Hurzeler: I had goosebumps when Solly scored

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Bruce Talbot

2025-01-11T17:30+00:00

Fabian Hurzeler makes his point at Carrow Road as Albion eased into the fourth round of the FA Cup. 📷 by James Boardman.

Fabian Hurzeler admitted he had ‘goosebumps’ when Solly March struck Albion’s fourth goal in their FA Cup win over Norwich City.

In only his second appearance after 14 months out with injury, March rounded off an impressive 4-0 win in the third round tie at Carrow Road with a superb strike from outside the box.

Georginio Rutter (2) and Julio Enciso were also on target with the fourth round draw taking place on Sunday.

Hurzeler said, “Solly’s goal was a special moment. He’s back on the pitch and he’s a special character so we’re delighted for him. You can see what is means for him. I had some goosebumps when he scored and when the fans were cheering his name at the end. It’s not about forcing anything now, but doing things in the right moment. He is pushing hard to be back in every game so we need to get him back to his old shape.”

The head coach was happy with Albion’s performance after a jittery opening period when the Championship side hit the post.

Solly March salutes the Albion fans after scoring in the 4-0 win over Norwich City. 📷 by James Boardman.

“We struggled in the first 15-20 minutes but after that we created a lot of chances and had a good structure in possession and in the end it was a deserved win,” said Hurzeler. “To have the winning feeling back is always important – that’s what I said to the guys afterwards. It gets the confidence back and hopefully we can bring it into the Premier League.”

With no recognised centre forward in his line-up Hurzeler was pleased to see Rutter take up the mantle and score his first goals since October.

“We don’t have a clear No9 with Joao injured so we had to be flexible and Georgie and Julio are flexible players who can also show their skill in the half space.

“You need goals, assists and good actions to develop. Georgie was very present in the opposition box and got into some good positions to score before he scored his two goals. Hopefully this will give him even more belief for the future.”

Another nice moment came in the second half when defender Ruairi McConville came on with 20 minutes to go to make an accomplished first-team debut.

Hurzeler added, “It’s the Brighton way to develop young players. They do a great job in the Academy and we have an unbelievable under-21 coach in Shannon Ruth. Ruairi is very mature for his age, a great personality and deserved to be in the squad. I’m happy he had his chance today and he took it impressively. It will be interesting to see how he develops.”

Hurzeler confirmed that Tariq Lamptey missed out because of illness.