Albion are heading for a fixture nightmare which could damage their Championship promotion chances if Charlton continue to progress in the FA Cup.

The play-off chasing Seagulls are due to tackle relegation-threatened Charlton at the Amex on April 12.

The FA Cup semi-finals are scheduled for that weekend and Charlton are at League One Sheffield United in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

If Chris Powell’s strugglers go through then Albion’s game against them will have to be rearranged.

Charlton, already playing catch-up due to problems with The Valley pitch, have a full programme of midweek matches through to the end of the season.

Losing the Charlton date would leave the Seagulls with a headache to squeeze the game in.

It could also mean four away games in a row against Blackburn, Barnsley, Leicester and Huddersfield in the first 18 days of April.

The Football League will not tamper with the end-of-season schedule by allowing Albion and Charlton to play after the final day on May 3.

Those matches kick-off simultaneously at 12.15 pm to ensure no teams involved in promotion and relegation issues are handed an advantage. Albion had to postpone their match at Blackburn twice because of their run through to the fifth round of the FA Cup. The clash at Ewood Park now takes place on April 1.