The Seagulls go into tonight's home game against second-placed Cambridge United desperate for a result to avoid another relegation battle.

They have dropped to 18th after yesterday's results.

Wood pledged: "It's a battle and it is hard work, but I would never walk away from it."

Albion scored consecutive victories under Wood when he was appointed caretaker successor to Brian Horton and drew at Swansea in his first match in charge for the rest of the season.

Since then they have lost eight and drawn one of their last nine matches and have not scored a goal for a staggering 473 minutes.

Fans turned on Wood when he substituted Gary Hart in the closing stages at Mansfield on Saturday, even though Hart was carrying an injury.

"I love football and regardless of what the fans are saying about me I have been here with all the problems of two years ago," Wood said.

"They were magnificent in keeping us up then and have been again until recently.

"It's an awful run of results and you cannot excuse everything, but there have been extenuating circumstances.

"We've not had Jeff Minton and Rod Thomas. We've missed Jeff terribly and, if you look back, we were not the brightest before we signed Rod. He turned our season around when he came in.

"It was good when we were up there near the play-offs, but it was flattering. If we finish 15th or above that would be a good season. Brian said that when he was here."

Wood has no regrets about taking the job after working as No. 2 to Horton and Steve Gritt. "If I had said I didn't want it that would have shown a lack of ambition.

"I have been here for two and a half years and it was about time for me to do it, rather than sitting on the fence again."

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