Albion fans will have extra reason to look to the bench next time their team need a goal.

Doug Loft's cracking late strike at Cheltenham on Saturday was the fourth in as many games by a Seagulls substitute.

No wonder Dean Wilkins is identifying the roles of his 12th, 13th and 14th men as key to his side's encouraging start to the season.

Wilkins has spoken of the contribution of his subs on various occasions, most notably after Nicky Forster's double clinched the recent 3-1 win over Luton.

Since then Loft's impact off the bench, and the sight of sub Ishmel Demontagnac saving a point for Walsall, will have reinforced his ideas about this being a 14-man game.

Speaking after Luton had been beaten, Wilkins said: "I think what we have seen this season, not only today but in previous games, is we have got people coming off the bench and making an impact.

"If you are trying to quicken it up or tighten it up at the back, it is so important you have got players who can influence that.

"Fortunately this season that has been a real bonus."

Wilkins knows all about which players tend to be taken off when a change is needed.

Figures provided by Albion fan Tim Carder reveal the current manager was one of the most often substituted players in the club's history.

He need not take too personally. Closer inspection of the stats shows those who are taken off tend to be attackers, usually in wide roles.

That has been the case this season as well. Dean Cox has been subbed off six times and Alex Revell five.

Equally, the list of players who have gone on most often is dominated by attacking players. That has continued this term, with Nathan Elder being sent on seven times.

Against Luton, Albion's bench included experience in the shape of Forster, Guy Butters and George O'Callaghan.

The quality of subs that day the biggest difference between the home side and threadbare Hatters, who had to send on a defender to play up front.

Forster insists it is a case of "one for all" rather than "I could do better" when you are waiting for your chance.

He said: "You're trying to help out and give advice. Especially the older ones like me and Butts.

"You don't look at it and think I could have done this in that situation'.

"It's not a case of that, it's just preparing yourself mentally for whenever you are called.

"Most of us have been playing football long enough to know how to do that."

Albion have struck in added time in each of their last two away games, with subs getting both goals.

Men from the bench have scored or set up goals in five of the Seagulls' seven league wins and, in four of those games, their contributions have been decisive.

David Martot's strike against Millwall, after replacing Jake Robinson, was just icing on the cake of a 3-0 win.

But the goalscoring efforts of Forster against Luton and Bas Savage at Hartlepool turned draws into wins.

The same goes for the header won by sub Elder to set up Revell's winner at Port Vale.

And the work of Savage, Sam Rents and Robinson in the Northampton game probably turned defeat into victory.

The tally of subs' goals could have been even greater.

Elder, at Tranmere, and Revell, at Gillingham, both came on and had their side's best chances of what turned out to be defeats.

Of course it can come back to bite you. Albion would be fourth now had Demontagnac not provided Walsall with a wonderful equaliser last week.

But the overall record for Wilkins' men is undoubtedly positive. It is also, after just a third of the campaign, a big improvement on last season.

A year ago two players, Joe Gatting and Rents, both scored as subs in the FA Cup first round, at home to Northwich.

But, apart from being the first senior goals for both players, those two strikes were of no real significance as Albion cantered to an 8-0 win.

Of more relevance is that the Seagulls only got two league goals from their bench throughout 2006/07 and they were only worth two points.

One of them was from Saturday's saviour Loft, who added a late header in the 4-1 home win over Leyton Orient early in the season.

The other was by Dean Bowditch, who went on for Robinson at Bradford and struck the decisive late goal in a 3-2 win.