On Sunday, when Albion celebrate promotion with an open-top bus parade, Sheffield Wednesday will still be fighting with Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield for a chance to join them in the Premier League next season.

Those dreaded play-offs. Where Albion's dream was left in tatters in three of the previous four years.

Good riddance eh? Leave Wednesday, injury-ravaged Albion's deniers last season before losing to Hull in the final, to the nailbiting agony.

Huddersfield, Reading and Fulham too. Who cares? Does not matter to Albion now, does it?

Except it does, an awful lot. Because who ever emerges from the lottery at Wembley on May 29 will be the team Albion have the best chance of finishing above next season.

Chris Hughton's side ended eight points clear of Reading, 12 ahead of Sheffield and Huddersfield, 13 above Fulham.

Albion are already gearing themselves up for next season, none of them can. They will have a plan A and plan B.

Which one comes into operation will not be determined until the end of the month. They will be playing catch-up in the transfer market and with their preparations.

Hull, in spite of the best efforts of Marco Silva (below), are favourites now to go straight back down with Middlesbrough and already-relegated Sunderland.

The Argus: If Hull succumb they will be the third club in succession to be promoted via the play-offs to make an immediate return to the Championship, going the same way as Norwich and Queens Park Rangers.

In fact, of the last ten play-off winners, six have suffered that fate. Hull were one of those that survived, by a point before going down the following season.

The play-off winners will instantly become the bookies' relegation favourites. And when your realistic aim next season is to finish 17th - as it will be for Albion - that becomes relevant.

So who, if you are an Albion fan, should you be rooting for and who should you be hoping misses out?

Anyone who saw both matches against Fulham would pick them as the danger team. The Seagulls won 2-1 at the Amex and Craven Cottage. I am still trying to work out how.

Fulham have a recent Premier League pedigree and players you would fancy to thrive at the higher level, like Tom Cairney (below) and talented teenager Ryan Sessegnon.

The Argus: Looking through blue and white tinted spectacles, a decent result for Jaap Stam's Reading in the first leg at Craven Cottage on Saturday would be preferable.

Without diminishing the achievement of Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield to finish in the top six in such a competitive and gruelling division, I would rate Albion's prospects of ending above any of that trio again next season quite highly, certainly more so than Fulham.

What of Newcastle, who capitalised on Albion dropping eight of the last nine points available to pip them to the title?

The Seagulls have done remarkably well to run them so close.

Much will depend on the outcome of Rafa Benitez's discussions with owner Mike Ashley.

Benitez will only stay if he is convinced he will have a squad that can make some sort of impact. Seventeenth will not be his target.

The gap between a Benitez-led Newcastle and Albion is likely to grow next season. That is not defeatist, just realistic.

There will be a mini-league within the Premier League, matches the Seagulls will be targeting to gather enough points to stay up.

For Albion it would be better if Silva keeps Hull up, then leaves for a better job.

Watford's relentless managerial changes will catch up with them eventually. Burnley in particular, and Bournemouth, will be more vulnerable if Sean Dyche or Eddie Howe - both of whom have done magnificent jobs - move on.

The Argus: Supporters of more established clubs a little futher up the table at the likes of Stoke and Southampton - where Mark Hughes and Claude Puel (above) are respectively coming under pressure - ought to be careful what they wish for.

The Premier League environment is extremely challenging for mid-ranking clubs. Consistently averting relegation fears may not set the pulse racing but it should not be taken for granted.

That is where Albion want to get to, eventually. Survival will, for now, be the priority. That cause will be helped if they do not have to face Fulham again.