But this win was no laughing matter for a club in deep crisis for its lack of discipline on and off the field. It was in fact a vital one to show their fans they intend to conquer the demons which have pursued them for so long.
Fate had a twist of its own for the goal that won it came from Scott Brown who had stood in the dock with the jailed three. He was given a community service order for his part in a drunken nightclub brawl and it took calculated courage by manager Gary Johnson to send him out for his first start of the season.
This is still a crisis that has to be kept in proportion. The brawl happened 11 months ago and only one of the three, captain Steve Brooker, serving a month, would have played here.
Wales international Dave Partridge is on loan to Leyton Orient and Bradley Orr was starting a three-match suspension after being sent off in the week at Northampton for threatening his team-mate, Louis Carey.
There were still question marks hanging over City's performance but Brighton were just not sharp enough to take advantage. They tried to play football and after going behind carried the game to City, but not with the tempo needed to swing the scoreline back to an even keel.
All their best chances came down the left where City's Richard Keogh, normally a centre-back struggled to fill in at right-back for Orr.
For Brighton Dean Cox was always working tirelessly to set up chances but the one striker, Alex Revell, managed only one shot and that was well covered by Brazilian keeper Adriano Basso.
Basso had more to do when Brighton's skipper Richard Carpenter let fly with a 25-yard shot in the second half. It was a low cracker and Basso just fished it out at the bottom of his left-hand post.
Brown's goal on 21 minutes owed so much to the tight skills of academy boy Jennison Williams, who outwitted three defenders to cross the ball from the byline.
Seagulls keeper Michels Kuipers parried Phil Jevons' shot but Brown was there to run it in from eight yards out
Fate had a twist of its own for the goal that won it came from Scott Brown who had stood in the dock with the jailed three. He was given a community service order for his part in a drunken nightclub brawl and it took calculated courage by manager Gary Johnson to send him out for his first start of the season.
This is still a crisis that has to be kept in proportion. The brawl happened 11 months ago and only one of the three, captain Steve Brooker, serving a month, would have played here.
Wales international Dave Partridge is on loan to Leyton Orient and Bradley Orr was starting a three-match suspension after being sent off in the week at Northampton for threatening his team-mate, Louis Carey.
There were still question marks hanging over City's performance but Brighton were just not sharp enough to take advantage. They tried to play football and after going behind carried the game to City, but not with the tempo needed to swing the scoreline back to an even keel.
All their best chances came down the left where City's Richard Keogh, normally a centre-back struggled to fill in at right-back for Orr.
For Brighton Dean Cox was always working tirelessly to set up chances but the one striker, Alex Revell, managed only one shot and that was well covered by Brazilian keeper Adriano Basso.
Basso had more to do when Brighton's skipper Richard Carpenter let fly with a 25-yard shot in the second half. It was a low cracker and Basso just fished it out at the bottom of his left-hand post.
Brown's goal on 21 minutes owed so much to the tight skills of academy boy Jennison Williams, who outwitted three defenders to cross the ball from the byline.
Seagulls keeper Michels Kuipers parried Phil Jevons' shot but Brown was there to run it in from eight yards out