GARY Hart's dramatic rise with Albion is helping his mum fight a crippling illness.

Maureen Hart suffers from multiple sclerosis. But there is nothing she enjoys more than watching her son in action for the Seagulls at Withdean.

Hart's dad, Jim, revealed: "She cannot get about much at all. She just about makes it from the car park to her seat at Withdean.

"She loves it though. If she had her way we would go to every game home and away, but I do shift work and we couldn't afford it anyway.

"We love our football. She has followed Gary's career since the day I ran Harlow United's under-10s.

"I was his first manager. I had him for two years, but so many better teams came in for him and it just grew and grew from there.

"He's always had the ability. He had a ball at his feet from the age of four or five and this is the only career he ever wanted."

Macclesfield marksman Richard Barker, Hart's forward partner for Albion last season, has moved back home to Sheffield to be with his dad Mel, who has an incurable nerve problem.

Hart, armed with a lucrative new three-and-a-half year contract, is taking his commitment to Albion a step further by leaving home at Harlow in Essex to move to the Brighton area.

"It will certainly be a wrench for his mum," Jim admitted. "But it will be a lot better for Gary. He has to be up at quarter to seven to get in for training."

A couple of years ago Hart was working as a forklift truck driver for the same firm as his dad while playing part-time for Stansted. Albion snatched him for £1,000 plus a set of shirts and he finished his debut season as a pro as joint top scorer with Barker on 12 goals. Former boss Brian Horton stretched Hart's contract.

Now Micky Adams has done the same to protect the Seagulls' interests. Another club could have pinched their hottest property for nothing the summer after next under the Bosman ruling.

Hart, 23, is surprised by the speed of his progress, but dad

"It should have happened for him years ago," Jim said. "But he was let down by Leyton Orient.

"He kept his head up and he is so happy at Brighton it's unreal. We told him when they came in to just go for it. We were behind him all the way.

"We are so proud of him. He deserves what he has got, because he worked so hard when he was playing in mediocre football.

"He scored goals for fun at Stansted, but 12 last year was way above my expectations, and to pick up all the trophies from the fans was unbelievable.

"They are sitting on our cabinet and they're not going anywhere!"

Hart has not always been a goal-hungry striker. "He could play anywhere on the park," said Jim.

"He started off in the under-10s as a fullback, then we put him into midfield because he was a good passer and a ball winner.

"From 12 onwards other clubs put him up front, because of his pace and ability on the ball.

"He's always had pace, even from when he took part in sports days at junior school.

"He had little legs, like me, because I'm only 5ft.5in and a bit. Put it on the deck and he'll roast anybody. We talk a lot and he is very frustrated at the moment. He is suffering a little bit, because he likes scoring goals. But I'm over the moon. I cannot believe I've got a son who is a pro."

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