Kerry Mayo has revealed his long-term goal - a testimonial at Falmer.

Albion's long-serving defender wants to still be with the Seagulls after he has turned 30.

That ambition embraces a match recognising his loyalty to the club at the proposed new stadium.

Mayo, 25, said: "I've got this season and two more and I've been offered a testimonial by the chairman.

"We're not sure which year I am going to be taking that as yet, but I am going to be looking at the end of my three years for another three years.

"I see my future with Albion. I enjoy it here. I supported them as a lad, the boys here are great and it's a nice place to be.

"It would be a dream come true for me to have my testimonial at Falmer."

Mayo's look into his perfect crystal ball follows last Saturday's dramatic late winner against Derby at Withdean, which took his career tally into double figures.

The Cuckfield-born redhead's fierce drive after his header from a corner struck a post ended a personal drought dating back to the 2-0 home victory against Leyton Orient on September 30 2000.

Mayo has scored under four different managers during his seven seasons as a pro with Albion.

The 1997-98 campaign was comfortably his most prolific. He was on target at Scarborough and at Gillingham against Peterborough under Steve Gritt.

After Gritt had been sacked Mayo notched twice in Brian Horton's first match in charge against Chester and twice more in a 2-2 draw at Notts County.

He grabbed his only goal of the following season at Rochdale, while a solitary strike in 1999-2000 under Micky Adams came at Macclesfield.

The one which destroyed Derby was special for Mayo, because of the quality of the opposition and the fact that it earned Albion two extra points in their battle to beat the drop.

"It was just nice to get on the scoresheet, but the best thing was to keep a clean sheet and win the game against a team like Derby," he said.

"For me personally it's amazing playing against the likes of Kinkladze, Barton and Burton. It's just nice to be on the same pitch as them.

"They had Ravanelli on the bench. Even though he has been out injured you know then you are up against a good side."

Mayo's matchwinner rounded off a royal afternoon for the player fans refer to as the 'Ginger Prince.'

He started at left wingback as boss Steve Coppell persevered with the five-man defence deployed to great effect at Wolves, and had a goal disallowed by a linesman in the first half.

"I'm enjoying the wingback role," Mayo said. "It's nice to go forward without having to worry so much about getting back with so much urgency as you would playing as a straight leftback in a back four. It gives you a bit more freedom.

"I used to play in midfield and I loved it there. Playing at wingback allows me to push on more.

"When I am at leftback I've got to pick and choose when I can go forward, so I think it's a better position for me.

"I think the goal I had disallowed was for offside, because Robbie Pethick was on the line. I know they had somebody on the line, but the goalkeeper was out in front of him.

"No-one actually knows because it was the linesman who flagged. When you score and it gets cancelled out you think it is going to be one of those days."

Ironically, it was another positional change which led to Mayo scoring the winner.

He was switched to centre half, alongside Pethick and Danny Cullip, when the injured Dean Blackwell's young deputy Adam Hinshelwood dislocated a shoulder shortly before half-time.

"I couldn't go forward at all then apart from corners," Mayo explained. "It's always been the case with past managers of Paul Watson going up taking corners and that's left me to stay back with one of the midfielders. It was nice to get forward and get on the end of one.

"I've only played centre half when we have been lacking players, but I thought I did a reasonable job.

"It doesn't bother me as long as you are out there on the pitch. There is nothing worse than sitting on the sidelines or on the bench and not being involved."

Mayo almost suffered relegation in his first season as a pro with the Seagulls.

His unfortunate own goal threatened to send them out of the Football League until Robbie Reinelt came to the rescue in that unforgettable last day decider at Hereford in 1996-97.

He doesn't expect it to go to the wire this time. "The spirit has never gone downhill, even when we had that run of 12 straight defeats. Everyone has dug in and got on with the job in hand.

"We have come up trumps the last two seasons and this season we've not been playing badly.

"We haven't had the rub of the green. I think we can take things on and I think we are going to be out of the relegation zone before long."