What if the worst happens and Albion are thrashed by Manchester City on their Premier League debut?

Nobody of a blue and white persuasion wishes that, of course, but it could just turn into a blessing in disguise according to the inspirational skipper who led the club out for the first time in the top flight.

The challenge confronting Chris Hughton's Seagulls at the Amex on Saturday is not that far removed from 1979, when Alan Mullery's side hosted Arsenal in their first game after promotion.

Albion lost 4-0 but stayed up and kept their heads above water twice more before relegation accompanied an FA Cup final appearance.

Brian Horton, Mullery's passionate voice on the pitch in those halcyon days, went on to manage Manchester City and the Seagulls during the bleak period when they were groundsharing with Gillingham.

He believes a first day jolt of the kind he and Albion encountered 38 years ago would not necessarily be counter-productive to their survival ambitions.

Horton (below), a combative midfielder, still remembers the 'welcome' from Arsenal and the resilience within the camp to prove the doubters wrong.

The Argus: "I always looked at who I was going to be up against," he said. "The first game was Liam Brady. And Frank Stapleton, Rix, David O'Leary... you could go on.

"It was a beautiful sunny, day, a packed house at the Goldstone, anticipation. Trepidation? Not really, we just went into it thinking we'd earned the right to be there and now we had to show we had the right to stay there and be amongst the elite.

"Then you get spanked. They just absolutely murdered us that day. I think it did us good.

"I had it the other way at Hull when I was No.2 to Phil Brown (below) - we were top to start with and escaped relegation on the final day.

The Argus: "That Arsenal defeat was a wake-up call to us all, to the manager maybe, because he hadn't changed the side that much.

"I think it did us good, because had we won you maybe think 'This is easy'. It was a quick wake-up call and it took us a little bit of time to adjust."

Albion did eventually, drawing on the type of spirit which enabled them to shrug off promotion heartache the season before promotion - just as Hughton's team have done - and hungry characters like Horton.

The 68-year-old, now reunited with Brown at Southend United in League One, said: "In the early part of my career I had a free transfer when I was 17 and dropped into non-League. So once I came back into the League that was always the statement I made to myself, I was going to prove to people I could play at the top level. I wasn't going to let it go easily.

"That mentality was with us as a team. That got us there after missing out. Alan was a hard task master as well. No way would he ever let us lie down.

'Are you going to make them realise who Brian Horton, Peter Ward, Mark Lawrenson are?' That was what we had. I know it's easy to say, but we did have a great spirit in that group all the years I was there.

"It does not matter what League you go up to. If we (Southend) had gone up to the Championship (last season), it's a massive jump, but what a game for Brighton to have first game of the season. It's almost like the Arsenal situation, hopefully not the same result!

"When you look at the money Manchester City are spending, United, Liverpool, Arsenal, it's going to be a great season for Brighton and I'm pleased most of all for the fans who did what they did through those dark years.

"Gillingham was hard to swallow but the Blooms have done fantastically with the investment, the stadium and the training ground which I went to last year. It all adds up to being a good club.

"They'll find it hard, without a shadow of a doubt. But Chris is a top manager. He's got the experience.

"It's going to be difficult, everybody knows that. If you said they will stay in the league you'd take that."

The difference in expectations between the opening day rivals could hardly be more expansive. City, with all their multi-millions, are the title favourites in Pep Guardiola's second season in charge. They have come a long way since Horton managed them in the mid-1990's.

He said: "Going to Man City was the pinnacle of my career, at the old stadium (Maine Road). It was a great place to play, a great place to manage. It's a great club. I still go there and they look after me really well.

The Argus: "The fans loved the football we were playing, very attacking. They were good times. I just felt I needed another couple of players to be a really top club. Francis Lee (above) came in decided he wanted his own man and that was it, but my two years there were fantastic.

"I came out smelling of roses. It wasn't as if we got relegated and I got the sack. The fans were loving my football. I brought Uwe Rosler in, I had Niall Quinn, Peter Beagrie, Flitcroft, Lomas, Keith Curle, Tony Coton, good players.

"I just asked for a couple more and when I didn't get them I maybe knew the writing was on the wall.

"I go there quite a lot now, because my job takes me to watch players, under-23s, under-21s. The set-up there is absolutely unbelievable.

"Pep Guardiola is obviously a fantastic manager. I've never met him - I'd love to - but I've met some of the staff. He wants them to play total football.

"Jesus, Aguero, Silva, De Bruyne... the list goes on. They are fantastic players.

"It's scary but, let me tell you, it's great to play against. I can't make that game, because we're playing, but I definitely hope when Brighton go to Man City it's on a Sunday or when ever, because I'd really love to go."