Boss Chris Hughton says Newcastle and Norwich are the teams most likely to cause Albion more automatic promotion heartache.

Hughton has identified two of his old clubs as “the ones to catch” and reckons the race for a top two finish will be confined to fewer sides than the chase for the Championship play-offs.

Albion are third – where they finished last season when they were pipped by Middlesbrough and Burnley, then beaten in the play-offs by Sheffield Wednesday – with almost a third of the season gone.

They are two points behind Norwich, the next visitors to the Amex a week tomorrow, and three adrift of Newcastle.

Aston Villa, the other team relegated, are languishing in 18th and well-fancied Derby 20th.

Hughton told The Argus: “Norwich and Newcastle, with what they are and because of the starts they’ve had, you don’t see them losing so many games.

“If Villa and Derby had started as well, you might have thought exactly the same about them as well, but that gap between the clubs is a decent sized gap. I think Norwich and Newcastle are the ones to catch.”

Hughton, who has been in charge of four of the current top five, including Birmingham, added: “Norwich have know-how and the team to be able to do it and Newcastle have arguably the strongest squad that this division has ever seen.

“In Derby and Villa you’ve got teams that haven’t started so well but I’m very sure they’ll have a big say.

“In regards to where we are at the moment, there are good teams that are outside. Ipswich have had an indifferent period but are always there or thereabouts.

“There are still possibilities to change, ins and outs, and we’ve got make sure that with every game that we play we see it as an opportunity to stay and perhaps create distance between us and the teams outside the top six.”

Albion have a chance to keep the heat on the top two at next-to-bottom Wigan tomorrow, when Newcastle host Ipswich and Norwich entertain in-form Preston. Birmingham will overtake the Seagulls if they win at Burton tonight.