Crazy isn't it? A depressing deadlock against a team nosediving towards the relegation zone has actually improved Albion's prospects of reaching the play-offs.

They were not alone in discovering the League table counts for little at this fraught stage of the season.

Peterborough, the next visitors to Withdean, did the Seagulls a favour by beating Port Vale.

Bournemouth had to come from behind for a share of the spoils at home to Chesterfield, another of the strugglers.

Until Saturday's defeat at Blackpool, Albion were still looking at teams above them in the belief they could snatch the second automatic promotion spot.

Now it is the sides in pursuit that matter and a single point return over Easter has not done nearly as much damage as it might have.

It could be argued this is a rather negative way of looking at the situation.

If Albion were performing well themselves and getting the results to match then events elsewhere would be immaterial.

Rushden were certainly negative. They flooded the midfield and played youngster Robert Duffy alone up front in the absence of Paul Kitson.

It will come as no surprise to Seagulls supporters that Kitson was sidelined by injury.

Barry Hunter, Rushden's acting player-manager, admitted: "We achieved what we came for."

Albion did not have the guile to break them down, although it surely would have been different if Chris Iwelumo's header from a cross by man-of-the-match Nathan Jones midway through the first half had been alllowed to stand.

Referee Lee Cable decided, harshly I thought, that Iwelumo had pushed the outstanding Hunter in the process.

Manager Mark McGhee said: "Goals change games and I couldn't see anything wrong with it."

The signing of Iwelumo has helped Albion's cause in most respects, but it has made them a bit one-dimensional.

More often than not yesterday they launched the ball towards the big man, rather than mixing the play up.

McGhee said: "I still don't think we play enough" and added: "We are a kind of semi long ball team at the moment."

Fit-again captain Danny Cullip likened Rushden's cautious tactics to those adopted by many visitors when Albion were last in the Second Division two seasons ago.

The difference then was Paul Brooker's capacity to unlock a defence or, failing that, Paul Watson's pinpoint supply from set pieces or wide areas for Bobby Zamora.

Nobody tried harder than Jones to provide something different. Another penetrating cross from the effervescent Welshman just before Iwelumo's goal that wasn't found Guy Butters beyond the far post.

His angled header was going in when Hunter, a former Nothern Ireland international, nodded it off the line.

Finding a way through the Rushden congestion was difficult. Iwelumo nearly did with a stretching volley, struck with the outside of his right foot, from a Richard Carpenter cross after Leon Knight had gone close with a free-kick from 20 yards.

The pattern was the same in the second half. Albion dominated without fashioning much in the way of chances.

Jones fired a yard wide from a delightful lay-off by Knight and Cullip's stooping header from a Jones corner was tipped over by Billy Turley.

McGhee made a triple substitution with 12 minutes left, which included the withdrawal of Knight and a debut for Paul Reid.

Albion's 25-goal marksman did not look happy with the decision, but McGhee explained afterwards that the changes were not a reflection on the performances of those taking off.

He just felt a severe shake-up was worth a try in attempting to end the suffocating stalemate.

Now for the Rushden and Diamonds chances. Err, sorry, there weren't any. Ben Roberts will never keep a more comfortable clean sheet.

McGhee said: "Frustration is the word. They came with a strategy to sit in, crowd the box and defend deep and we couldn't break them down.

"We did have chances, which makes it twice as disappointing. You could understand the way they played in their position and it was a difficult afternoon for us.

"I am satisfied that, although we huffed and puffed at times, we tried as hard as we could."

Barry Fry, that past master of the triple substitution, and his in-form Peterborough side will provide more enterprising opposition on Saturday.

That will help Albion as they inch unconvincingly towards McGhee's 74-point target for the play-offs.