Lee Steele got Albion's pre-season campaign off to a winning start at Worthing last night.

The transfer-listed former Shrewsbury marksman scored the only goal of a low key contest on 55 minutes.

It was a huge tonic for Steele whose debut season promised much but turned into something of a personal nightmare.

There has been no summer interest in the Liverpudlian, who fell further behind in the pecking order following the capture of Dirk Lehmann from Hibernian but this goal will have done his confidence no harm at all.

Appalling weather spoilt this fixture as a spectacle for two clubs celebrating their centenary.

But Albion boss Micky Adams was quite happy.

He said: "It was a fitness exercise, I didn't make any changes, there were no injuries, we won 1-0 and kept a clean sheet, so we have got out of it exactly what we wanted.

"This game was ten days into our pre-season programme. We are doing a lot of physical work morning and afternoon. With the game at Folkestone I decided to make sure the players were match fit and the only way you can do that is by playing 90 minutes.

"There are a lot of things we can work on and pre-season is the time to do that. I didn't expect us to go out there and play fluent football because that just doesn't happen with the amount of work we are doing. So, all in all, it was a good performance."

Adams paraded only one of his four summer signings with new German striker Lehmann partnering the transfer-listed Steele in attack.

Worthing old boy Darren Freeman, who is trying to earn himself a new contract, was included on the right side of a four-man midfield.

On a pitch softened by a pre-match deluge, it was Albion who made the early running with Steele creating a couple of half chances for himself which he was unable to take advantage of.

However, it was 23 minutes before Albion carved out a clear cut opening. Lehmann's flick sent Steele clear of the defence but Worthing's new goalkeeper James Wastell came out bravely to save with his legs.

Five minutes later Worthing almost stole the lead with their first real chance. Ben Carrington's deep cross was met by the head of Paul Kennett at the back of the six yard box and Michel Kuipers had to make a one handed save at full stretch.

Conditions were certainly not those normally associated with pre-season matches as the rain returned in force towards the end of the half and the weather was clearly hampering the efforts of the players to lift the crowd's spirit.

It was so wet that Albion chairman Dick Knight's half time address to the fans had to be made from the main stand rather than the pitch. It did not matter where it came from though as Knight's rallying call for support for Falmer was enthustically greeted by a crowd of about 3,000.

Knight was followed on to the microphone by cockney actor Ray Winstone whose presence accompanied the announcement of Worthing's sponsorship deal with Worth FM.

Adams, who had spent the first half in the stands, took his place by the dugout for the second half and he will have been pleased to see Albion finally break the deadlock on 55 minutes.

Charlie Oatway did the spade work, bursting into the penalty area before the ball broke for Steele who side stepped keeper Wastell before firing home.

Albion threatened a second on 71 minutes but Freeman fired into the side netting.

Moments later Lehmann tried his luck from 20 yards and the ball flew just wide.

With 11 minutes remaining Lehmann played in Nathan Jones but substitute goalkeeper Matthew May held his rising shot and soon after that Steele set up Lehmann whose effort from the edge of the penalty area hit the bar and flew over.

Albion were now creating a number of chances but Worthing responded with one of their own on 83 minutes as Kennett headed wide from Peter Brackley's cross.

While Worthing made a string of substitutions, Adams resisted the temptation keeping with the 11 he had started with.

Worthing boss Sammy Donnelly said: "I was quite happy with our performance and our work rate. We played a very good team in Brighton.

"They moved the ball around quite well which you would expect from the Division 3 champions of last season. I saw a lot of good things in our play and we also had one or two good chances."

Teams:

Albion: Kuipers, Watson, Mayo, Cullip, Virgo, Jones, Freeman, Rogers, Steele, Oatway, Lehmann. Subs not used: Marney, Ramsay, Hart, Wilkinson, Jackson, Hammond, Hemsley, Packham.

Worthing: Wastell (May 70), Smart (Donnelly 73), Tuck, Burt (Montgomery 58), Beech, James (Francis 54), Kennett (Knee 88), Danny Davis (Dwayne Davis 85), Rice (West 53), Geddes (Vanson 80), Carrington (Brackley 45).