The first Peter Taylor to manage Albion created a memorable goalscoring partnership.

The Seagulls' second Peter Taylor may just have inherited another.

It's early days yet for Zamora and Steele, but the signs are they could strike up the kind of understanding which made Ward and Mellor such a huge hit with Albion fans in the Seventies.

Taylor Mark One formed that famous double act when he snapped up the legendary Peter Ward from Burton Albion for £4,000 in May 1975.

The first 13 matches which Ward and Ian Mellor started together yielded an extraordinary 20 goals.

Bobby Zamora and Lee Steele cannot match that, but they have already bagged eight goals between them over the corresponding period following Zamora's equaliser at Notts County on Tuesday.

Former boss Micky Adams must have been hoping the pair would click last season after buying the previously on-loan Zamora from Bristol Rovers for £100,000 and Steele on a Bosman free transfer from Shrewsbury.

The strike force never materialised, partly because Steele endured an injury-ravaged nightmare and also because Adams employed early on what turned out to be a very successful 4-3-3 system, with Zamora alone through the middle.

In fact, they only started alongside each other three times in Albion's Third Division title campaign. Both were on target against Carlisle at Withdean just under a year ago before firing blanks at Macclesfield and Scunthorpe.

Steele started this season on the bench. Caretakers Bob Booker and Martin Hinshelwood reunited his intermittent partnership with Zamora at Huddersfield earlier this month and the current Peter Taylor instantly reaped the benefit.

They caused havoc to the Oldham defence in Taylor's first game in charge at Withdean last Saturday. Steele netted twice, the second of which was superbly set up for him by Zamora.

Zamora appreciates having Steele's bustling presence to lighten the goalscoring load. "Steeley is creating a lot of hassle for centre halves," he said. "With him being up there it takes them away from me a little bit."

The feeling is mutual. "Bobby's brilliant," Steele said. "He has a few players watching him and that gives me a lot more space."

Steele is in his sharpest form since joining the Seagulls. The double against Oldham made it three in two matches at Withdean and six for the season.

"I wouldn't say it's a new lease of life for me, because I think I had turned the corner with Micky anyway," said Steele.

"I have got to prove myself to a new manager now. I am looking forward to working with him, as are all the team.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, we haven't seen anything to scare us in this League and it is looking really good.

"As for me, I have done it before setting myself scoring targets and it has never come off, so I am not saying.

"I'd like to push Bobby, but he is a goalscoring machine. That's why he is the golden boy!

"If I could push him close I would be delighted, because I know he is going to keep banging goals in.

"We have got pace up front with Paul Brooker, Gary Hart Bobby and myself. Not many defenders are going to live with that."

One defender trying to live with it at Withdean on Saturday will be Colchester's Brighton-born stopper Ross Johnson.

The former Albion favourite has been plagued by injury problems since his switch from the Seagulls to the Essex club two seasons ago, but he is now back in the team.

Johnson missed the first half of last season with an ankle injury sustained on the first day of training after the summer break.

The jinx struck again when a seemingly innocuous knock on the shin in a pre-season friendly against Sudbury sidelined him from the current campaign until the start of this month.

Johnson made an inspirational comeback three weeks ago in a 2-0 home win against big-spending Reading. It ended a run of three straight defeats for Colchester in which they had leaked eight goals.

"It's good to pit yourself against some of the best players in the division," he said.

Taylor, the Brian Clough sidekick version, resigned before the Ward and Mellor partnership truly flourished, because Albion narrowly missed out on a place in the old Division Two.

Ward struck a club record 32 League goals under Alan Mullery the following season and Mellor 12 to spearhead promotion.

The current Peter Taylor would be thrilled with a tally of 44 from Zamora and Steele this term.

Another pair of aces The first Peter Taylor to manage Albion created a memorable goalscoring partnership.

The Seagulls' second Peter Taylor may just have inherited another.

It's early days yet for Zamora and Steele, but the signs are they could strike up the kind of understanding which made Ward and Mellor such a huge hit with Albion fans in the Seventies.

Taylor Mark One formed that famous double act when he snapped up the legendary Peter Ward from Burton Albion for £4,000 in May 1975.

The first 13 matches which Ward and Ian Mellor started together yielded an extraordinary 20 goals.

Bobby Zamora and Lee Steele cannot match that, but they have already bagged eight goals between them over the corresponding period following Zamora's equaliser at Notts County on Tuesday.

Former boss Micky Adams must have been hoping the pair would click last season after buying the previously on-loan Zamora from Bristol Rovers for £100,000 and Steele on a Bosman free transfer from Shrewsbury.

The strike force never materialised, partly because Steele endured an injury-ravaged nightmare and also because Adams employed early on what turned out to be a very successful 4-3-3 system, with Zamora alone through the middle.

In fact, they only started alongside each other three times in Albion's Third Division title campaign. Both were on target against Carlisle at Withdean just under a year ago before firing blanks at Macclesfield and Scunthorpe.

Steele started this season on the bench. Caretakers Bob Booker and Martin Hinshelwood reunited his intermittent partnership with Zamora at Huddersfield earlier this month and the current Peter Taylor instantly reaped the benefit.

They caused havoc to the Oldham defence in Taylor's first game in charge at Withdean last Saturday. Steele netted twice, the second of which was superbly set up for him by Zamora.

Zamora appreciates having Steele's bustling presence to lighten the goalscoring load. "Steeley is creating a lot of hassle for centre halves," he said. "With him being up there it takes them away from me a little bit."

The feeling is mutual. "Bobby's brilliant," Steele said. "He has a few players watching him and that gives me a lot more space."

Steele is in his sharpest form since joining the Seagulls. The double against Oldham made it three in two matches at Withdean and six for the season.

"I wouldn't say it's a new lease of life for me, because I think I had turned the corner with Micky anyway," said Steele.

"I have got to prove myself to a new manager now. I am looking forward to working with him, as are all the team.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, we haven't seen anything to scare us in this League and it is looking really good.

"As for me, I have done it before setting myself scoring targets and it has never come off, so I am not saying.

"I'd like to push Bobby, but he is a goalscoring machine. That's why he is the golden boy!

"If I could push him close I would be delighted, because I know he is going to keep banging goals in.

"We have got pace up front with Paul Brooker, Gary Hart Bobby and myself. Not many defenders are going to live with that."

One defender trying to live with it at Withdean on Saturday will be Colchester's Brighton-born stopper Ross Johnson.

The former Albion favourite has been plagued by injury problems since his switch from the Seagulls to the Essex club two seasons ago, but he is now back in the team.

Johnson missed the first half of last season with an ankle injury sustained on the first day of training after the summer break.

The jinx struck again when a seemingly innocuous knock on the shin in a pre-season friendly against Sudbury sidelined him from the current campaign until the start of this month.

Johnson made an inspirational comeback three weeks ago in a 2-0 home win against big-spending Reading. It ended a run of three straight defeats for Colchester in which they had leaked eight goals.

"It's good to pit yourself against some of the best players in the division," he said.

Taylor, the Brian Clough sidekick version, resigned before the Ward and Mellor partnership truly flourished, because Albion narrowly missed out on a place in the old Division Two.

Ward struck a club record 32 League goals under Alan Mullery the following season and Mellor 12 to spearhead promotion.

The current Peter Taylor would be thrilled with a tally of 44 from Zamora and Steele this term.