Seven hours and 50 minutes.

Thirteen hours and 33 minutes.

These are the horror figures haunting Chris Hughton's efforts to haul Albion to Championship safety.

The first is the time that has elapsed since an Albion player scored a goal.

The second the even longer stretch away from home since the Seagulls scored in open play.

Thank goodness for Matt Kilgallon, the Blackburn Rovers centre-half and captain.

He gifted Albion their only win in their last seven matches last month by heading past his own goalkeeper.

Without that they would be looking even more nervously over their shoulders.

You have to go back two games earlier to mid-March for the last goal scored by an Albion player, Bruno's strike in the 1-1 draw at the Amex against Wolves.

Albion have nicked a goal here and there themselves on their Championship travels.

A Chris O'Grady penalty in defeat at Reading, a Rohan Ince header from a free-kick in victory at Charlton.

You have to go all the way back though to the last game of 2014, before Hughton took charge, for Albion's last away goal in open play from Solly March at Fulham to clinch the points under caretaker Nathan Jones.

Hughton set his stall out from the start, reversing the dive towards League One by making them much more resilient and harder to beat.

The win clinched by March at fellow strugglers Fulham was one of only two clean sheets in 16 games before he took charge.

The number of shut-outs has soared under Hughton to eight in 20 matches in all competitions.

He is still on course to achieve his first objective, keeping Albion up.

Let's not forget when Hughton was appointed they were above the relegation zone only on goal difference.

The way things are going they might even survive only on goal difference.

On that basis the end justifies the means. Albion's goal difference, worth an extra point because it is so superior to their relegation rivals, is only one worse than when Hughton took over.

Friday's 2-0 defeat by leaders Bournemouth at the Amex was the first time under Hughton that Albion have been beaten by more than one goal.

They have gathered 22 points from 18 games under his command, a modest improvement but enough to just about keep their heads above water.

It has, however, become an excruciating watch, a relentless pattern of good spells of possession with no end product, no penetration in the final third.

The paucity of attacking talent inherited by Hughton has caught up with him. He cannot be blamed for that.

He can be blamed for Leon Best, whose reunion with Hughton on loan from Blackburn Rovers after they were together at Newcastle has not worked.

Best is a shadow of the player who once scored a Premier League hat-trick but there was not much chance of landing an effective goalscorer in January in Albion's position. The damage had already been done by then, the money from Leo Ulloa's sale to Leicester wasted.

Next season, assuming Albion stay up, will be the time to judge Hughton. In this regard his only permanent signing so far, Beram Kayal, offers encouragemnt for what might be achieved in the summer transfer window to turn the club's fortunes around.

The Bournemouth defeat epitomised Albion's problems. Hughton said: "We got into that final third on a lot of occasions. It's probably the biggest area to address.

"If you are not getting the goals to alleviate that little bit of pressure you are always in danger of making mistakes that hand a team the opportunity to win the game."

Hughton has said all along he does not want to rely on the teams below Albion saving them.

It is hard to see much changing with the squad at his disposal in the four matches that remain. They look incapable of saving themselves.

Remaining Matches

Tomorrow: Albion v Huddersfield, Millwall v Wigan

Wednesday: Fulham v Rotherham

Saturday: Wigan v Albion, Blackpool v Fulham, Cardiff v Millwall

Tuesday April 21: Blackburn v Millwall

Saturday April 25: Albion v Watford, Fulham v Middlesbrough, Millwall v Derby, Rotherham v Norwich, Wigan v Wolves

Tuesday April 28: Rotherham v Reading

Saturday May 2: Middlesbrough v Albion, Brentford v Wigan, Leeds v Rotherham, Norwich v Fulham, Wolves v Millwall