Albion have been rocked by another injury blow, losing Robbie Pethick for at least four matches.

Pethick broke a bone in his right foot in Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat by Stoke and had to be substituted at half time.

Manager Martin Hinshelwood revealed: "It's similar to David Beckham's injury last season, only Robbie hasn't got the World Cup at the end of it. The earliest he will be back is four weeks."

Pethick, sent-off in the recent defeat at Millwall, starts a three-match suspension at Rotherham on Saturday.

The advancement of the Worthington Cup second round tie at Ipswich to next Tuesday means he would have been available again after the trip to Watford on October 5.

Nathan Jones played at leftback in the second half against Stoke, with Paul Watson returning to rightback.

Watson is a booking away from a ban after collecting his fourth caution of the campaign deep into stoppage time, when the referee refused Albion a penalty.

The Seagulls' crippling injury crisis shows little sign of easing. Bobby Zamora (knee) and Paul Kitson (back) are already out for Saturday and Paul Brooker, who bruised a rib in training on Monday, has only an outside chance of being involved.

Hinshelwood said of Zamora: "I am probably the one person who wants him back more than anybody at the moment to get me out of trouble.

"Sometimes it's how players feel. You put them back in the side sometimes because they say they are right to go in there.

"At the moment Bobby is not right to go back into full-time training, so if he is not confident in himself like that then we cannot push him."

Kitson will not resume training until Monday following an injection to try and solve his recurring back problem.

To make matters worse, the intended return of goalkeeper Michel Kuipers from his persistent back problem in the reserves against Bournemouth yesterday was put on hold.

"Michel wasn't confident in his kicking, so we left him out," Hinshelwood explained. "He is working with John Keeley (goalkeeping coach) and it will probably be after the weekend now."

Hinshelwood has spoken to a Premier League club about a possible loan signing and he is still putting put a brave face on the run of misfortune.

"It will change, there's no doubt about that," he added. "Luck is part of football, but we have got to make our own rather than feel sorry for ourselves."