Albion boss Gus Poyet has urged his players to grab the chance to be frontrunners in the Championship.

The Seagulls will lead the table if they beat Sheffield Wednesday at The Amex tonight.

They briefly headed affairs at the same early stage last season and the stay could be shortlived again, with most rivals playing tomorrow.

But Poyet’s new-look squad is better equipped to last the course this time and emulate the side he steered to promotion from League One as champions two seasons ago, which led all the way from late September.

Poyet said: “It proved it two years ago. When we got there we got better, so why not something similar?

“If you have got the chance to go up there and see yourself at the top, even if it is for a day or 15 hours, it is going to bring something extra for the players.”

Poyet is also happy to deal with increased expectations. Tonight’s clash is the first 27,000 plus sell-out at an expanded Amex and Albion’s flurry of activity at the end of the August transfer window has raised hopes they can sustain a challenge to reach the Premier League. Poyet said: “That brings enthusiasm and competition into the team. You need to perform and accept responsibilities as well. I like it as a professional, not only as a manager.

“I hope the players can cope with that as well. We are going to have a sell-out of this quantity for the first time in so many years so it means a lot to us as a group of people working together that we are doing things right up to now. We need to keep going and maintain that focus.”