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"It's Not Bad!" - Evan Ferguson Happy To Seal European Football With Brighton Brace

Eoin Harrington
By Eoin Harrington
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For the first time in the club's history, Brighton and Hove Albion will be playing European football next season, and it was all sealed by a pair of brilliant goals from the returning Evan Ferguson against Southampton on Sunday afternoon.

The (remarkably still) 18-year-old striker was sidelined for the best part of a month after picking up an ankle injury against Chelsea in mid-April, but returned to goalscoring form with style on Sunday.

Ferguson's two first half goals set Brighton on their way to a 3-1 victory against already-relegated Southampton.

Speaking to the Brighton club YouTube channel after the game, Ferguson praised his teammate Kaoru Mitoma for his assist of the second goal, and said he felt Brighton deserved their European qualification after their efforts this season.

Evan Ferguson back among the goals for Brighton

After their 3-1 win against Southampton, Brighton are now guaranteed to at least be playing Europa Conference League football next season - and one point from their remaining two games will secure Europa League football.

After the game on Sunday afternoon, Irish striker Evan Ferguson spoke about his team's qualification for Europe, and said that he felt it was a "credit" to the work put in by the players this season.

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He also gave the club's fans a special mention, for their years of support when the club experienced relegations and financial strife:

 

Yeah, it's not bad! We've worked all season towards that and I think it's a credit to us, what we do every day, and what we've achieved. Hopefully we'll have a good European run this season.

It's a credit to the fans coming all the years, what they've been through through the different leagues. We've brought them up to Europe so I'm sure they'll be as delighted as us.

Ferguson also broke down his two goals, and reserved special praise for his teammate Kaoru Mitoma, whose superb run and trivela pass set up the second of Ferguson's strikes:

He's [Mitoma] not bad, is he? He's not bad! When he gets on the ball, you've gotta be in the right positions because he can put it there. Today, he did and I finished it off.

The crop of talent coming through at Brighton this season has been sensational, with Ferguson, Mitoma, Facundo Buonanotte and Julio Enciso among those to burst onto the scene this season.

Ferguson is arguably the most exciting of the lot, and leads the Premier League's teenagers for goals scored this season.

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He hailed the influence of manager Roberto de Zerbi on his game, before jokingly "forgiving" de Zerbi for substituting him before he could complete his hat-trick:

I think he [de Zerbi] just gives you confidence. The way we play, you know what you're doing, you know what your job is. All the lads as well they don't care what age you are, if you're younger you still need to put a shift in. That's the attitude we have, it doesn't matter what age you are, if you can play you can play.

There are big things ahead for Evan Ferguson and he will be playing European football next season at the age of just 19.

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