Michel Kuipers today removed lingering doubts about his future by revealing he wants to stay with promoted Albion "for many years to come."

The Dutch goalkeeper almost lost his life in a car crash last season, when he also had a loan spell at Hull and had to play second fiddle to Ben Roberts.

Now Kuipers is ready to challenge Roberts for the No.1 spot and, even if he loses out again, he insists it will not affect his commitment to the club.

"It was an unfortunate season for me personally with the car crash and the injuries I sustained in it, but I was very pleased with the last three months," he said. "I was fully fit, training every day and playing in the reserves.

"As far as I am concerned I am staying with Brighton for many years to come, because I really enjoy it here.

"I am going to come back in top shape and I'm itching to go again. This is going to be my fifth season at the club and I am as keen as anybody to be in the team.

"We have got a really good squad and competition is very good. Everybody can push each other to be on top form."

Kuipers, under contract until June 2005, believes Mark McGhee's side can avoid a repeat of the Seagulls' ultimately vain battle against relegation when they last went up two years ago.

"Hopefully in August we will get the clearance for Falmer and then Brighton is going to be a massive club," he said.

"We learnt a lot from our last year in Division One. We gained a lot of experience in that season and I think we are going to do really well this season, without all the baggage we had two years ago."

The players report back for training next Monday, by which time Kuipers hopes Holland will have been crowned champions of Euro 2004.

The former Bristol Rovers custodian, currently back home in Amsterdam, said: "The street lighting is orange, all the people are wearing orange shirts and all the cars have flags, so there is a great atmosphere.

"They play the hosts now, which is going to be a very difficult game, but if they perform like they did against the Czech Republic in qualifying then they have got a great chance.

"It's a very good squad and for the first time in years they have a really good team spirit. In the last couple of tournaments before this there have been two camps in the Dutch squad, but it looks as if they are all fitting together now."