Robbie Pethick wants his reunion with Albion ace Bobby Zamora to last all the way to the First Division.

Manager Micky Adams has rubbished the proposed £2 million bid for Zamora by Cardiff's Alan Cork, his former assistant.

New signing Pethick, who spent 18 months with the Seagulls' hotshot at Bristol Rovers, said: "Brighton are hopefully going to be pushing for promotion again this season and hopefully we can keep hold of Bobby.

"I couldn't believe it when Rovers let him go for 100 grand. That was the sale of the century."

Pethick was confirmed as Albion's fourth summer capture yesterday, via a detour to Bognor and a hasty return from holiday by the club secretary.

The rightback passed a medical at the Seagulls' training HQ at Falmer, despite getting lost en route.

"I didn't know where it was," he explained. "I had a rough idea, but I got lost and ended up in Bognor instead of Brighton.

"I was at Butlin's, so I was going to stop off for a day visit!"

Secretary Derek Allan interrupted a family break in Dorset to catch a train back to Brighton and sort out the paper work for Pethick's two-year deal.

The 30-year-old, signed on a Bosman free transfer, is pleased to be back on the south coast.

He spent five and a half years with Portsmouth as a first team regular in the First Division before moving to Rovers.

"This is quite a good move for me, because my wife is a Portsmouth girl," said Pethick.

"I was out of contract at Rovers and a move back to the south coast is what I wanted."

Pethick, snapped up by Adams as competition for Paul Watson, is looking forward to another Rovers' return with goalkeeper Michel Kuipers when the Albion players report back on Thursday for pre-season training.

Midfielder Martin Thomas, who joined the Seagulls on transfer deadline day last season from Swansea, has signed for Oxford United.