BOB BOOKER has praised England contender Lewis Dunk for wisening up.

The former Albion coach was on the staff when Dunk played under-18s football for the club in 2009-10.

Dunk has been touted for an international call by pundits including Ian Wright and Jermaine Jenas.

Booker, who is preparing to team up with his ex-boss Micky Adams for a big Friday night at the Amex, reckons Dunk has matured as a No.5.

He said: “Lewis was always dominant at that age but where he has improved is that he sometimes tried to play football a bit too much.

“As you get older as a defender, you cut out the rash decisions and he has become an excellent centre-half who reads the game so well.”

Booker and Adams will field questions from fans in a 90-minute Q&A session at the Amex a week tomorrow (7.30pm).

They will also be signing copies of their recently published books Micky Adams: My Life In Football and Ooh-Aah, The Bob Booker Story.

Both men are outspoken characters and remain hugely popular with Albion fans who lived through the Withdean era.

Adams managed the team to the fourth tier title in the 1999-2000 season and later made Booker his assistant.

Booker, who enjoyed promotions as sidekick to Peter Taylor and Mark McGhee, has told how he first made an impression on Adams.

It happened when he was youth team boss at Brentford and Adams took over as manager.

Booker revealed: “Micky had said he wanted loyalty.

“I lived in Watford but I slept on a camp bed in the referee’s room at Griffin Park some nights so I could work long hours.

“He walked past and said ‘What are you doing there?’ “I told him I slept there sometimes and added, ‘Well you said you wanted loyalty, gaffer’.

“He looked at me and said, ‘You’ll do for me’.”

The Q&A is being hosted by Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam and tickets, which include a pie and a pint or soft drink, are available at seagullstickets.com priced £10.

Adams said: “I’m really looking forward to coming down to the Amex, seeing Bob and plenty of familiar faces and recounting plenty of tales from my two spells at the club.

“I’ve got really fond memories of my time there - particularly from my first spell at the club - and it is always great coming back to Brighton.

“There are so many memories, so many stories to tell from my time with the Albion and so many that I couldn’t fit all of them in the book.”