It has been a frustrating season for Matt O’Riley since his transfer from Celtic to Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer.
The Celtic hero left with the best wishes of the supporters because of what he achieved in Glasgow, and how he was ready to test himself on the Premier League stage.
But O’Riley was injured on debut, and that kept him out for months, including setting him back and disrupting his campaign.
That has meant that Brighton supporters haven’t been able to see what Celtic supporters saw, week in and week out, with the quick-thinking and smooth-playing playmaker.
In recent weeks, O’Riley has begun to start matches, including during Brighton’s damaging defeat to rivals Crystal Palace last time out.
The 24-year-old kept his place as Brighton dropped further points at soon-to-be relegated Leicester City on Saturday, but O’Riley isn’t the one in the firing line.
Brighton fans are starting to see the truth with Matt O’Riley
Now that O’Riley is starting to get his engine warm, that skill set is starting to show, and the Brighton fans like what they see.
Brighton would have had hopes of securing a European place, but in recent weeks, they have dropped far too many points.
But, amid that gloom, the Brighton fans on social media see the quality in O’Riley, and they want to see more of him.
@BhafcToby gave O’Riley his flowers: ‘Matt O’Riley has been our most creative player in the last weeks and he gets taken off for “Brajan Gruda” that is comical’.
@dgel11_daniel also agreed: ‘Amen to this. My thoughts exactly. I think the sun was for Gomez but yes I absolutely agree and seems others do too. MOR was the best of a terrible bunch (bar Joao ofc), MOR was the unluckiest’.
@sdgxs13 also added: ‘Best player, bar Pedro’s pens, on the pitch today.’
@Brightonian_ with a lot to say, and it’s positive: ‘O’Riley was impressive yesterday. Perhaps the only genuine positive. I really liked what he was doing in the middle of the park. Some very creative, clever short passing. Good drive and tenacity. Excellent vision’.
@OscarRennick sees the future: ‘How he positions himself in attacking areas on and off ball is something special. Next year he will be a star’.
@mrstevehanlon wants to see more of O’Riley: ‘It is a shame our manager keeps substituting him…’
@SteveRoss66 think O’Riley is already showing his worth: ‘He’s our one midfielder who likes to get in the box. Goals will come.’
@CliffDrew4 can also see what O’Riley will provide in seasons to come: ‘100%. He showed class from the moment he stepped onto the pitch against Crawley. He’s come back from injury and played well every time. Has the potential to be a big influencer for us in the coming seasons.’
@skysbhafc on O’Riley’s performance vs Leicester: ‘O’Riley is criminally underrated’.
@WeleSzn highlights that cruel injury: ‘He will shine when he gets a full chance, that Crawley tackle really did him dirty in terms of getting up to speed Will be a very important player for us’
O’Riley’s stats for Brighton against Leicester
For the fifth time this season, and for the second game running, O’Riley has been handed a rating of over seven by WhoScored.
In truth, he hasn’t started enough to earn more than that, but from eight starts, to be hitting very healthy numbers just goes to show what could be coming next season from the player on one of the toughest domestic stages.
And fans got a glimpse of that, as he shone against Leicester City, including winning a penalty.
| Shots | Pens won | Key Passes | Accurate crosses | Dribbles | Fouled | Inter | Touches | Rating |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 7.18 |
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