Albion boss Gus Poyet has warned that Huddersfield and Southampton remain the main dangers to his team achieving promotion from League One.

Huddersfield are still four points adrift of the table-topping Seagulls, despite their 2-1 victory in Saturday’s bad-tempered clash at the Galpharm Stadium.

Southampton are eight points off the pace following a surprise home defeat by Brentford.

Poyet believes their spending power ought to make a difference by the end of the season.

He told The Argus: “Probably right now you are talking about seven or eight teams in contention for promotion. Until we get down to the last ten games you cannot be sure who is going to be there for automatic promotion.

“We were expecting it to be Huddersfield and Southampton right at the beginning, because of the budgets and the players they have got. We’ll see. It’s difficult to make an opinion now, in the positions they are in, but long-term they should be the two best teams in the division. I haven’t changed my mind about that at all.”

Sheffield Wednesday are Albion’s nearest challengers after thrashing Bristol Rovers 6-2 at Hillsborough in front of new owner Milan Mandaric.

The former Leicester chairman and Portsmouth owner has taken over the Yorkshire giants and eased their financial problems after they were on the brink of administration.

Poyet said: “I suppose they are going to be better without a doubt but it is too early to tell.”

Albion have no fresh injury worries ahead of Friday night’s home game against lowly Notts County.