But was it ever really a realistic proposition? Were we fans almost deluding ourselves in thinking that we were a League One top-six side?

The Albion played, and were well beaten, by such a side as Southend on Tuesday, which possibly highlighted the gulf between contenders and mere wanabees.

Well, I will hold my hands up and admit to being guilty as charged. Although in mitigation, I still firmly believe, such is the standard of League One, that despite their obvious inconsistency on their day, the Albion are in that bracket.

Returning to the theme of "what if?", the Albion have possibly thrown away up to 10 points, at Withdean and on the road, in matches which they should have drawn or won. And had they done so, how different the league table would look now. But no amount of looking back will change the situation. So the question is now, what do the Albion do in their remaining fixtures?

First and foremost, with a number of contract issues to be resolved in the summer, the question of young goalkeeper John Sullivan must be answered once and for all.

Capped at youth international level by England, Sully is still yet to make his full Albion debut. If he is, as I believe, good enough to provide all-important cover to Michel Kuipers, then the Albion need to see him in league action.

There are four games between now and the point that the club must decide whether or not to offer him a new contract.

If he doesn't play and show what he can do, then I doubt he will be offered new terms, and then the club have to go down the route of sourcing a new back-up keeper. So a couple of games now could be beneficial for all parties.

As will be the appearances of Shane McFaul and Jonny Dixon, who were both brought to the club in the January transfer window — Dixon for £55,000, which to a club in Albion's situation is a lot of money.

Therefore we have to see both these players in first-team action.
"One for the future" might wash at big clubs, but the Albion don't really have that luxury. The management, the particular players, and the fans need to know.

Despite defeat, a visit to Southend is always a pleasure because it means meeting up with former Albion loan striker Brian Dear, who is the bar manager at Roots Hall.

Brian is from a nuch-missed generation in football and is part of West Ham folklore, partly on account on an incident in Blackpool in January 1971.

The Hammers arrived in the seaside resort on the Friday to be told that Saturday's FA Cup 3rd round tie at Bloomfield Road was almost certainly going to be postponed due to an unfit pitch.

Brian, along with Jimmy Greaves, Clyde Best and the late Bobby Moore, took up an invitation to go out to the night club owned by former heavyweight boxer Brian London. Needless to say lemonade was off the agenda and they partied until the wee hours. However, the weather got better and the game went ahead with Hammers losing heavily in a classic FA cup shock.

And, as Brian says to this day, the moral is, never trust a weather man. He never played for the Hammers again . . .

Brian Sargent writes in to say he saw that 7-6 Worthing FA Cup win at Southwick in September 1951, and adds it was 5-1 at half-time. Can anybody add more? Brian also saw Rebels lose 14-0 at Old Barn Way, when their keeper, on hard ground, reportedly refused to dive and risk injury. Can anyone name the year, the month, and the keeper?

harty@tiscali.co.uk