ALEX Nicholls deservedly took the Man of the Match honours for his performance in our convincing 3-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday evening.

The 21 year-old wide-man ran The Seagulls ragged in the first half as we went into the break thee goals to the good. "That performance will give Alex a real boost," said assistant manager, Martin O'Connor. "He has been one of our most consistent performers since Chris and I have been at the club.

"He provides a lot of crosses into the box and contributes his fair share of assists. It's great for the lad; he's a confidence player and for them to take off their left-back at half-time is a credit to the contribution he made."

Welsh Under-21 International, Mark Bradley also came into the starting line-up to replace Stephen Hughes and marked his appearance with a goal. "Mark had a good, solid game," added O'Connor. "He worked hard and to get on the scoresheet was a just reward for the effort he put in.

"It gives the manager a nice selection problem for Saturday's trip to Leyton Orient."