Joel Lynch has set his sights on a powerful end to the season after walking back into the middle of a storm and helping Albion end their sorry away sequence.

The Seagulls defender has had a stop-start season so far but was arguably the star of the show as his side ended a run of one point from six away trips by winning 2-1 in the wind, torrential rain and hail at Walsall.

Apart from an early scare in which Tommy Elphick and Michel Kuipers made good blocks, the back line managed to keep home hitmen Tommy Mooney and Stefan Moore pretty quiet.

This against a Saddlers side who are in the play-off places and were desperate to atone for Saturday's surprise home defeat to Northampton.

Given the wild conditions, it was perhaps appropriate the hosts made whirlwind starts to both halves, pushing Albion back and getting the ball into the box.

But the visitors stood strong, notably with the wind in their faces in the second half, and established the platform from which their dangerous front two scored the goals to revive their team's play-off bid.

It would have been easy for Albion to go under, especially after falling behind.

But they showed backbone to stay in the contest and confidence to get the ball down and play when possible.

So that makes two teams with no play-off jitters then!

Lynch, enjoying his first league start since the defeat at Yeovil which ended 2007, reckons Tuesday's win and performance can be highly significant for the run-in.

He said: "We all worked together. I think we were a team out there and that's how we got the result we wanted.

"It's a busy month and if we keep working together and doing our thing, hopefully we will keep moving up.

"All it takes is a win and the teams around us to lose and we could be right up there.

"That was a big game. Walsall are doing well and to go there and get a result is good for us.

"We've got to start picking up the points against better teams.

"I don't think we've done too well away recently either."

Fans know how stylish Lynch can look on the ball but it was more rigorous qualities which stood out on a hostile night in the West Midlands.

Set pieces were curling, wind-assisted, in towards the Albion goal in the second half and the visitors had to withstand a barrage of crosses and scrambles for about 15 minutes straight after the break.

Kuipers, however, was never forced to add to his two excellent first-half saves and his main problem was how to take goal kicks as the ball was repeatedly blown off the six-yard line.

Lynch added: "The second half was a battle in the bad weather and the wind and we did well to hold them and get a goal.

"The wind was against us and the ball was coming through quicker than it would normally. It was going all over the place.

"When the hail came it was even worse but you've just got to keep your mind on the game and keep your eye on the ball.

"The boys worked hard and I thought we defended magnificently throughout the game.

"It has been a long journey back into the team for me.

"I've had injuries and didn't really have the best start to the season.

"But I've been working really hard and I'll carry on doing that."

This was just Lynch's tenth start of the League One campaign, though his substitute appearances have not been without incident.

He came off the bench at home to Cheltenham recently, played a part in the equaliser and then scored a contentious winner.

On Saturday he made the long trek to Carlisle just to sit on the bench but he revealed he started to believe he could be back in action sooner rather than later as Albion retreated from Brunton Park on the wrong end of a 2-0 defeat.

He said: "After Saturday's game I thought I might be involved in some way, even if it was to come off the bench.

"We knew Walsall were going to come at us and they have got two good strikers and maybe I would be needed.

"I've just been preparing myself as well as I can and I found out I was playing on Monday. We normally find out the team the day before a game."

The talk in the Albion camp after that Carlisle match was that they could not wait to get back in action and put things right at Walsall.

Then news came through that the Saddlers had lost at home, arguably making the Seagulls' task even tougher.

As expected, Walsall got at Dean Wilkins' men early on. Up in the press box, the radio commentator working for the Saddlers' website highlighted Albion's poor away record and said the hosts could really get a stranglehold on the match if they scored early.

But it did not work like that.

Lynch said: "They had been told to get at us in the first few minutes. I thought we did well to soak up the pressure."

Asked about his match fitness, he added: "I felt all right. Your adrenalin kicks in during the game and when you score you step up another level.

"All of a sudden you don't feel tired any more.

"I'm just pleased to get through 90 minutes. I feel good and hopefully I'll play in the next game."

How do you hope Albion line-up against Doncaster?