Boss Russell Slade has admitted Albion must find a way to end their 343-minute goal famine away from home to have any hope of survival.

They have failed to score in the last three games on their travels, and four matches in total, since Matt Heath’s early effort at Leyton Orient a month ago.

Wins at next-to-bottom Hereford tomorrow night and against Swindon at Withdean on Saturday are essential following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at MK Dons, which leaves the Seagulls eight points adrift of safety with seven games to go.

Slade said: “We are not scoring away from home and that is a problem. We need to do that because we need to go to Hereford and win.

“It’s a mental thing. Somebody has got to be brave enough to make sure it goes between those two sticks. I don’t think you can over-estimate the next two games. They are massive to the club. We need to take as many points as we can from them.”

Lloyd Owusu spurned two good chances in the first half and strike partner Craig Davies another in the closing stages.

Albion’s task has been made that much harder in the absence of 15-goal Nicky Forster (knee) and 12-goal Glenn Murray (stomach). They are both expected to miss the rest of the season.

Slade said: “It’s tougher when you lose 27 goals out of your team. To lose that and still attempt to climb the mountain is difficult.

“I still think there is enough there to get the results necessary to get us out of the situation we are in.”

Tommy Elphick returns tomorrow night from a two-match suspension in place of Heath, whose loan spell from Colchester ended with a recurrence of groin trouble.

Slade is also hopeful of having calf victims Gary Borrowdale, Gary Hart and Colin Hawkins back from the long injury list.