Watson's milestone

Only this time Paul Watson will be hoping the result is rather different.

The Hastings-born rightback made the 250th League appearance of his career in the Friday night defeat at Northampton at the end of last month.

Now Watson is on course for his 100th game in a row in the No. 2 shirt for the Seagulls at Wrexham tomorrow night.

That remarkable unbroken run, stretching back to October 1999, is testimony to the reliability of Albion's dead ball wizard.

"I missed a few games at the start of my first season down here, but since then I haven't missed any," Watson said.

"I don't want to tempt fate but apart from a knee injury at Fulham, when I tore medial ligaments and was out for ten weeks, I have been pretty lucky.

"Warm-ups have come into the game more and that has helped me.

"We try to take a bit of time after training to warm down as well, so you tend to get fewer strains."

Albion boss Micky Adams knows how dependable Watson is.

Adams had him in the Fulham squad he steered to promotion from the Third Division in 1996-97.

Watson was the only ever-present when the Seagulls repeated that feat last season and the former Gillingham trainee was also promoted from the basement with Brentford.

Watson has fresh competition this season from summer signing Robbie Pethick, but he has retained his place so far.

"I am in the side, so I've got to be pleased," he said. "I didn't think I had a good preseason, so I was pleased to be picked for the first game at Cambridge.

"Robbie is always going to be pushing me and it's up to me to keep playing well."

Watson suffered the heartbreak of being released by Tuesday's Worthington Cup conquerors Southampton after four years there as a schoolboy.

But the Saints take the credit for converting the slightly built 26-yearold into a fullback.

"When I was at William Parker School in Hastings I used to play in the centre of midfield," he revealed.

"I was quite small as a kid and Southampton thought I wasn't physically strong enough to play there.

They turned me into a leftback and it stuck. "At Gillingham under Neil Smillie I played left midfield, but that was only for 15 to 20 games." Adams took the transition a step further when he signed Watson for Fulham.

"We went to Ireland pre-season and I remember the rightback then was injured," Watson explained.

"There was me and Robbie Herrera, both leftbacks, and he decided to put me on the right for one game. I must have done okay, because I have been there ever since!

"I enjoy it. I have more chance of scoring, because I can cut in on my left foot to shoot.

"It gives a different dimension on crosses as well. I can pick out Bobby Zamora) nine times out of ten."

Watson benefits in the scoring stakes from his set piece expertise.

He got off the mark with the freekick which gave Albion a last-gasp win against QPR at Withdean on Saturday.

Watson finished joint second in the goal charts last season with eight, well behind Zamora, of course, who has taken over from him as penalty taker.

"I have taken free-kicks and corners ever since I was at Gillingham," Watson said. "I like it because it gives you a chance to get involved in the game more.

I took them at Fulham and Brentford as well." Albion have been banging goals in with impressive regularity at Withdean, but it has been more of a struggle on the road.

They have not scored away from home since Zamora's promotion clincher at Plymouth six matches and 74 minutes ago.

German striker Dirk Lehmann said: "We need now to believe as a team we are strong enough to score goals away as well, because we don't really look that dangerous away at the moment."