Albion boss Micky Adams fears his team could blow promotion.

He hauled his players in for extra training yesterday after a shock 3-1 defeat against ten-man Cheltenham.

It followed a half-hour inquest in the dressing room at Whaddon Road on Saturday, during which a furious Adams read the riot act.

He said: "They have been left in no uncertain terms what I expect.

"Up until this point the team has not let me down. But I am seeing signs now that when the going gets tough there are people not mentally strong enough and that worries me. I don't want us to blow it."

The Seagulls are still second, two points clear of Cardiff with a game in hand and four ahead of fourth-placed Hartlepool, who have played two matches more.

Adams changed to a five-man defence by recalling goalscorer Danny Cullip from suspension.

The switch backfired as Cheltenham became the first side this season to hit the net three times against Albion. They were 2-0 up in 11 minutes and ended a run of five straight defeats, despite having Lee Howells sent-off after only 20 minutes.

"I paid Cheltenham the respect they deserved," Adams explained. "I thought they would come out battling after their recent escapades and decided to put an extra body in there.

"Unfortunately it didn't work. We lost the game in the first ten minutes."

Albion get a quick chance to put things right against in-form Blackpool at Withdean tomorrow night, although Matt Wicks is expected to miss the match with a hamstring injury.