when he went down under a challenge from Raven just inside the Carlisle area. The attacker had been in full flight and was judged to have gone down too easily when the tackle came in.

A quiet, tense period saw Brighton gain the upper hand in the 37th minute when Robinson skipped a challenge wide on the right and centred the ball. Joe Gatting, nephew of England cricketer Mike, was on hand to nod his second goal in two games and to open the scoring in what were becoming dreadful conditions.

Derek Holmes tried to level things on 39 minutes when he put his foot through a weak clearance by El-Abd, but his 23 yard shot was dragged wide as he shaped for the bottom corner.

The lead was almost doubled for the hosts in the 41st minute when Rents crossed from the left, finding El-Abd in space 8 yards out. He connected well with a downward header, but Westwood was excellently placed to drop on to the ball.

The Albion were pressing onwards with confidence as half time approached, and Gray had to dive in front of Gatting to prevent another header that would have brought Westwood in to play once more. James Krause then had to do the same at the back post as the Gulls wide men continued to get in to very dangerous crossing positions.

Half Time: Brighton 1 - 0 United

The persistent rain welcomed the players back on to the pitch for the second half and it was a huff and puff start from both sides, with no-one getting forward with any kind of purpose.

Brighton finally found their feet in the 52nd minute when Mayo picked a perfect cross for the marauding Cox to get on to. He was up well but somehow put the header wide when he looked odds on to score.

A good spell of pressure in the 56th minute saw Aranalde launch a long throw in to the box, causing all sorts of problems. Gall was quickly on to the scuffed clearance, clipping it back in for Holmes to deflect a header on to the bar. It bounced back off the line, but Zigor Aranalde was there to slide in off the slick surface and force it in to the roof of the net.

Jake Robinson rattled the cross bar with a screamer from 25 yards on 51 minutes and Gatting was left on the floor as he raced in to try to convert the rebound.

Alex Revell showed great poise in the 57th minute when he took his time, from a tight angle, before trying to beat Westwood with a thunderbolt that the United stopper had to beat away from under his bar. Dean Cox then put a 25 yard free kick well over the bar as the home side tried to up the pace and assert themselves once more.

Robinson was still finding some good balls in and his cross on 72 minutes was screaming for a tap in at the far post, but he was left with his head in his hands as it drifted away to safety with not a Gulls player in sight.

Wayne Henderson was lucky to get away with handling outside his own area as he misjudged a long bouncing ball, but the Referee didn't even look at it as he waved play on.

Direct football from United earned them a penalty on 81 minutes when Hawley was tripped as he raced on to a neat flick in to the box. Mayo stuck his foot out, leaving Mr Miller with no option but to point at the spot. Henderson pulled off a superb save from the Hawley kick, but McDermott was on hand to sweep the pieces in to the back of the net and spark the celebrations.

The Gulls inevitably pushed forward in the closing stages, without managing to create much of note as Gray marshalled the back line and kept things tight. A big shout for handball was ignored in the 90th minute when a low Revell cross popped up on to Livesey's hand but, again, the Referee wasn't interested.

This was good stuff from United as they overcame the awful conditions and a feisty home side to end December with a very good 3 points. Hard work and endeavour were the order of the day, and the rewards came because of it in what was a very tough test.

Goals

Brighton - Gatting (37)

United - Aranalde (56), McDermott (82)

Bookings

Brighton - Cox (29)

United - Raven (71)

Teams

Brighton - Henderson, Mayo (Hart 86), Lynch, El-Abd, Hammond, Butters, Revell, Robinson, Gatting, Rents, Cox. Subs - Frutos, Kuipers, Elphick, Fraser.

United - Westwood, Raven, Livesey, Gray, Krause (Billy 77), Aranalde, McDermott (Joyce 90), Lumsdon, Gall, Hawley, Holmes (Hindmarch 58). Subs - Williams, Grand. 

Away fans - tbc