Albion are pooling knowledge and experience as they bid to remain ahead of the game in top-flight football.

Coaches from men’s and women’s set-ups have got their heads together as they establish a club way of playing.

The Seagulls’ style has become pretty well known in recent years.

Graham Potter developed much more of a possession-based, tactically flexible set-up which was starting to develop a real cutting edge at the time he was lured away by Chelsea.

Roberto De Zerbi has added a braver element while always making it clear he has built on what his predecessor left him.

But there is clearly an Albion way of playing football and it has now extended across to the women’s set-up as they strive to develop a one-club feel.

There was some similarity between the way the senior men and women played back when they were managed by Chris Hughton and Hope Powell respectively.

But that was more coincidental – or maybe an inevitable result of the club looking to experienced coaches to guide their teams through tricky times.

There were certainly similarities between how the teams played as they looked to establish themselves in the Premier League and WSL.

The idea of playing a similar way through from men’s development squad to seniors goes back to the days of Luke Williams and Gus Poyet.

Formations and precise details do not have to be exactly the same but the general ethos has to match.

Current under-21s boss Shannon Ruth highlighted how quickly midfielder Jack Hinchy settled into his surroundings when he joined the senior squad and even had a brief FA Cup outing at Stoke City.

But, when Mikey Harris moved across from the men’s academy to the women’s senior team,he became an immediate link between those two parts of the cub.

Harris invited coaching staff from the women’s team into the men’s under-21 set-up to see how they went about preparing for a fixture.

The same has happened in reverse with Ruth and Gary Dicker seeing how the WSL side do things.

There is a pretty obvious similarity now in way of playing which was not apparent as recently even as earlier this year.

But it is not a case of the one part of the club showing the other how it should be done.

More a club way of doing things which, from chairman Tony Bloom down, is seen as the best way to get results.

That it is an attractive style makes it all the better.

Harris said: “We have invited some coaching staff into our meetings to see the messages we are delivering and to get some feedback and to get their insights.

“And then, going the other way, with the women’s staff spending time in the men’s under-21 meetings, review meetings, prep meetings, just to share ideas, get some alignment across the two buildings, which I think is really important for us as a football club.

“There is a clear vision which is going to be updated very shortly and we have a big meeting and that is important for everyone.

“It is important that we, within our area, work towards that vision, we align with the club’s values and we align with the club’s identity on the pitch.

“Trying to bring all these things together is really exciting.

“It’s a big job because there are a lot of people.

“I don’t envy Tony Bloom and Paul Barber’s job in terms of that.

“I think it is just about how we can contribute to that and one of the things we have got in both buildings is fantastic people and people with varied experience and varied skill sets that can bring different things to the table.

“It would be foolish not to tap into that and not to share those ideas and grow together.”

While it has not been specified, it is tempting to think that a unified way of playing might also mean ideas and processes can be shared advantageously when it comes to recruiting the players and coaches who put all that into practice.

Th women’s side have struggled to find a winning formula in that area although, like the men, they are working hard to develop their own talent.