Chris Kidger today denied rumours that a row with chairman Dick Knight over the club's commercial activities prompted his resignation from the Albion Board.

Kidger, owner of Friday-Ad, quit his role as the Seagulls' commercial director to concentrate on his business and running his farm near Ardingly.

He said: "There has been no fall-out or anything like that. When I joined the Board I said I would do it if I had a job to do.

"I helped them sort the commercial side out but now I am pretty busy at work.

"Kevin Keehan is running that side of things now, with a decent structure underneath him. I had done as much as I could apart from keeping things ticking over."

Kidger still has 11 per cent of the shares for his £500,000 investment.

The 55-year-old father-of-eight continues to watch matches at Withdean and is helping the club out by running an advert in his publication promoting the campaign for a new stadium at Falmer.

Kidger joined the Board in May 2002. His money enabled the club to sever its ties with former chairman Bill Archer, who accepted a £700,000 pay-off.

Kidger's resignation reduces the number of Board members to five following the retirement of financial director Bob Pinnock towards the end of last year.

Knight is the biggest single shareholder with 30 per cent for an investment of more than £1.36 million.

The other Board members are Ray Bloom, Kevin Griffiths, Derek Chapman and chief executive Martin Perry. Sir John Smith is non-executive director.

Norman Cook, alias DJ Fatboy Slim, has poured in an estimated £800,000 for an 11 per cent shareholding and to help keep the club afloat, including payment of players' wages.

Multi-millionaire reinsurance specialist Billy Brown also has 11 per cent of the shares but neither he nor Cook wanted a seat on the Board.