Albion newcomer Guy Butters has revealed why he had a change of heart and swapped the top end of the First Division for the bottom end.

Manager Martin Hinshelwood feared Butters had slipped through his fingers when the rugged centre half rejected a move from Gillingham just before the start of the season.

He could not agree personal terms at that stage, but Butters did a U-turn and said yes when Hinshelwood pursued him again after the back-to-back defeats against Wimbledon and Walsall.

Butters explained: "At the time I wanted to get my head down at Gillingham and see if I could get into the team.

"Although I had an idea in the back of my head that I wasn't going to be in favour we had a few injuries pre-season. One of the centre halves was injured and I played a couple of games and did well.

"Just before the beginning of the season the lad came back and started training. I thought as he had been out for a couple of weeks that maybe I was in with a shout, but they played him.

"They got off to a flyer, won the first three games and I found myself on the bench, but I still wanted to stay there and battle for my place as a matter of pride.

"It was unfortunate that we didn't have many reserve team games either, so my fitness dropped a bit. I talked to Martin again and he said about coming down to Brighton and doing a job for them.

"It was always in the back of my mind. I live in Southampton and all the travelling was getting me down.

"I have got a young family as well and I wanted to get home and see them more, so it was a culmination of a few things that finally made me decide to come to Brighton."

Butters, signed on a free transfer from Albion's former landlords, was plunged into last Saturday's south coast derby against his old club Portsmouth after signing a two-year contract.

He understandably looked a little rusty and gave away a penalty in the 4-2 defeat for the Seagulls.

He said: "The last full game I played before Portsmouth was the last game of last season.

"I didn't get an entire 90 minutes under my belt pre-season. I played a couple of reserve games, but they are not the same and no matter what sort of training you do it's not the same as playing.

"That is something I had to look at anyway and I've started this week to do a bit more training. Once I've got a few games under my belt then hopefully I will be allright.

"Certain things were there last Saturday, like balls in the air. That is part of my game and I was winning the majority of them.

"It was the little quick feet and stuff like that I've got to work on, but it will come and then you will probably see the real me."

Signing an established centre half had been one of HiInshelwood's priorities following the summer retirement of Simon Morgan.

Butters' debut at Fratton Park resulted in his ex-Portsmouth colleague Robbie Pethick moving to rightback and Paul Watson switching to the left.

"Hopefully I can bring a bit of strength at the back, get my head on it when the ball is in the box and use my experience," Butters said.

"I haven't got a bad left foot but I have got to work on my game, even though I am coming up to 33. Everyone is still learning and improving.

"Even though I was out of the team at Gillingham I've been called upon to do a job and hopefully I will do that here.

"Everyone needs time to settle in. I hadn't played for a while, but I am working on it and fingers crossed things will happen sooner rather than later."

Butters has already been impressed by Albion's work ethic and the spirit in the camp.

"I didn't realise how good the players here were. In training they have been really quick with sharp feet. I couldn't get near some of them!

"At Gillingham although they put it in during training it was more a case of getting it out of the way and looking forward to Saturday.

"Here they work from the beginning of the week, starting straight away on Monday instead of building it up. That is good for me especially, I need that sort of work.

"Last Saturday nobody let their heads drop when we went 1-0 down early on. It was just unfortunate we came up against such a good side. We won't meet them every week and I'm sure we will be alright."

The Seagulls remind Butters of the situation he encountered when he joined Gillingham from Portsmouth for £225,000 in October 1996.

"At one stage they looked as though they were going out of business. The chairman (Paul Scally) got Tony Pulis in.

"He signed me and a load of other players and he was shrewd. He got a lot of players from lower League clubs, never anyone who was going to be a big hitter.

"He got people who were hungry for the game and wanted to improve themselves. It's the same thing here, people coming up through the divisions.

"When you look in the programme and see the opposition have big names in their side then it spurs you on a bit more to do well against them.

"At Gillingham we had a great team spirit. I know a couple of the players at Brighton anyway and I have played against a few of them. Obviously the team spirit is quite good here as well."

By a strange twist of fate Butters' home League debut is scheduled to be against Gillingham next Saturday.

"I am quite looking forward to it," he said. "I played at Withdean for Gillingham in the League Cup a few seasons back.

"It was a strange experience, with the athletics track and everything, but I'm not a person used to luxuries. I will get my head down and I haven't got a problem with that.

"I would love to score a hat-trick against them, but I will just be thankful to get a result really. I've got a lot of good friends there, players and fans.

"I'd love us both to stay in the division this year, although with us a bit above them."