Dean White admits Albion have missed the goals from midfield of Dean Hammond.

Hammond scored six goals this season prior to his £250,000 move to Colchester in January.

The former captain found the net 11 times last season and, even in the Championship, he chipped in with four in 30 games in 2004-2005 and four again the following year when the Seagulls were relegated.

Assistant manager White said: "When we lost Dean Hammond we lost a good player and ten goals a season.

"These things happen and we have to look to replace that. You cannot expect your forwards to get all the goals, you need your midfield players chipping in with fives and sixes and one of them to get double figures ideally.

"If you do that you are going to be up there. You put a lot of strain on the forwards expecting them to do it all themselves.

"Even centre halves have got to chip in with a fair share of goals and then you have got half a chance."

The paucity of goals from Albion's midfield quartet was emphasised by the defeat at Southend last Tuesday.

Dean Cox converted his sixth of the campaign - and first since November - in the previous match against Port Vale.

Both of Steve Thomson's goals this season were for Falkirk, Ian Westlake likewise for Leeds. Therry Racon has yet to get off the mark in English football and the Frenchman on-loan from Charlton is unlikely to all the while his attacking instincts are curbed by his holding role in Dean Wilkins' controversial midfield diamond.

Mark Gower slotted his ninth of the campaign in play-off bound Southend's 2-0 victory at Roots Hall - one less than the Albion midfielders put together.

Gower's colleagues in the centre of the park, Nick Bailey, Alan McCormack and Tommy Black, have contributed 11, nine and two respectively.

Albion's third successive blank away from home in Essex was also the fifth time in six matches that they failed to score a goal in open play and left them with an overall goalscoring record worse than next Saturday's visitors Hartlepool, Swindon and struggling Bournemouth.

White pointed out: "We have been playing a lot of the top teams and a lot of them away from home. That is going to be difficult.

"We have ruffled a few feathers this year. We have got to get as many points as we can now and see where it takes us."

Thanks to Nicky Forster, Albion's 52-goal haul up to the Southend game is six more then they had managed by the same stage last season, which they finished in 18th place.

White said: "We have looked at DVD's from last year and this year and we have improved no end as a team, especially at home.

"Our home form has been a lot better. There have been some good games down here, plenty of goals scored at home.

"We have progressed and, whatever happens between now and the end of the season, we have got to take that into next year and progress again.

"You start the season thinking you are going to win the league - you have to think you can and go from there.

"You have to try to do the best with what you have got and I think we have done that. Wherever we finish up that's as good as we are, because the league doesn't lie."