CHRIS HUGHTON has urged his Albion players to enjoy the pressure of the Championship promotion race.

Hughton’s troops are eight games away from creating club history by reaching the Premier League for the first time.

The Seagulls are second on 77 points, one behind Newcastle and six clear of Huddersfield who have a game in hand.

Only one team, Wolves in 2001-02, have missed out on promotion from the second tier with 77 points or more at the corresponding stage of the season.

Hughton told The Argus: “In our game you enjoy winning and you don’t enjoy losing. You enjoy playing well, don’t enjoy not playing so well or getting a draw when you should have won.

“It’s impossible to enjoy it all unless we are winning all the games. That’s the nature of our game, it’s very up and down, good weeks and bad weeks.

“One thing you want them to do is to enjoy the pressure. If you asked every single one of the players, they would prefer to have the pressure of where we are at the moment than being four places lower or even a place lower.

“They have got to enjoy the pressure and the challenge of these last eight games.”

Victory over third-bottom Blackburn Rovers at the Amex today would lift Albion’s tally of league wins to 24, equalling last season’s club record total at Championship level.

Right-back Bruno has recovered from a groin injury which ruled him out of the 2-0 defeat at Leeds a fortnight ago to lead the side. The left-wing spot rests between Jiri Skalak and Solly March, fresh from scoring for England under-21s against Denmark on Monday.