Albion want Craig Noone to give their promotion push a New Year boost.

The Plymouth Argyle left winger is one of the Seagulls’ targets to replace the injured Kazenga LuaLua.

Noone is near the top of the list of names boss Gus Poyet has drawn up in the absence of Newcastle flyer LuaLua, who broke his right fibula at Hartlepool last month.

Poyet’s priority in the January transfer window is a player to take over the LuaLua role of unlocking opposing defences, particularly in home games.

Noone, right, fits the bill and could prove more plausible than the unidentified ‘big name’ player Albion recently tried to land on a loan-to-buy basis, especially with League One rivals Plymouth in deep financial trouble.

Noone caught Poyet’s eye with an impressive performance in Albion’s 2-0 victory at Home Park in October.

The 23-year-old Liverpudlian was working as a roofer when former Argyle chief Paul Sturrock signed him from Southport two years ago.

He played in the Championship for the Devon club and scored his fourth goal of the season in a home win for Peter Reid’s strugglers against Dagenham and Redbridge last month.

Plymouth are in the High Court for the third time today to answer a winding up order from the taxman.

They are between £7 and £9 million in debt and a rescue plan is thought to involve the sale of star players like Noone.

Meanwhile, Jimmy McNulty is expected to return to Albion within the next 48 hours for the medical staff to assess a recurrence of ankle trouble.

The injury-plagued left-back has been on loan to Championship side Scunthorpe since the start of the season.