Will Buckley wants to use an improved display for Albion against Burnley as the springboard for a more sustained return to form.

The winger turned striker put a below-par start to the season behind him by setting up Leo Ulloa’s clinching goal in the Seagulls’ 2-0 win at The Amex and running the Argentinian close for the man-of-the-match accolade.

Buckley admitted to The Argus: “I’ve not been too happy with my performances. I’ve been a bit disappointed and I thought I need to start performing. Hopefully I did that.

“Hopefully now I can kick on and get some really good performances behind me.”

Buckley was involved in two controversial incidents with Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, a former team-mate at Rochdale.

Heaton escaped with a booking just before half-time after bringing Buckley down outside the box.

Burnley were then reduced to ten men by referee Darren Sheldrake early in the second half when Heaton received a second yellow card for handling the ball again in his area after mucking up a throw-out as Buckley challenged him in the air.

Buckley admitted: “It actually skimmed my head. I think the referee thought I hadn’t touched it. I didn’t have a clue at the time why he had been sent-off.

“I spoke to our keeper Tomasz (Kuszczak) and he said it is a booking, it’s like putting the ball down and picking it back up.

“I think the referee might have been making up for a mistake in the first half. I think he (Heaton) got away with the first one.

“The referee obviously saw the centre-half coming across but I don’t think he would have got there before I got to the ball, so I think he should have been sent-off, but decisions like that can go either way.”

Head coach Oscar Garcia, using Buckley in a revised role closer to Ulloa, was pleased to see him back on song.

Oscar said: “I am very happy for him, because his start to the season wasn’t so good or at his level. I wanted to keep his confidence high, because he is a special player.”

Oscar also paid tribute to the part played in the first home victory of his reign by 21-year-old Rohan Ince in the defensive midfield role after Keith Andrews was ruled out by a hamstring injury.

“He had played two games from the start and played really well,” Oscar said. “He is a calm person and a calm player. I think he can play better in that position than as a central defender.”