Albion emerged from a real test of character with flying colours to move into the top half of the table with their first home victory in League One since September.

They dominated the opening 45 minutes, Dean Cox's long range effort early on giving them a richly deserved lead.

Dean Wilkins' young side faced a searching examination when the towering Dennis Lawrence headed a resurgent Swansea level after the break.

The Welshmen looked the likelier winners at that stage but two goals in the space of 14 minutes by the voracious Alex Revell settled an entertaining encounter.

Wilkins said: "After we scored I thought Swansea showed their class but I was extremely proud of the way we hung in there.

"I am absolutely certain they will be in the shake-up at the end of the season, because they had strength in every area of the pitch and lots of options, so I don't think we should under-estimate our victory. It was absolutely massive."

There was no doubt about the star of the show in the first half. Cox warmed supporters on a horribly wet and windy night for spectating with one of the finest individual performances seen at Withdean for sometime.

The little left winger was at the heart of everything that was good about Albion - and there was plenty of it.

In the second minute a corner from Cox was met just inside the penalty area by Revell on the half-volley and his effort went narrowly wide.

That was merely the appetiser for a virtuoso display by the visionary Cox.

He twice picked out Jake Robinson with sweeping crossfield passes before giving Albion a 13th-minute lead in eyecatching style, with a little assistance from the referee.

Kevin Friend lived up to his name from the Seagulls' viewpoint by sensibly playing an advantage when Revell was baulked from behind.

Cox worked his way inside before unleashing the sweetest of strikes with his right foot from 30 yards, which moved appreciably through the air.

Willy Gueret, Swansea's experienced goalkeeper, got his left hand to it but could not prevent the ball finding the roof of the net.

Cox's eighth goal of the campaign was by no means the end of his contribution to the opening 45 minutes.

He was everywhere, charging down an attempted clearance by the Swansea full-back Kevin Amankwaah to deliver a cross which was only just too high for Revell at the far post.

A few minutes later, Kerry Mayo, playing in midfield following his surprise appearance at right-back in the FA Cup against Stafford Rangers on Saturday, pulled a corner back to Cox outside the box.

Rather than blasting over the bar, as many players would have done, he struck with precision and pace with the side of his foot and only a block from a defender saved Gueret from serious work.

Albion were full value for their interval lead. They moved the ball around crisply at times, and at a good tempo, on a pitch slickened by rain to make Swansea, who started the evening in sixth spot, look distinctly ordinary. The Welshmen did not wake up until the closing stages of the first half, when they almost equalised against the run of play.

Dennis Lawrence, their 6ft 7in Trinidad and Tobago international centre half, somehow found himself close to the corner flag to put over a cross which the burly Adebayo Akinfenwa met with a leaping header against the top of the bar.

Swansea manager Kenny Jackett decided drastic surgery was needed to turn his team into more of a threat.

Shaun MacDonald was replaced at half-time by former Swindon striker Rory Fallon and 17-year-old Chris Jones came on up front in place of Akinfenwa in the 57th minute.

The changes had the desired effect. Swansea were rewarded for their best spell of the match with an equaliser two minutes later, the giant Lawrence getting in behind Adam Hinshelwood at the far post to steer an angled header wide of Henderson from Robinson's cross.

The momentum was with the Welshmen at that stage, Cox's waning influence, an indication of how the power had shifted.

Albion redressed the balance, restoring their lead via a happy coincidence. Sam Rents crossed for Revell to head the second goal in the comfortable FA Cup victory against Stafford.

The same two players combined at exactly the same time, Revell diving in a packed penalty area to head home Rents' free-kick from close to the left-hand touchline.

Gueret kept Swansea in contention with a spectacular tip-over after Robinson escaped the attentions of two defenders.

The Seagulls made sure of the points from the corner which followed, by Mayo. The unmarked Dean Hammond's header was blocked and so too was Revell's initial follow-up but he made no mistake at the second time of asking, blasting the ball through a ruck of players to lift his tally for the season into double figures.

Swansea skipper Darren Pratley was then sent off for a second bookable offence, a foul on Hammond.

Substitute Fallon's left-foot shot from a tight angle in the first minute of stoppage time, following a mistake by Hinshelwood, gave the visitors a glimmer of hope.

Fallon could have snatched an incredible draw in the fourth and final minute of time added on but he shot over after Henderson spilled a free-kick from deep by Alan Tate.

ALBION (4-4-2): Wayne Henderson; Andrew Whing, Adam Hinshelwood, Joel Lynch, Sam Rents; Tommy Fraser, Dean Hammond, Kerry Mayo, Dean Cox; Alex Revell, Jake Robinson. Subs: Richard Carpenter for Fraser (withdrawn, 72), Joe Gatting for Robinson (withdrawn, 82), Georges Santos for Cox (withdrawn, 90), Michel Kuipers, Alistair John.

SWANSEA (4-4-2): Willy Gueret; Kevin Amankwaah, Alan Tate, Dennis Lawrence, Kevin Austin; Leon Britton, Darren Pratley, Shaun MacDonald, Andy Robinson; Adebayo Akinfenwa, Ian Craney. Subs: Rory Fallon for MacDonald (withdrawn, 46), Chris Jones for Akinfenwa (withdrawn, 57), Steve Watt, Andy Oakes, Tom Butler.