That disappointment paled into insignificance on Saturday when the aforementioned "lowly" Mansfield knocked out the Albion 2-1 at Withdean.

The Albion's history is littered with FA Cup 'giant killings. Walton and Hersham . . . Leatherhead . . . Kingstonian . . . Sudbury . . . this defeat was right up there.

Granted, the Stags are not a non-league club.

But they are 91st in the Football League, without an away win, and could be playing the likes of Crawley, Lewes and Eastbourne Borough in the Conference this time next year.

Leading on from the cup exit, and after a near media frenzy over Christmas, most observers would have wagered that when Albion chairman Dick Knight agreed to come on and answer fans' calls on the radio phone-in, he never anticipated that the Albion might lose to Mansfield.

Although, on the final whistle, some speculated that he would not show up, I never doubted he would.

He is a man with more front than Debenhams' window and, in radio terms, he certainly didn't disappoint.

Like the rest of us, he was wounded by the cup exit and, from the first, he obviously wasn't going to be a shrinking violet.

Almost an hour of calls ensued, throwing up a number of ongoing issues.

First and foremost there is no doubt that Knight and his board saved the football club, but this very fact has almost become the ultimate deflector shield when any kind of criticism is put forward.

Winston Churchill led this country to victory in the Second World War, but neither did he use that fact in his 1945 general election manifesto, nor did the people take it into account, because Clement Attlee's Labour party was elected in favour of Churchill's Conservatives.

Knight stated on air that he and the directors had put £13million into the club over the last 10 years: one hell of a statement and one that certainly needs some kind of clarification.

Are we talking hard cash? And will any of the directors ever see any of it again?

If it is investment, is Knight saying that any potential purchaser of the club — even before Falmer — will have to repay that sum to the board before taking over?

If so, I doubt there would be many takers.

It certainly wasn't an easy ride on the phone lines for the chairman but did he really help himself when he started giving out "exclusives" on my show?

As the host I'm not complaining but, with almost a proverbial roll on the drums, Knight announced that he was in negotiations for five players, and that supporters would be very impressed with the line-up when the Albion travel to Oldham this Saturday.

Nothing like setting yourself up, great radio though it was. Even I sat there and thought that the chairman really was sticking his neck out.

And it was compounded less than 72 hours later when Andrew Hawes questioned Dean Wilkins about it after the defeat at Swansea and Wilkins told him in no uncertain terms that it was not up for discussion.

There is no sign, yet, of any of Dick's "famous five", so watch this space.

I see Knight's biggest problem as this: the lobby that previously churned out the "saviour" party line was almost the majority of supporters.

Now they are very much in the minority and the remainder of Albion's paying public want answers and action rather than club history lessons.

One positive from Saturday was the inimitable Rod Wood being my guest for the day: a truly memorable experience and something to which a single paragraph could not do justice — so more next week.