Albion were today plunged into an ever-deepening injury crisis as they bid for their first win in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Leon Knight (shin) has been joined on the treatment table by strike partner Maheta Molango (thigh) and captain Danny Cullip (groin) ahead of Saturday's visit by Preston.

Manager Mark McGhee could now be without as many as 11 players for the clash against Craig Brown's side.

Knight, Molango and centre half Cullip were hurt in Tuesday's Carling Cup exit against Bristol Rovers at Withdean and were all unable to train yesterday.

McGhee said: "Leon is very sore and he is obviously doubtful. Danny and Maheta are on the treatment table as well.

"Danny has a bit of a groin strain and Maheta a bit of a thigh strain. We are not quite sure how bad they are."

Saturday's match is expected to come just too soon for midfielder Charlie Oatway (hamstring).

The Seagulls are bottom of the table with one point, but McGhee is putting a brave face on their plight. "A lot of teams around us have two, three and four points, so it's not the end of the world," he said.

"Charlie is coming back soon, Richard Carpenter and Chris McPhee are back in full training. We are looking for a centre forward and may find one, so it's going to improve for us.

"The problem with Charlie is he hasn't trained for three weeks, so it may be a big ask for him to come straight back into the team."