REVITALISED Gary Hart has revealed how he refused to accept his Albion career was over as he battled back from major knee surgery.

Now he is starting up front for the suddenly in-form Seagulls and eyeing an unbeaten end to the season to keep his club up.

Hart did not even feature on the bench between September and April, spending much of the time in recovery and rehab before returning to the goal trail with the reserves.

Under contract until the end of this season and not beyond, it seemed his Albion career could be dwindling to an end 11 years after it started with his cut-price move from Stansted.

Now, though, a combination of circumstances means he is back and, if not scoring goals, at least creating them and playing an enthusiastic part in a revival.

After claiming assists against Hereford and Swindon, then winning the free kick from which Lloyd Owusu struck at Colchester, he was creator again on Saturday with the run and cross from which Owusu’s header took the scenic route to send his side 2-0 up.

Not a bad way to mark his 350th league game for the Seagulls.

Could he have possibly envisaged this a few weeks ago?

“To be honest no, because they told me I’d be out for the rest of the season,” he admitted.

“I was just looking to get myself fit and play some reserve team games and sort my future for next year.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better because it’s going so well.

“Mal (physio Malcolm Stuart) has been good with me. He said ‘if you work hard you don’t know what’s going to happen’ .

“I just had to try and get fit, play games and prove to the manager what I could do.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better because it’s going so well.

“Before, I felt terrible and I was playing terrible.

“Now I feel really good and the manager is filling me with confidence.

“You can see on the pitch it’s working.”

Hart’s massive work rate and ability to make something happen got the fans singing his name, notably after his part in the goal which gave Albion the assurance of a 2-0 lead.

Anyone thinking he would run his socks off for 70 minutes and then make way was mistaken.

He got the full 90, albeit the final stages played out at restricted pace after going down with cramp and receiving treatment from, initially, his marker Sean Gregan.

“Normally he just punches me,” joked Hart of a decent gesture from Oldham’s bruiser of a defender.

“He was all right today, he helped me out.

“You’ve just got to work hard. You’re not going to play pretty football and get out of a relegation battle.

“We knuckled down and worked together.”

A goal would have been nice but it was not to be.

“I think I had four shots and they all came on my left foot but I’m trying,” he said.

As it is the fairytale script will be spoiled considerably if the Seagulls go down.

Not going to happen, says their longest serving player.

“We’ve got to go unbeaten and we’ll stay up, probably. That’s what you’ve got to look at.

“We’ve got three games against teams that haven’t got that much to play for.

“They will be trying new things out and that might be to our benefit.

“I’ve got in my head we will stay up. There is no talk of relegation at all in the changing room.”

What about next season? Whatever division it is in.

“Nothing has been talked about,” he said.

“To be honest we don’t want to talk about contracts and futures at the moment.

“It will take our focus off the jobs we have got to do.

“There will be no talk of that until we know what’s going on.”