Greed is good for Martot

The French midfielder went from being out of the 16 to playing 179 minutes at Forest and Leeds in the space of eight rollercoaster days.

He was delighted to help the Seagulls hit their self-imposed target by drawing at Elland Road.

Now he admits they must build on that by beating Port Vale, setting up an exciting end to the season.

Albion's players set themselves a goal of 11 points from six games when they talked ahead of the Walsall trip. That is exactly what they got, with three wins, two satisfying 0-0 draws and the one setback when they lost at Huddersfield.

Martot said: "We set ourselves a target among the players for six matches. We took 11 points, that's exactly the quota we set ourselves.

"That's good even though at Forest and even more so at Leeds I thought we could possibly have taken the three points at certain times.

"I think we had chances but we'll settle for a point for now.

"Now we need to make the most of that by winning at home next week. We'll discuss (a points target) between us for the last six games and I don't know what it will be but I think we will be greedy.

"Get as many points as we can during April. We really want to get into those play-offs for ourselves, for the club and for the supporters."

Just a week before being in the heat of battle at Elland Road, Martot was literally out in the cold, hiding under a hooded top from the snow and wind while watching the Swindon game from the back of the North Stand at Withdean having been left out of the 16.

Funny how quickly things can change.

He went straight back into the XI at Forest when Ian Westlake was injured and kept his place at Leeds, producing another performance which was based around hard work, tackles, headers and making sure the ball was not given away cheaply once it had been secured.

There was one worrying occasion when he was caught in two minds by Darren Kenton when the full-back cut inside and set up a good chance for Jermaine Beckford.

There were plenty of others where he got in a challenge or showed a bit of composure on the ball to make sure it stayed in Albion's control.

He added: "I knew last week if there was an injury or something, things could change quickly and I think I've seized the chance I've been given "The manager showed confidence in me at Nottingham Forest and overall that went well.

"Same at Leeds. Psychologically it has done me a lot of good.

"If I can put together a few matches I think I'll feel happier and then play better and better.

"It doesn't bother me to carry out defensive tasks. Against Forest and Leeds the manager asked us to be strong defensively. We did that.

"The three in midfield, whether it be me, Therry (Racon) or Steve (Thomson) helped the defenders out well. It was a collective effort. Even the strikers were very good defensively.

"We need to continue that and take three very important points from the next game.

"We're going the right way but we can't get too excited. We've got to keep working hard and win at home.

"Maybe take a point in away games and I think we'll get in the play-offs."

There was also one other reason for the former Le Havre attacking midfielder to be satisfied as he left Elland Road.

This is the sort of match overseas players want to participate in when they chase the English football dream.

A good old-fashioned, high-tempo battle in the rain with the result on the line until the end and a big crowd present to make a lot of noise.

French footballers know about Leeds and that it was Eric Cantona's team.

Martot loved the experience.

He said: "It's exactly what I expected in England. Big stadiums and the supporters right behind you.

"Our fans were fantastic again and were there in good numbers. In France the fans don't really follow you like that. It's the sort of match I wanted to play in."