Albion chairman Dick Knight would settle for a mid-table finish - providing the club's crop of young prospects continue to flourish.

Knight delivered his verdict on the relegated Seagulls' League One chances this season to around 100 supporters at a fans' forum at Withdean last night.

He said: "A lot of people expect us to bounce straight back, as we did three years ago.

"That would be great but we have to be realistic. What is very important is that we have got a lot of new young players coming through who we had the confidence in to give pro contracts.

"It's very important that we develop them this year because the future of this club, until we are well established at Falmer in six or seven years time, will have to be mainly on finding our own players, not spending £2 million on a new player.

"I'm not being defeatist, I am being realistic and pragmatic. We know some clubs in this League have big budgets, much bigger even than clubs in the Championship.

"I'm not accepting mid-table anonymity, I'm just saying if it happens and we bring these young players through into the first team, that will be very good for the future of this club, which is what I'm concerned about."

Manager Mark McGhee believes Albion are capable of challenging for the play-offs if he can land a centre forward and a couple more signings.

He said: "With the squad at the moment and even with the deals we are trying to do it would be difficult to imagine us flying away with it but we have showed our intent by trying to sign people like Danny Dichio and Ben Burgess.

"If we get a signing like that and another couple of signings along the way then we can make ourselves really competitive.

"The chairman's assessment as things stand is probably about right but if we make one or two signings it could be better than that.

"That's what I'm hoping for, to make those signings and challenge for the play-offs."

A show of hands revealed only a few supporters in last night's audience are anticipating a top six finish.

The majority expect the Seagulls to end up somewhere between halfway and seventh, while some fear the bottom half or worse.

McGhee's squad could be about to become smaller. He confirmed out-of-favour pair Maheta Molango and Albert Jarrett, who have been on trial at Oldham and Watford respectively, have no future at the club.

Meanwhile, third-choice young goalkeeper Richard Martin is being loaned out to Dorchester.