TWO flame-haired Republic of Ireland prospects, one for Albion and one for Stoke, took all the plaudits at Withdean yesterday.

The problem for the Seagulls was that Paul McShane was dressed in a suit, rather than kit, as he received his player of the season award before kick-off.

The on-loan Manchester United centre half was ruled out of the Championship closer following a hernia operation last week.

In McShane's absence from the defence, Stoke's teenage striker Adam Rooney ran riot, scoring a hat-trick on only his second senior start to sentence Albion to their heaviest defeat in seven seasons at Withdean.

It was, as manager Mark McGhee conceded, a "painful" climax to the campaign for Albion, effectively brought to an end a fortnight earlier by the home defeat against Sheffield Wednesday which confirmed relegation.

The players were lifted sufficiently by the surroundings and atmosphere to put in a performance in the final away game at Wolves.

This time the fight had drained from them. There was nothing more to give and they trudged off with supporters' boos ringing in their ears against a Stoke side hungry to send their departing manager Johan Boskamp back to his Belgium home with a stylish victory.

Boskamp has become the victim of a boardroom power struggle. The Dutchman has lost patience with the tardyness of the club's Icelandic owners in settling his future as they consider a takeover bid by former chairman Peter Coates.

How ironic then that McGhee's reign might be about to end in similar circumstances, with the Board divided over whether to keep him.

This result will only fuel the fire in the bellies of those that want him out, although McGhee justifiably pointed out: "It was not typical of the way we have played this season and this game was a total irrelevance.

"The way I look at it is that this group of players have given everything to try to stay up and in the end they weren't good enough to stay up. We weren't able to give them enough help in terms of recruitment.

"It wasn't about this game. It's about what has happened all season. It was a bit easier to play at Wolves, where you have got an atmosphere and a stadium.

"The players had trained well but they didn't produce the same sort of tempo. It looked as if three, four or five of them had already switched off."

The carnage began after only six minutes. The Albion defence, looking for an offside flag, fell asleep as Mamady Sidibe played Rooney in behind them. The 18-year-old had so much time and space to pick his spot past fellow Dubliner Wayne Henderson that Albion's goalkeeper, convinced he was offside, dashed straight over to the linesman to talk himself into a booking.

Rooney extended Stoke's lead with embarrassing ease midway through the first half. He side-footed in a cross from Josip Skoko after the Australian, on loan from Wigan, had been released in behind the Seagulls' square back line once more by a pass from midfield partner Darel Russell.

The visitors' third goal, five minutes before the break, was again all too easy. Albion had one let-off, when Russell turned to crack a 20-yard shot against the underside of the crossbar but there was no escape when the ball was returned back into the box.

Sidibe turned past Guy Butters, recalled in place of McShane, to slot in from eight yards.

If Albion thought the worst was over they were sadly mistaken. Rooney, his name inevitably drawing comparisons among the Stoke supporters with crocked England star Wayne , completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute with the best goal of the game.

Skoko and Sidibe combined to set up the first year scholar for a rasping right-foot finish from 12 yards.

Stoke's fifth goal, eight minutes from the end, was farcical. Paul Reid, reverting to rightback, stumbled over the ball, leaving substitute Peter Sweeney free to beat the bemused Henderson.

It was, believe it or not, not total doom and gloom. Doug Loft is probably the one Albion player who will remember this match with a tad of affection.

The energetic former Hastings youngster, brought on in place of Alex Frutos on the left early in the second half, struck his first senior goal five minutes from time, left-footed into the bottom corner from 15 yards.

It made amends for a miss a little earlier, a loft over the bar from Seb Carole's cross, but it would be exaggerating to describe it as any sort of consolation.

Colin Kazim-Richards was the only other Albion player to emerge with eyecatching credit.

The rookie forward, who can excite and frustrate in equal measure, tested Stoke's otherwise under-employed custodian Steve Simonsen with shots in each half.

It was an unhappy afternoon for Kazim-Richards' partner, Gifton Noel-Williams, against one of his old clubs.

He had a couple of chances to score, missing the target with headers from a Frutos free-kick and an Alexis Nicolas corner.

Such a comprehensive pasting is bound to stoke up the boardroom debate about McGhee's future but he will carry on preparing for life in League One until he hears otherwise. He said: "We have a plan for next season. This doesn't stop it, it's already in place. It's about to kick in with the young players training through May.

"Nothing changes and there were aspects even in this game that were good. Joel Lynch played well and Doug Loft came on and scored.

"It's not a case of fighting on. I have a long-term plan about what's needed and I'm prepared to go on with it."

ALBION (4-4-2): Henderson 5; Reid 5, Hinshelwood 6, Butters 5, Lynch 7; Carole 5, Carpenter 5, Nicolas 7, Frutos 5; Kazim-Richards 7, Noel-Williams 5. Subs: Loft 7 for Frutos (withdrawn 58), Mayo, El-Abd, Gatting, Chaigneau.

STOKE (4-1-3-2): Simonsen; Buxton, Duberry, Hill, Dickinson; Junior; Brammer, Skoko, Russell; Rooney, Sidibe. Subs: Garrett for Brammer (withdrawn 71), Sweeney for Rooney (withdrawn 77), Kopteff for Skoko (withdrawn 83), Broomes, De Goey.