Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Dale Stephens felt the team could be satisfied with their performance at St Andrew’s, after sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City yesterday.
Yves Bissouma’s last-minute free-kick secured a draw in the West Midlands, and Stephens felt that the result was deserved for both sides.
He said, “I thought that we played well in parts and had enough good chances to score during the first half.
“We played some good stuff in between as well, but the draw was probably a fair result overall.”
The Seagulls open their 2018/19 Premier League campaign away to Watford at Vicarage Road in just under a fortnight’s time, and Stephens looked ahead to the club’s second season in the division.
“Our aim has to be to build on what we achieved last season, we finished quite strongly and beat some big teams.
“We have to take confidence from that last year and try to build on it for the new campaign.”
“If we can replicate that and build up a bit of a start before Christmas, then we’ll see where we end up.”
Saturday’s goalscorer Bissouma entered the action with 20 minutes left to play before finding the back of the net for the first time for his new club.
The Malian is one of eight new faces through the door this summer and Stephens spoke highly of the new group of recruits.
“Yves [Bissouma] has settled in well and he looks like an exciting player with a lot of potential.
“He looks like he’s got bundles of ability in training too so it’s exciting to bring that sort of player into the squad, and I’m sure he’ll fit in nicely.
“The other new signings are settling well but they do have some catching up to do because they’ve been at the World Cup.
“But they’ve integrated this week and they all look sharp in training, so I’m excited to play alongside them.”