Albion have brought forward the final phase of their expansion plans for The Amex.

The Seagulls could now have more than 30,000 fans watching them before the end of the season.

Plans to add an extra 2,200 seats at the north end of the stadium were originally earmarked for the 2013-14 season.

The seats will now be installed next spring, in time for the final few games of the 2012-13 campaign, as it is more cost-effective for all the expansion works to be completed in one go.

Extra seats in the east, south-east and south-west stands will raise the capacity from 22,500 to about 28,000 by the start of the season in August.

A further 500 hospitality seats in the south stand will be added in December.

Advancing phase three of the project at the north end will increase the capacity to 30,750 before the end of Albion’s second season in their new stadium.

Albion’s record attendance was 36,747 at the Goldstone against Fulham in December 1958.