The end of the Leon Knight episode could just be the beginning of Albion's push for safety.

The Seagulls desperately want Mark McGhee's "main man" to rediscover the goalscoring form which lifted them into the Championship in the first place.

McGhee must be hoping Knight's fit of pique at being substituted against Wolves and subsequent apology after he was dropped for the trip to Stoke will galvanise him into spearheading the fight to stay up.

Albion need Knight back in the kind of mood which terrorised defences when they were promoted via the playoffs two seasons ago.

His pace, movement, ability on the ball and eye for an opening caused havoc then and there were signs earlier in the season of him rising to similar heights.

It wasn't just his goals (three in the opening nine games) but his all-round contribution which suggested he was back to something like his impish best.

Knight has not quite performed to the same high standard in recent matches.

He has not scored since mid-September and his overall record for Albion in the Championship of seven goals in 56 appearances is a poor return for such a talented player.

Nowhere is the Seagulls' battle against the odds for Championship survival more striking than in the striking department.

Consider the firepower possessed by some of their rivals.

At Sheffield United Shipperley, Webber and Kabba, at Reading Kitson, Lita and Doyle.

Leeds have Healy, Hulse and Cresswell, Crystal Palace have Johnson, Morrison and Freedman.

At Burnley Akinbiyi and Noel-Williams, at Wolves Cort and Miller...the list goes on.

The common link between these players is that they all cost money. Proven strikers do not come cheap.

Even mid-table Stoke had to fork out £950,000 for African Sam Bangoura, Albion's twogoal wrecker at the Britannia Stadium last Saturday.

The Seagulls' absence of comparable firepower can be directly linked to the draining effect on finances of Falmer.

Most of the £1.5 million received from Celtic in the summer for Adam Virgo had to be set aside for the costs of playing at Withdean and pursuit of a new stadium.

One candidate to replace the centre half turned goalscoring centre forward was Cardiff's Alan Lee but both the fee and wages for the former Rotherham frontrunner were way beyond Albion's reach.

Lee, not even one of Cardiff's first choice strikers, ironically came on to net the Welshmen's winner at Withdean last month.

Managers with the luxury of millions to spend often get it wrong. When you are dealing, like McGhee is, at the fag-end of the market then there are bound to be almost as many failures as successes.

For every Darren Currie, Seb Carole and Alexandre Frutos there is going to be a Maheta Molango or Federico Turienzo.

Molango is on a year-long loan at Lincoln after struggling to adapt to the English game last season.

McGhee knew Turienzo was the type he required, a target man to hold the ball up and link play. The gamble was whether he would be good enough.

The jury is still out on the Argentinian but the limited evidence so far has not offered much cause for encouragement.

What of the other forwards at McGhee's disposal? Colin Kazim-Richards and Jake Robinson are promising but still extremely raw.

Their goal records are modest which is no surprise, since both of them have a tendency to play outside the penalty area.

The same applies to Chris McPhee. He also has yet to prove he has a killer instinct.

Mark McCammon is close to a comeback from ankle and knee surgery. His career record is not that of a goalscorer but his bustling style created discomfort for rival defences last winter before his half-time fall-out with McGhee at Burnley in the spring.

That brings us back to McGhee's main man. One Knight, chairman Dick, has delivered off the pitch, now Albion need their other Knight to deliver on it.

Withdean on Sunday week against Palace would not be a bad place or time to start.