Scott Minto is convinced he will not be watching Albion next season.

That is comforting news for Seagulls supporters, since the former Rotherham and top flight defender's post-playing role is anchor man for live Football League coverage by Sky Sports.

Minto has seen Albion regularly this season, such is their popularity with the broadcasters.

He believes they will beat Rotherham tonight and go on to be promoted with Newcastle.

Minto told The Argus: "I still feel Newcastle and Brighton will be the top two.

"I was just about to say they deserve to be, but you could say Huddersfield deserve to go up as well, which they still could through the play-offs.

"The job Chris Hughton has done from the moment he took over has been absolutely amazing. There's not many managers in English football who could have done it.

"It is very difficult to do in the Championship, the way he has built the squad.

"They have got through the heartbreak of last season, have come stronger. I think the stats will show they are further points ahead than they were at this stage last season.

"They just look very strong and, like anyone in the Championship, Newcastle included, you are always going to have a little mini-blip. They've not had more than that really.

 

"They've looked so strong defensively, midfield. The recruitment has been fantastic. I would be very surprised if we are covering Brighton again next season."

Hughton's under-the-radar reputation continues to be a mystery, if you place his CV against many others on the managerial merry-go-round.

His name is rarely linked with 'bigger' jobs, although this could be an acknowledgement of how settled he appears at a thriving club.

Minto, who played in the Premier League for Chelsea, West Ham and Charlton, and also had a spell with Portugese giants Benfica, has huge admiration for Albion's boss and the club.

"I think he has been underrated from the moment he stepped into coaching and management," Minto said. "But I don't think he's underrated now. Certainly with the Brighton fans and by us at Sky he's not underrated. Maybe people on the outside do, I don't know.

"We know how good the job is he has done and how well he has done it. For Brighton to be anywhere near (promotion) is amazing, the way they have bounced back and built to become even better, being almost stronger for it.

"Bringing in Glenn Murray is one example, but it's just in general. Last January, bringing in players to step it up.

"As a manager, as an owner (Tony Bloom) and as a club, both on and off the pitch, I can't think of a classier club.

"I remember watching a Sky Sports News piece about the disabled area. Generally in lots of stadiums there's just one, but I think with Brighton there's more than one because people want to pay for a different type of ticket to have a different type of view.

"Little things like that off the field that people don't always see just shows the class of the club."

Albion could be two divisions apart next season from Rotherham where Minto, 45, a left-back like Hughton, ended his playing career in League One (below).

The Argus: "It's going to be very difficult for them to turn it around and I would imagine they are already planning for League One," he said.

"It's a real shame. The owner there (Tony Stewart) was really wanting to try to kick on, but the start of the season is always so important.

"Paul Warne has gone in there. I don't think he necessarily wants the manager's job, not in the long term anyway.

He's really steadied the ship, he's proper Rotherham. I know him, he was the left-winger when I was left-back. He's a really good lad, used to do my running for me even though there is only a year or two between us!

"He's one of the fittest guys I've ever known. He's done well, but let's face it, it's going to be one of the Houdini acts of English football if Rotherham somehow got out of this.

"It's about planning now for next season and it's going to be very difficult to get anything out of the game against Brighton.

"I loved my time there, have got fond memories. It's a really good, traditional club. I really hope they bounce back quickly, but I think I'm a bit of a jinx to the clubs I played for. Last season Charlton went down, now Rotherham."