Albion climbed to second in League One with a hugely encouraging 2-0 win away to Plymouth.

Tommy Elphick and Ashley Barnes, against his former club, got the goals to stretch the Seagulls' unbeaten run to four matches ahead of Saturday's visit of Oldham.

Poyet made two changes to the starting line-up with Liam Bridcutt making his full league debut in place of Radostin Kishishev and Barnes coming in for Kazenga LuaLua, who dropped to the bench.

He also switched to a diamond formation with Elliott Bennett at the top of it behind Glenn Murray and Barnes.

Craig Noone gave the visitors a couple of early scares but it was Albion who broke the deadlock on 22 minutes when man-of-the-match Bennett delivered a free-kick from the left which Elphick met with a sweet finish for his first goal of the season.

Inigo Calderon's snap shot from another Bennett free-kick was well saved by Romain Larrieu on 32 minutes but Albion did double their advantage three minutes before the break.

Bennett was again the creator, getting in behind Reda Johnson and pulling the ball back from the byline for Barnes to steady himself and fire home from close range.

Plymouth came out with renewed determination in the second half but Albion rarely looked in trouble.

LuaLua was introduced just before the hour-mark and Fran Sandaza came on for his debut ten minutes later.

Bradley Wright-Phillips should have done better on 80 minutes when he shot wastefully into the side-netting with just Casper Ankergren to beat but Albion had chances too.

Gary Dicker shot straight at Larrieu when Bennett stepped over LuaLua's cross and then Sandaza prodded wide after running clear on to Noone's weak back pass.

Albion: Ankergren; Calderon, Elphick, El-Abd, Painter; Bridcutt; Sparrow (sub LuaLua 59), Dicker; Bennett; Murray (sub Sandaza 70), Barnes. Subs not used: Baz, Battipiedi, Smith, Dunk, Brezovan.

Plymouth: Larrieu; Seip, Timar, Johnson, Bhasera (sub Mason 46); Noone, Arnason, Fletcher, Paterson; Patterson, Wright-Phillips. Subs not used: Stephens, Peterlin, MacLean, Chenoweth, Molyneux, Parrett.

Referee: Brendan Malone (Wiltshire).

Attendance: 7,079 (Albion 338).