A mystery seagull who caused quite a flap at the Albion has been unmasked – as a soon to be married 31-year-old.

The oversized bird was the highlight of Albion’s draw against Blackburn Rovers on November 8, when he waddled to the front of the stand and performed a strange dance.

Some thought it was a new mascot, others pondered if it was one of the American Express Community Stadium’s loyal faithful.

But thanks to his friends and fiancée’s help, we can now reveal it was personal trainer Paul Carsons, from Hertfordshire.

His friends had arranged to travel to Brighton for his stag do, with a trip to the Amex to watch the football included, and they decided to dress him up for the occasion.

Fiancée Sophie Burnett, 30, said: “He was absolutely delighted with all the attention. Someone at work got in touch to say he was on The Argus website. He couldn’t believe it. He loves a bit of attention so he says he is going to apply for a job as a mascot in Brighton.

“They had a great time in Brighton by the sound of it.”

She added: “I haven’t told him about this [calling The Argus] so he is going to get another shock when he sees the story.”

The group of friends headed down to Sussex on the Friday before going out. On the Saturday they played zorb football – where players run around in giant inflatable balls – before going to the Albion.

Sophie’s brother Ross Burnett, 28, said: “Paul loves football so we thought we would get tickets to see the match.

“When we discovered the mascot was a seagull we thought it was a great opportunity to get him dressed up. We called the club ahead and they were absolutely great about it. It went down really well with the fans and the stewards were great too.”

After the game, they all got dressed up and hit the tiles to round off a memorable weekend.

The couple get married in Essex on December 28.