Brighton and Hove Albion have axed manager Martin Hinshelwood and appointed Steve Coppell in his place.

Chairman Dick Knight has chopped Hinshelwood after just 14 games in charge.

Knight has finally turned to Coppell to try and keep the rock-bottom Seagulls in the First Division, five months after we suggested the ex-Brentford boss was the right man to succeed Peter Taylor.

Coppell, 47, has agreed a one-year contract and starts work today. His first match in charge will be against Sheffield United at Withdean a week on Saturday.

Hinshelwood is considering the offer of a new role as director of football, assisting Coppell and also incorporating his former job as director of youth.

Bob Booker is retained as assistant manager.

The club made the announcement in a statement last night. It said the Board's decision to remove Hinshelwood was unanimous and had been taken with regret but in the best interests of the club.

Hinshelwood was promoted to the job on July 15, 11 weeks after Taylor walked out.

Taylor quit after guiding Albion to the Second Division title, citing lack of funds for team strengthening and slow progress on the club's new stadium plans for Falmer.

The Argus revealed that former Manchester United and England winger Coppell was among a number of candidates interviewed for the vacancy during the summer by Knight.

Albion also had an official approach for Danny Wilson rejected by Bristol City before Hinshelwood was appointed.

He kicked off with an opening day win at Burnley and a home draw against Coventry, but the Seagulls have been plagued by injuries and individual errors since then.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Watford was their tenth in a row in the League, leaving them adrift at the foot of the table.

They were also knocked out of the Worthington Cup by Ipswich after scraping past Third Division Exeter in extra-time.

Knight said: "Nobody set Martin any deadlines, but the poor run of results has had a destabilising effect even on key players which needs rectifying quickly if we are to stand a chance of survival in Division One.

"We have 34 League games left to play which means we need something like 1.5 points per game to survive, therefore the Board felt we had to act before the situation becomes irretrievable.

"We are sorry that it has not worked out for Martin. Much has been made of the playing budget available to him, but the fact is that in this new era of financial reality in football, the increased playing budget we allocated this season to the playing side is not the smallest in Division One.

"While Martin has shown great faith in our existing first-team and youth players, he was also encouraged to bring in new players, especially with the loan system offering more flexibility to access talent.

"Steve Coppell will bring a level of experience we feel is vital at this time. I have made him fully aware that no increase in the playing budget will suddenly be made available, but he understands the club's position as I interviewed him for the job in the summer and he is now eager to get started."

The Argus made Coppell our No. 1 choice for the post on May 8, days after Taylor left.

He has a history of success working on a tight budget and guided Brentford to the Second Division play-off final last season against the odds before quitting in frustration at the way owner Ron Noades was running the club.

Coppell has recently been helping out Andy King at Swindon.

He made his name in management with Albion's arch-rivals Crystal Palace, where his three spells in charge and another as technical director included promotion and an FA Cup final appearance.

His first away match with the Seagulls will be the long-awaited showdown against Palace at Selhurst Park on October 26.

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