Lloyd Owusu wants to emulate his close friend Paul Furlong, by still playing when he is 40.

Albion are the 32-year-old striker's sixth League club in a career which began in his home town of Slough before he was sold to Brentford.

Owusu said: “I turned professional late at 21.

“I look at players like Les Ferdinand, who stayed in the game for a long time, and Teddy Sheringham and Paul Furlong, who I know really well.

“He is 40 and banging in goals at Barnet on loan from Southend. If I can keep my body in good condition and train at the right times and in the right way and eat the right way, I think I can go on to that age as well.”

The immediate target for Owusu, on loan from Cheltenham for the rest of the season, is to help Albion out of relegation trouble and earn himself a contract in the process.

He has put his team-mates on ‘Cox watch’ against fellow strugglers Swindon at Withdean today.

The Seagulls will be relying on Dean Cox to open up the visitors’ defence but namesake Simon, another striker familiar to Owusu, could be a real danger at the other end. He has already bagged 27 goals for the Robins this season.

“I know Simon Cox really well from my time at Reading,” Owusu said. “He was coming through the youth team and playing quite a few games for the reserves as well.

“I was really surprised they let him go because, when he was a kid, you could see he was a natural goalscorer.

“He went on loan to a few clubs, including Brentford when I was there. It didn’t really happen for him there but his record at Swindon is one goal in two games I think, so we have got to be really aware of him.

“He is only 21 and he is up there with the top goalscorers in a team in the bottom half of the table, so that shows he has got something about him.

“A lot of clubs are looking at him but, if we can contain him and keep a clean sheet, I believe we have enough quality to get the points.”

Cox has never scored or won in four attempts against Albion with Swindon and Northampton and he hates playing at Withdean.

He said: “Some people like going to that stadium, I for one don’t. It’s not a nice place and that will work in their favour. It’s windy, it’s horrible, the pitch isn’t very good.

“A lot of the teams who are up in the top of the league like to play passing football and when you go there you just can’t do it.

“You get into a dogfight and that plays straight into their hands. That’s what they are good at.

“We want to impose our game on them which is passing, getting the ball forward down the sides, crosses and goals.

“Records are there to be broken so I’ll be happy going there and sticking a few in the net and winning.”

Cox may loathe Withdean but it is home to Owusu for now. He got off the mark there for Albion with a thumping header in last month’s 3-1 defeat by Southend.

The former Ghana international slotted his second goal in eight games to clinch Tuesday’s vital 2-1 victory at Hereford after squandering two great chances at MK Dons last Saturday.

He said: “I am an experienced striker now and I have never been one to hide,” said Owusu.

“When you miss an opportunity you cannot hide because another one could be just around the corner and you have got to try and put it in again. Luckily for me on Tuesday that happened but I can’t dwell on that.

“I am trying to score goals for Lloyd Owusu and for Brighton as well, then we will see what happens come the end of the season.”

Can Owusu keep Albion in League One?