Albion reserves clinched the League title in style at Worthing last night.

They pipped Southampton for the Pontin's Holidays Combination Central Division crown with the victory they needed against Bournemouth.

The Seagulls kept their hopes alive at Bournemouth on Tuesday with a 2-1 win. It was much more emphatic this time, three goals in the space of four minutes early in the second half by sub Andrew Pearson, Chris Breach and Jake Robinson adding to the opener from Alex Frutos.

Albion dominated from the outset but it took them until the 32nd minute to make the breakthrough.

Robinson's low cross was deflected back into the path of Frutos and he produced a clinical finish with his left foot from 12 yards for his seventh goal of the seaon.

Joe Gatting could have helped himself to a hat-trick by half-time. He hit a post with an angled drive, the upright from a Frutos corner and, in-between, had an attempted lob blocked by Bournemouth keeper Kevin Scriven.

Scriven kept Bournemouth in contention by also parrying a long-range effort by Scott Chamberlain and holding a glancing header by Tommy Fraser from another Frutos corner but he could do nothing about the burst of goals which wrapped the title up for the rampant Seagulls.

It was a memorable evening for Pearson, the only first-year scholar in the squad.

The young centre-half had only just come on in place of the injured Kerry Mayo when he doubled the lead in impudent fashion in the 59th minute, back-heeling in from a Frutos corner.

Breach, one of the 15 players out of contract at the end of the season, made it 3-0 in the 61st minute with a half volley from close range, this time from a corner by Chamberlain which was headed on by substitute Sam Gargan.

Robinson added a stylish fourth two minutes later, playing a one-two with Fraser before drilling a shot across Scriven into the far corner.

James Martin, on in place of Fraser, came close to making it five for the Seagulls with a shot from outside the area which clipped the top of the bar.

John Sullivan, deputising between the posts for Michel Kuipers, was not seriously tested by the Bournemouth attack until the later stages when he made two good saves from centre forward Sebastian Muddel.

The visitors were the ones left in a muddle by the flurry of goals after the break and Josh McQuoid's strike past Sullivan with two minutes left was scant consolation for their pounding.

We Are The Champions' blared out through the loudspeaker system at the final whistle.

Not quite. Albion now face Eastern Division champions Ipswich in a one-off match to decide the overall winners.

It will not take place until before the start of next season. Albion cannot squeeze the fixture in as they have the Sussex Senior Cup Final against Worthing at Eastbourne Borough on Monday and the players are off to Prague the following day for their end-of-season break.

Albion (4-4-2): Sullivan; P. Hinshelwood, Breach, Cobbs, Mayo (Pearson, 55); Loft (Gargan, 59), Fraser (Martin, 67), Chamberlain, Frutos; Gatting, Robinson. Unused subs: Fogden, Winterton.