Former Albion loan signing Steve Cotterill can relate to Martin Hinshelwood's run of bad luck.

Cotterill, who played for the Seagulls ten years ago when Hinshelwood was Barry Lloyd's assistant, has endured similar misfortune since taking charge at the Britannia Stadium in the summer.

His only permanent signing, Mansfield marksman Chris Greenacre, is still out with an ankle injury sustained in a pre-season friendly against West Brom.

Tommy Mooney, drafted in on loan from Birmingham for three months, was sent-off on his debut in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Burnley, just as Graham Barrett was at Portsmouth after Albion borrowed him from Arsenal.

Mooney received his marching orders six minutes from the end at Turf Moor for an off-the-ball incident involving Burnley's Tony Grant.

Cotterill said: "Tommy's situation is frustrating. We know he is adding vital experience to the side and his hold up play is what we have been lacking.

"He hasn't played much for Birmingham and the more he plays for us the better he will get, but he'll just be getting into the groove when he has to sit out a suspension.

"It's just another thing that has been thrown at us this season, but we will deal with it like we are dealing with everything else."

Stoke have conceded result-changing late goals in each of their last three away games in the League at Preston, Derby and Burnley.

Bjarni Gudjonsson gave them a 74th minute lead on Saturday, but they went on to suffer their fourth straight away defeat following an embarrassing exit from the Worthington Cup at Third Division Bury last week in which Gudjonsson's fellow Icelandic midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson was also sent-off.

Cotterill, unaccustomed to defeat after guiding Cheltenham from non-League football into Division Two, said: "We deserved something from the game. That result has got to to hurt so much it stiffens the players' determination not to get beaten.

"I don't like losing four matches in a season, never mind by mid-September."

Gudjonsson is the son of Cotterill's predecessor Gudjon Thordarson, who parted company with the Potters after taking them up via the play-offs.

The manager might have changed, but the squad is virtually the same. Nine of the side beaten 1-0 at Withdean a year ago are likely to start tonight.

Former Aston Villa custodian Neil Cutler has established himself as No. 1. Experienced skipper Peter Handyside and Belarus international Sergie Shtanyuk form an uncompromising partnership at the heart of the defence, with the poweerful Wayne Thomas at rightback and Clive Clarke on the left.

Clarke's Republic of Ireland colleague James O'Connor, now off the transfer list after attracting interest from West Brom last season, plays alongside the long-striding Gunnarsson in the centre of the park.

Teenage Kris Commons has been capturing the headlines with his performances, including a solo equaliser which earned Stoke their last point at home to Norwich, but he was replaced on the left side of midfield on Saturday by Belgian Jurgen Vandeurzen.

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