The one big hurdle Albion will probably have to conquer if they are to go up

So what better way to reach their goal of promotion than with a win against one of the division's top teams?

Victory at Middlesbrough would take the Seagulls up. So would a win over Derby and a draw on Teesside.

The need for two victories evaporated when Boro drew at Birmingham on Friday.

But Seagulls fans will be aware that their favourites have not fared too well against the division's top teams.

The figures are eye-catching. In ten games against teams who can still win promotion, the Seagulls have taken just ten points.

That is 13 fewer than Middlesbrough, albeit with a game in hand, and six behind Burnley, with two games in hand.

Albion have had to settle for two draws with Burnley

The tally also compares poorly with Hull, Derby, Cardiff and also now Sheffield Wednesday after they beat the Bluebirds yesterday.

Albion are top of the table when it comes to points taken off the 12 teams currently in the bottom half. That is no mean feat given the unpredictable nature of the Championship.

The Seagulls have collected 56 points from 24 such fixtures, a tally which includes 17 wins.

Only Burnley, who have 53 from 22 with QPR and Charlton still to play, can hope to match that by the end of the campaign.

Chris Hughton’s men have ever so efficiently completed a full set of home wins against the current bottom ten.

But their form against the top teams will be tested in the crucial week or more to come and that is where their record shows a weakness.

Their only win against one of the promotion hopefuls came in their first such fixture – a 1-0 success at home to Hull.

They were thumped 3-0 at home by Middlesbrough and 4-1 away to Cardiff City and have also recorded seven draws.

Albion's 0-0 draw at Hull was a good result

Some of those were considered good points – and rightly so. Most notable in that category were 0-0 draws at Hull and Sheffield Wednesday.

Others could be filed under a reflective “we’d have settled for that before the game” even if the outcome was ultimately disappointing.

The 2-2 draw at Derby is a great example of that and Burnley away possibly fits the same bill. Others – at home to Burnley, Cardiff and Wednesday – felt like two points lost.

Of course all teams will expect to do better against the bottom sides than they manage against the top half.

Middlesbrough have a good record against leading teams

But Middlesbrough will be looking to complete a full set of 18 points at home to the rest of the top seven when Albion visit next Saturday. Boro have seen off Burnley, Hull and Sheffield Wednesday by 1-0 scorelines at the Riverside, where they also beat Derby 2-0 and Cardiff 2-1.

That injury-time success over the Tigers has probably been the pivotal result for both teams.

Wins for Aitor Karanka’s side at the Amex and Hillsborough helped them to eight points away to the top teams, a record none of their rivals will be able to match no matter what happens from here on in.

Burnley are less impressive at home in the big games but Michael Keane’s last-gasp equaliser against Boro means they remained unbeaten at Turf Moor versus the teams who can still go up, beating Hull, Derby and Wednesday.

Hull have beaten both the top two 3-0 at the KC Stadium and also defeated Cardiff 2-0, which underlines why the Seagulls were pleased with their 0-0 draw on Humberside in February.

Derby smashed Hull 4-0 and beat Cardiff 2-0 while remaining undefeated against the rest of the top seven at the iPro.

And Cardiff kept their play-off hopes alive with the help of wins over Albion and Derby in recent weeks, to add to a 1-0 success over Boro in October.

Five years ago Albion won League One despite taking just one point from a possible 12 against their closest challengers, Southampton and Huddersfield.

They will have to do things differently if they are to go straight up this time.

And that is a challenge they may well relish.