Albion could receive a helping hand in their fight against relegation – from the manager that snubbed them.

Stockport chief Jim Gannon is ready to let on-loan midfielder Gary Dicker play against his side for the Seagulls in the last game of the season.

Gannon, who turned down the chance to succeed Micky Adams in the Withdean hotseat, has spoken to Albion boss Russell Slade about Dicker’s situation.

There was no written agreement between the clubs over the Irishman’s involvement in the fixture when he moved south.

But Gannon indicated he will allow Dicker to face his employers on May 2, as long as the Seagulls’ League One survival rests on the result and Stockport have nothing to play for.

County are 13th and cannot go up or down but Albion are three points adrift of safety with four games to go, beginning at home to Oldham tomorrow.

Dicker joined his team-mates for a light training session yesterday after suffering a dead leg in Monday’s win at Colchester and is expected to feature in an unchanged starting line-up.

Slade’s assistant, Dean White, said: “It’s another must-win. We know what we have got to do.

“We’ve had a couple of wins on the road but we need to win this one at home. It’s imperative, nothing else matters really.

“If you had said before the last three games we would take six points we would have snatched your hand off.

“We probably wouldn't have thought we would get them the way round we have, with two away games and one at home, but we have ended up getting them.

“If we get the right result against Oldham then we go to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday in a really positive frame of mind for our game in hand.”

Daniel Jones, an Albion target during the reign of Micky Adams, is likely to return to the Oldham defence.

The left-back, on loan from Wolves, was suspended for Monday’s 1-1 home draw against Crewe.