Once homeless and destitute, Brighton have defied the odds to emerge as the most unexpected English Premier League soccer contenders since Leicester's fairytale run a decade ago.
Brighton are second on the log after Sunday's 2-0 win against Brentford.
Fabian Hurzeler's side have moved above far wealthier clubs, with leaders Arsenal only five points ahead of the Seagulls.
Brighton's climb towards the top could easily be written off as a brief blip before the league's traditional powers reassert their supremacy.
But that would be to ignore the rock-solid foundations laid by Hurzeler and Albion's astute owner since 2009, Tony Bloom.
Brighton have won seven of their 10 league games this season, including a pair of statement victories.
Swatting aside champions Arsenal 3-0 in September while wearing a commemorative kit to mark the club's 125th anniversary was a memorable afternoon.
But beating City 1-0 in Manchester in October showed Brighton have the bloody-minded streak required to cope with the pitfalls of a title race.
In a season in which City are distracted by their appeal against a guilty verdict for financial breaches, Liverpool and Chelsea are rebuilding and Manchester United are in disarray, there could be an opening for Brighton to replicate Leicester's fairytale triumph in 2016.
Catching Arsenal will not be easy but Hurzeler admitted there was mounting excitement around his club.
Asked when supporters could start to dream of a title bid, Hurzeler said: "They should be always excited if they watch our game, and that's our job to make them excited."
Hurzeler became the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history when Bloom lured him from St Pauli in 2024.
Bloom has been a gleeful disruptor of soccer's establishment.
When lifelong fan Bloom purchased Brighton, they were languishing in the third tier, with significant debts and playing at a ramshackle stadium on the outskirts of the town.
Implementing the ground-breaking use of analytics and advanced scouting technology, Bloom has helped Brighton sign unknown youngsters and turn them into top-level stars.
He brought Brighton back to a new stadium in 2011, sparking a golden era that serves as a stark contrast to their chaotic past.
Trophies might have been in short supply, but Brighton have a habit of giving their fans unforgettable moments — for better or worse.
A 1983 FA Cup final appearance against Manchester United featured a famous miss by Gordon Smith that could have secured the club's first major silverware.
Brighton were thrashed by United in the replay and crashed out of the top-flight the same season.
An even more catastrophic relegation from the Football League in 1997 was only avoided on the last day of the season after a live bull — used as Hereford's mascot — stampeded onto the pitch during a dramatic draw that saved Brighton from potential oblivion.
The club spent two years in exile, playing their matches 100km from Brighton at Gillingham, after the Goldstone Ground, their home since 1902, was sold because of escalating debts.
From the depths of despair, Brighton have emerged unscathed.
Whether their dreams of Premier League glory are fulfilled or not, the mere possibility is already a soccer miracle. — AFP
