‘We can do big, big things’

Centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke tells Miguel Delaney about Brighton’s FA Cup ambitions and taking revenge on Forest

- Miguel Delaney

On listening to Jan Paul van Hecke talk, you can start to understand why Fabian Hurzeler has empowered the centre-half to speak more, especially in a week like this.

Brighton and Hove Albion have been so focused on setting the right mindset that they have been sending their squad clips of late goals. The idea is to foster belief, especially as the club aims to take that crucial next step and win their first-ever major trophy through the FA Cup. “I feel like we really can do something in this cup,” Van Hecke says.

The Dutch centre-half’s approach helps. “I like to motivate other players,” Van Hecke explains, but staff say that is typical of this leader’s humility. The 24-year-old has naturally emerged as a senior voice.

The very context of today’s FA Cup quarter-final only emphasises that. As Brighton hope for the best moment in the club’s history, the club standing in their way is that which inflicted by far their worst moment of the season. It is only eight weeks since Nottingham Forest subjected Hurzeler’s side to a 70 humiliation.

Such defeats have seen many teams collapse. Brighton instead responded with six wins in seven, as well as a 2-2 draw at Manchester City they should have won. Van Hecke puts it down to “the character” in the club. “I felt like it was unacceptable from ourselves,” he says. “But then also you come back in the training ground and you feel like everyone has that feeling. And they were like, ‘Nah, it’s not happening to us’. And of course this is a bad result… but it’s only three points.”