We take a look back at some classic meetings between Saints and Thursday's pre-season opponents, Brighton...
Saturday 19th November 2011 – Championship – Southampton 3-0 Brighton
Rickie Lambert celebrates his hat-trick against the Seagulls at St Mary's
Rickie Lambert scored a second-half hat-trick as league leaders Southampton notched their 20th successive home win.
Lambert opened the scoring with an emphatic header just after half-time and added two more from penalties.
Veteran Brighton defender Mauricio Taricco was sent off for disputing the first penalty and thereafter the visitors fell apart.
Fouls by Lewis Dunk and Inigo Calderon, the latter on Lambert himself, helped him take his season's tally to 14.
Southampton team: Kelvin Davis, Frazer Richardson, José Fonte, Jos Hooiveld, Danny Fox, Jack Cork, Guly (Lee Barnard 81), Dean Hammond (Morgan Schneiderlin), Richard Chaplow, Adam Lallana (Steve De Ridder 76), Rickie Lambert. Unused substitutes: Bartosz Bialkowski, Aaron Martin
Brighton team: Steve Harper, Gordon Greer, Lewis Dunk, Marcos Painter, Mauricio Taricco, Alan Navarro (Matt Sparrow 66), Craig Noone, Ryan Harley (Inigo Calderon 59), Liam Bridcutt, Craig Mackail-Smith, Billy Paynter (Ashley Barnes 66). Unused substitutes: Casper Ankergren, Kazenga LuaLua
Saturday 23rd April 2011 – League 1 – Brighton 1-2 Southampton
Jose Fonte's header crosses the line as Rickie Lambert watches on to make sure
Two late goals saw Saints beat champions Brighton in dramatic circumstances to boost their chances of automatic promotion.
Ashley Barnes took advantage of a loose backpass by Radhi Jaidi and slotted the Seagulls in front just before half-time.
Rickie Lambert went close to an equaliser when he saw his header hit the post and bounce clear, but Nigel Adkins’ men saved the best til last with a stunning comeback.
Substitute David Connolly levelled the score six minutes from time with a close-range finish, before Jose Fonte nodded in at the back post to win it for Saints in the penultimate game played at the Withdean Stadium.
The result also ended Brighton's unbeaten record at home that season, but they would go on to take the title from Saints by just three points.
Brighton team: Casper Ankergren, Tommy Elphick, Adam El-Abd, Inigo Calderon, Marcos Painter, Elliott Bennett, Matt Sparrow (Francisco Sandaza 85), Gary Dicker, Liam Bridcutt, Ashley Barnes, (Craig Noone 69), Glenn Murray (Chris Wood 50). Unused substitutes: Peter Brezovan, Radostin Kishishev, Lewis Dunk, Alan Navarro
Southampton team: Kelvin Davis, Ryan Dickson (Danny Seaborne 90), Jose Fonte, Radhi Jaidi, Danny Butterfield, Dean Hammond, Oscar Gobern (David Connolly 76), Richard Chaplow, Rickie Lambert, Jonathan Forte (Adam Lallana 46), Guly. Unused substitutes: Bartosz Bialkowski, Frazer Richardson, Dale Stephens, Dany N'Guessan
Tuesday 11th September 2001 – League Cup – Brighton 0-3 Southampton
Wayne Bridge shields the ball from Brighton's Lee Steele at the Withdean Stadium. Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Two second-half goals from Swedish midfielder Anders Svensson ensured that Southampton gave Stuart Gray his first victory of the season and put Saints into the fourth round of the Worthington Cup.
Earlier, England Under-21 striker James Beattie ended a goal drought lasting 314 minutes after the Saints lost their opening three Premiership matches of the season without scoring.
Second-division Brighton, managed by former Southampton defender Micky Adams, did not let his former club have things all their own way.
The Saints survived a fourth-minute scare when Bobby Zamora had the ball in the net following a quickly taken free-kick by Lee Steele only to be ruled offside.
However, just before half time Beattie's left-foot shot, following a cross from Svensson, broke the deadlock after Brighton's impressive goalkeeper Michel Kuipers had threatened to deny the visitors.
The Dutchman excelled and, despite eventually being beaten three times, took Brighton's man-of-the-match award with a string of fine saves.
But he could do nothing about Beattie's 44th-minute strike and was beaten again when Svensson scored Southampton's second by running through the middle to plant his right-footed shot firmly past the advancing Kuipers.
Svensson put the issue totally beyond doubt in the 84th minute when he scored his second with another well-struck right-foot drive.
Brighton team: Michael Kuipers, Paul Watson, Simon Morgan, Paul Rogers (Gary Hart 56), Matthew Wicks, Nathan Jones (Kerry Mayo 55), Charlie Oatway, Paul Brooker, Richard Carpenter, Lee Steele (Dirk Lehmann 68), Bobby Zamora. Unused substitutes: Andy Crosby, Geoff Pitcher.
Southampton team: Paul Jones, Wayne Bridge, Claus Lundekvam, Dean Richards, Anders Svensson, Matt Oakley, Rory Delap, Jo Tessem, James Beattie (Uwe Rosler 81), Kevin Davies (Taher El Khalej 68), Scott McDonald (Mark Draper 87). Unused substitutes: Neil Moss, Francis Benali.
Saturday 9th February 1980 – Division One – Southampton 5-1 Brighton
Trevor Hebberd scores the fifth and final goal against Brighton at The Dell
Saints earned the biggest victory of the season to-date with this demolition of Brighton at The Dell.
It took just eight minutes to break the deadlock when Dave Watson chested down Nick Holmes’s free-kick to stab ball into the net.
11 minutes later and it was 2-0 when Mick Channon drilled home from close range to give the hosts some breathing space heading into the break.
The rout continued in the 65th minute when Phil Boyer smashed in from ten yards out, before Brighton pulled a goal back on 73.
It was 4-1 soon after though when Holmes shot through legs of goalkeeper, while Trevor Hebberd’s fierce left foot shot from 20 yards emphatically sealed the success with ten minutes remaining.
Southampton team: Peter Wells, Ivan Golac, Malcolm Waldron, Graham Baker, Dave Watson, Chris Nicholl, Alan Ball, Phil Boyer, Mick Channon, Nick Holmes, Trevor Hebberd
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