'Old Trafford ticket price made FA Cup win even sweeter'

It was a truly historic occasion on Sunday as Brighton won a first FA Cup tie against 13-time winners and the Albion's conquerors in the 1983 final and 2023 semi final, Manchester United.

But sadly, only 800 Seagulls supporters were inside Old Trafford to witness it.

The main reason for this is simple. While a 16:30 Sunday kick-off made train travel back to Sussex impossible, plenty of Brighton fans would have sucked up the inconsiderate scheduling by broadcasters under normal Premier League circumstances.

However, these were not normal Premier League circumstances. The straw which broke the camel's back for many of the most loyal Albion away followers was the ticket price.

Free of the £30 league cap, away admission was whacked up to £55.

At first, it felt like an exploitation of Brighton fan loyalty. If I was to be more cynical, I'd suggest it might have been done in the hope Brighton took as few of the 9,000 allocation they were entitled to, leaving United more seats to sell to fans at potentially even higher prices. Magic of the FA Cup, right?

Of course, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United hierarchy need to find the money somewhere for costs such as paying off Ruben Amorim just 14 months after appointing him as head coach. Maybe fans are helping cover expensive blunders at boardroom level.

All of this made the famous Brighton victory that unfolded even sweeter - especially knowing the Albion have stopped United from charging any other away fans £55 to visit Old Trafford in the FA Cup this season. Sorry, Sir Jim.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton