Albion will have to lean heavily on their young prospects to make further progress in the Checkatrade Trophy.

The Seagulls' under-21s visit League One toilers Coventry City in the last 16 on January 10 (7.45pm).

They host MK Dons or Charlton the weekend before in the third round of the FA Cup at the Amex.

Manager Chris Hughton will use that tie to give game time to fringe members of his first team squad.

They are unlikely to turn out again at the Ricoh Arena a few days later.

The Argus: Goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa, midfielder turned central defender again Rohan Ince, Irish playmaker Richie Towell (above), winger Kazenga LuaLua and Dutch striker Elvis Manu all played a part in helping Albion through to the last 16 in Tuesday's 2-1 win at AFC Wimbledon.

 

They joined forces with the likes of young captain and rightback Will Collar and Norwegian teenager Henrik Bjordal.

Boss Simon Rusk will have less selection scope in the West Midlands in the New Year.

LuaLua is already ruled out as a result of his late red card against Wimbledon for gesturing to the crowd.

His two-match suspension applies only to the Checkatrade Trophy, so he cannot play at Coventry or in a potential quarter-final.

If Albion fall at the next hurdle, the second game of LuaLua's ban would apply to next season's competition.

The victory over Wimbledon, secured by first half goals by Manu (below) and Towell from the penalty spot, followed qualification from a group in which Albion were up against Southend, Stevenage and Leyton Orient.

The Argus: Rusk said: "In the first game we played against Southend, while we were quite pretty in possession, we didn't really have a toughness in game management.

"We showed what the four or five games has given the young players. Also, playing with four or five of our own senior players is a massive bonus. They are good pros.

"The younger ones gain something off that. And credit to them, they more than contributed to the performance.

"We are striving to make our academy as strong as possible and produce players for our first team over the next few years. A good run in the Checkatrade Trophy, giving the players experience, helps towards that.

"Overall I'm delighted with what has happened over the games in this competition."

Coventry are currently in the League One relegation zone. Their 1-0 win in the second round against Crawley at a sparsely populated Ricoh Arena on Wednesday evening ended a run of four straight defeats, culminating in last weekend's 4-0 exit from the FA Cup against League Two Cambridge United.

Former England under-21 striker Marvin Sordell provided some relief for the Sky Blues with the only goal against Crawley.

Ex-assistant manager Mark Venus is in caretaker charge until January while a permanent successor to Tony Mowbray is pursued.

Full draw: Mansfield v Walsall or Oldham, Luton v Chesterfield, Oxford v Scunthorpe, Blackpool v Wycombe, Cheltenham or Leicester U21 v Bradford, Yeovil v Southampton U21 or Reading U21, Coventry v Albion U21, Swansea U21 v Wolves U21.