Graeme Atkinson's hopes of another happy return to Brighton have been wrecked by injury.

The former Seagulls defender is sidelined from Rochdale's visit to Withdean tomorrow by serious knee damage.

"I'm afraid I won't be involved," Atkinson revealed. "I did a cruciate ligament against Peterborough at the end of last season. It wasn't severe enough for an operation, but it was bad enough to keep me out for four or five months.

"I am seeing the specialist on Tuesday and hopefully he will give me the go ahead to start joining in with the other lads. I'm very disappointed not to be coming down. It's a game I wanted to be involved in."

Atkinson scored in a remarkable 4-3 victory for Rochdale at a rain-soaked Withdean just before Christmas. They led 2-0, trailed 3-2, then won with two goals in the last eight minutes from Clive Platt.

"I haven't played in many games like that," Atkinson said. "It was great to be on the scoresheet and a fantastic game for the neutral, but it will be totally different tomorrow.

"Both sides have got new players and we did quite well against Darlington in our first game, even though we didn't get the three points."

Manager Steve Parkin has been awarded a new three-year contract after steering Rochdale to tenth last season, when only promoted Rotherham bettered their ten away wins.

His assistant Tony Ford, MBE, now in his 24th season in the League, is still going strong at the age of 41.

Parkin signed seven new players in the summer, six of them on free transfers. He has also brought in Gary Hamilton, a 19-year-old striker, on loan from Worthington Cup opponents Blackburn Rovers.

Nine players left, including Plymouth's former Albion midfielder Jason Peake. Things are looking up for the unfashionable Lancastrian club. Chairman David Kilpatrick said: "We are coming to the end of a £4 million redevelopment of our ground and have declared a profit of nearly a quarter of a million pounds."