Albion have offered youth players Chris McPhee and Dean Hammond two-year contracts on the advice of departed boss Peter Taylor.

It was one of Taylor's final decisions before he quit.

Martin Hinshelwood, the Seagulls' director of youth, said: "Normally boys get a one-year deal, but Peter felt they were worth a bit more and Dean (Wilkins, the youth manager) and I agree."

Striker McPhee, 19, substituted for the suspended Bobby Zamora in two matches this season, while midfielder Hammond has been included in the championship squad.

Hinshelwood said: "Chris and Dean have been part of the first team set up for the last couple of months and worked very hard."

But McPhee and Hammond's fellow third-year scholars Rupert Sansom, Mark Jackson, Kevin Hemsley and Stefan Wojciechowski have been released.

Hinshelwood said: "These boys are from our first intake when Dean and I started working together and we are very sad to have had to make the decision.

"You have to weigh everything up. It's not just down to budget. For instance Kevin is a centre-half and we have one of the same age in Adam Virgo.

"But the four we've let go have been a credit to themselves, the club and their families for the way they have worked and conducted themselves over the past three years. I hope one day they'll come back and prove us wrong."

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