Ryan targets points from key period

Albion go into a crunch period of the season following Monday's FA Cup tie with Crystal Palace and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan is aware how key the next six Premier League games are.
Mathew Ryan punches a cross clear during the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Mathew Ryan punches a cross clear during the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Mathew Ryan punches a cross clear during the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

Brighton play all of the current bottom five in their next six league matches, starting with a trip to second-from-bottom West Brom on January 13.

High-flying Chelsea then visit the Amex, before matches with Southampton (17th), West Ham (16th), Stoke (18th) and Swansea (20th).

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The Seagulls are 12th in the table but just three points ahead of third-from-bottom Stoke.

Ryan said: "The more points you can take off teams around you, the more of a gap you get between them or you make up to catch them.

"There's no doubt the results we pick up against teams around us is only going to benefit us but in this game and in sport, anything can happen.

"Upsets constantly happen. Crystal Palace would have beaten Manchester City if it wasn't for a great penalty save from Ederson at the end.

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"We go into every game giving ourselves a chance if we play to our levels and we'll just see how the course of the game goes. Fingers crossed in the upcoming games we can keep taking points."

Ryan is keen for Albion to tighten up from corners in the upcoming matches and said: "Everyone is pretty upset the way in which we conceded again (against Bournemouth). It's been too many goals from set-pieces this year and the pattern has been we tend to get a warning shot just before and we still concede.

"Set-pieces are part of the game and when you're conceding so frequently off them, you don't give yourself a chance to pick up maximum points."