Watford chief Ray Lewington has expressed reservations about condemning Steve Coppell to the drop.

Lewington admitted: "The thought of us getting something at Brighton and sending them down does not fill me with joy. Obviously we will be trying our hardest but there will be mixed emotions for me if that happens."

Lewington has been a close friend of the Albion manager since they worked together at Crystal Palace.

They almost joined forces again as part of the management team at Watford when Gianluca Vialli took charge, then both applied for the job when the Italian left Vicarage Road last summer.

Lewington said: "Steve is one of the men I most respect in football. I have worked with him a couple of times and for me he is one of the best managers in the game. I am always surprised when he is out of work and overlooked for jobs. His record is good and he is a decent man.

"I'm amazed he never gets a chance of one of the bigger jobs, especially when you consider his playing record as well. I think he's done an unbelieavble job at Brighton to get in a situation with a week to go where they could get out of it.

"I didn't think it was the right job for him. I thought they had no chance but fair play to him, he surprises me all the time and he's done it again. He has almost achieved the impossible. If they get out of trouble it would be the achievement of the season."