Hart vows to bring back the Albion banter

The long-serving striker reckons the current crop of players are too quiet and has called for a return to the days when the likes of Charlie Oatway galvanised his team-mates.

Hart made his comeback from toe surgery as a substitute in last Friday’s 1-1 draw at Millwall.

He followed that up with two goals in the reserves at Leyton Orient in midweek and the 32-year-old will be having his say now that he is back in contention.

“A little bit of banter cheers someone up in the morning,” he said. “They might not like it but it makes them smile.

“You have just got to have voices around the camp, because a lot of people are a little bit quiet.

“We have got a lot of youngsters, a lot of newcomers that don’t want to talk yet because they are a little bit unsure about what they can say. It’s coming along, so it’s up to us older lads to try and keep it going.”

Albion chase an elusive first win of the season against Peter Taylor’s Wycombe Wanderers at Withdean tomorrow.

Hart was a regular in the charismatic Seagulls team Taylor guided to the League One title in 2001-2002.

“I was the quiet one then,” he said. “We had a lot of characters and strong voices in those days. The banter was there constantly and that is what you need at a football club.

“When I leave football that is what I am going to miss the most. Not playing in front of crowds so much as the every day banter with the lads.

“We haven’t got that at the moment. Sometimes a few people are bickering but we need to get back those strong voices.

“It’s a young squad, so it’s bound to be like that, but we need a few Charlie Oatways.

“Charlie is helping out a little bit. He was at the reserve game the other day and it was like the old days, sitting in the changing room while he was given us a team talk.

“He was giving us banter and slagging me off, calling me ‘cod eyes’ and stuff like that.

“I don’t mind that, because it perks me up and gets me wound up, then I am ready for the game.”