Chris Iwelumo is only 24 and has not reached 100 appearances in English league football, yet his experience could be invaluable to Albion.

If everything goes according to plan, the Seagulls' last game of the season will be the Second Division play-off final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on May 30.

It would be a nerve-wracking occasion for everybody at the club, but Iwelumo has at least been through it all before.

Two seasons ago Albion's new signing played in the Stoke team which beat Steve Coppell's Brentford 2-0 in the Welsh capital to join the Seagulls in Division One.

It was an occasion he will never forget and one which the 6ft 4ins Iwelumo plans to taste once more following his move to Withdean.

"I remember the night before we went into the stadium," Iwelumo said. "The nerves hit me then, it was absolutely frightening.

"There was an overwhelming feeling, even though it was empty. We took 39,000 supporters to the final. It was a great day and hopefully I will experience that again.

"Our aim, obviously, is to get into the play-offs and it would be nice to get another promotion medal."

Iwelumo's arrival on the south coast owes much to the ingenuity of Albion manager Mark McGhee. He has been tracking his fellow Scot for some time and wanted to sign him earlier in the season, when the Seagulls could not afford Stoke's £50,000 asking price.

With the transfer deadline looming and Iwelumo out of contract in the summer, McGhee negotiated a deal to capture him on a free transfer for the rest of the season.

The paperwork could not be completed by Monday's noon deadline for Iwelumo to play at Chesterfield on Tuesday, so he was signed on loan for one match in order to make his debut at Saltergate and scored Albion's second in a 2-0 victory.

Albion will pay up to three separate nominal fees to Stoke dependent on reaching the play-offs, promotion and Iwelumo signing a longer contract. City also have a sell-on clause.

McGhee explained: "We have been looking at Chris for quite a while but all along Stoke have resisted our approaches. They have insisted on a certain fee that we couldn't afford but things have worked out and we have ended up taking him on a deal which will recognise his value to Stoke if he signs here on a permanent deal and/or if we get promoted.

"He has been brought here to earn himself a contract. We definitely have nine games left, hopefully we have 12 games left.

"He can be a part of every one of them and earn himself a contract for next year, hopefully in the First Division.

"He seems a bright lad and he is really enthusiastic about coming here.

"He is a young guy, married with no children, and his wife has a job which takes her down to the south coast once a month so everything is right for him.

"We hope all of those factors will encourage him to give it a right go to earn himself that contract. He is not the answer to all our problems but we hope he is a player with assets we can improve on."

There was plenty of interest in Iwelumo once it became obvious he had no future at Stoke. City manager Tony Pulis signed Ade Akinbiyi, Gifton Noel-Williams and Carl Asaba, prompting Iwelumo to ask for a transfer.

"I finished top scorer for the last two seasons but the manager brought three strikers in during the summer," he said.

"I knew he would be playing them no matter what, so it is time for me to move on. It has been a very frustrating season for me. In total there have been 14 clubs after me, including three from the Scottish Premier. I guess that was a bad thing for me because Stoke just put the price tag right up then.

"I've basically just kept my head down and got on with it. I knew I wasn't going to be training to play for the first team and there have only been two reserve team games this year.

"That is why it is better for me to get out and get games and hopefully goals.

"I knew about Brighton anyway before I met Mark. I played against them last season and the season before and everyone says it is a great place to live. My wife works in Bournemouth as a field sales executive for a company selling army surplus gear, so it is quite handy for her."

Becoming a success with Albion could also re-ignite the international ambitions of Iwelumo, who has a Scottish mother and Nigerian father.

"Nigeria were looking at me when I was playing in Denmark, then I got into the Scotland B squad when Stoke were in the play-offs," he said. That was unlucky for me. They went to South Korea but I couldn't play. I have not really done a lot this season to get myself back in the frame for Scotland."