Wayne Henderson today blasted the way he was treated during his time with Albion.

The goalkeeper sold to Preston compared playing for the Seagulls to being on the X Factor, because of a "personality contest" with his more popular rival Michel Kuipers.

And he branded fans who booed him off after a last-gasp defeat at Bournemouth as "pathetic".

Henderson completed a £150,000 move to Preston on Wednesday, hours before the transfer deadline closed, after handing in his second transfer request of the season on Monday.

The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international lost his place in the side to Kuipers following a slip which gifted Bournemouth a stoppage-time victory and a mix-up involving Joel Lynch which was responsible for a home defeat by Millwall.

"It was disappointing the way it finished," said Henderson. "I was devastated at being left out of the team.

"The mistake I made against Bournemouth could have happened to anybody and the Millwall game was a mistake by someone else that caught me out.

"I've never felt welcome at the club, except by the coaching staff and the players. The coaching staff have been magnificent and I wish them all the best, because if anyone is going to get anything out of the kids it is Dean (Wilkins) and Dean (White), so I hope they are given a fair crack of the whip.

"Outside of them and the lads, a handful of fans have backed me lately and I really respect that but there were an awful lot of fans who didn't and other people at the club who, for some reason, made it more difficult than it should have been."

Sections of supporters made no secret of their preference for Kuipers. Criticism of Henderson peaked at Bournemouth on New Year's Day, when he was booed off after losing his footing to present the home side with their late winner.

"The response from half of the fans was very good but from the other half it was uncalled for," Henderson said. "They love their football as much as anyone else but the way they reacted was pathetic really.

"A lot of fans have certain opinions of players. For me the whole experience at Brighton was more like the X Factor. It just seemed to be a personality contest and I couldn't enjoy my football.

"For that reason I made the second transfer request and made it perfectly obvious I didn't want to spent any more time there."

Henderson, signed by Albion from Aston Villa a year ago for £20,000, jumped at the chance to end his Albion nightmare.

"I didn't know anything about the move until Tuesday," he said. "I was told to go to Preston because they had made an offer that had been accepted.

"For the offer to come from a club like that blew me away. I couldn't get up the motorway quick enough."

Chairman Dick Knight said: "I have nothing but contempt for the implications in this story and the coverage being given to it."

Meanwhile, Port Vale marksman Leon Constantine turned down a £150,000 a year wage rise when he rejected a deadline day move to Albion.

The 18-goal hitman, targeted by the Seagulls just before the transfer window shut, admitted: "To say the money Brighton were offering was unreal would be an under-statement.

"It was fantastic and obviously something I had to really think about. But I want to go to the Championship. If I was going to go anywhere then I wanted to go up rather than staying in the same League."