Albion ace Gary Hart has told his mentor Alan Cork: "We'll prove you wrong."
The Seagulls shrugged off the shock departure of assistant Cork to Cardiff last week by winning their first game without him.
Saturday's 1-0 victory at York, the third in a row, has elevated Micky Adams' men to fourth, two places above Cork's new club.
Hart said: "Corky was part of the team and we were very sad to see him go, but it's not the end of the world.
"We have still got the gaffer and the other backroom staff who have been doing well.
"It could have been an excuse for us to lose at York, but we would not be a very good team if we let somebody leaving bother us.
"We want to show Corky he has made the wrong decision going to Cardiff and that we are a lot better side.
"He helped me out a lot, staying behind after training, and I regard him as a friend but life goes on."
Hart put Nathan Jones through for the decisive goal in the first half, his fourth of the season, as Albion extended their unbeaten run to six games.
"I seriously thought it was offside when I played the pass," Hart admitted. "He did well to finish it at the second attempt.
"We didn't play well at all, but that shows the sort of side we've got this year when you can go away and still get a 1-0 win."
Adams said: "Alan's departure upset everybody, particularly myself, but it was back to business.
"We had to be professional and we were.
"It was not one of our best performances of late, but their keeper was in inspired form and that deflated our strikers."
Albion are now looking forward to their first sell-out since the extraseats were put in at Withdean against fifth-placed Leyton Orient on Saturday.
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