Gary Hart has pleaded for patience, with Albion winless four weeks into the season.

New players are bedding in and old ones struggling for peak form, but Hart is convinced it is just a matter f time before Russell Slade’s Seagulls turn the corner.

The fit-again striker said: “We are not having any luck. Coxy (Dean Cox) hit the bar against Millwall, we’ve had penalties and red cards.

“Nothing is going for us at the moment and I feel a little bit for him (Slade), because he is doing a good job.

“He is working hard and trying to get a group of players together who are totally new to each other. Just give him time. He is a good manager and a good coach.”

Hart feels once Albion get that elusive first victory more will follow. He is confident it will come today against Wycombe Wanderers in the showdown with one of the many managers he has played under for the Seagulls, Peter Taylor.

“If we beat them I know he is going to go mad and he does really stupid facials and hand movements,” Hart joked.

“He gets really angry and I’d love to see him lose, even though I like him. He’s a nice man.

“I’ve had dreams of the mighty Withdean and I can see us winning. It’s going to come and I think once it does that will be the kick-start.

“Football is all down to confidence. Look at me last year? I had no confidence but once I got that first game under my belt and played well the sky’s the limit.

“It’s five league games. You cannot look at anything until Christmas anyway. Look then and decide what is going on but just be patient.”

Hart has been forced to practise what he is preaching following his flying finish to last season.

A toe cyst had sidelined him since pre-season until he made his comeback as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw at Millwall eight days ago.

“It wasn’t exactly an injury, just something I had to have cut out,” he explained.

“It’s all gone now. It was just in a really awkward area. I basically couldn’t move my toe, because the wound kept on splitting open.

“If it had been infected it would have been another three, four or five weeks. That is why I’ve had to be really careful.”

Hart scored twice in an opening victory for the reserves at Leyton Orient on Tuesday.

The long gaps between reserve matches is a concern for Slade in keeping fringe players fit and hungry.

Hart said: “Reserve games don’t come often enough. You need more. We need to try and sort out some way that you can get more games.

“We have got another game next week and then we have got to wait two weeks for another one. Hopefully one more game will get me up there a little bit.”

Hart expects to be close to his old boss Taylor today as one of Albion’s replacements. He accepts he is not ready just yet to break up the flourishing partnership between Nicky Forster and Liam Dickinson, who have shared the four goals scored by Albion so far.

“I am experienced enough to realise I won’t be playing every game and starting every game.

“We have got two good strikers at the moment. Fozzy and Dickinson are scoring goals and if they are doing that they deserve to be out there.”