DAVE Cameron is pulling his weight after Micky Adams threatened him with the axe.

The Albion boss was poised to despatch the big striker back to Scotland unless he bucked his ideas up.

"At one stage it looked like he was going back up there, because I was sending him back," Adams revealed.

"I sat him down and told him what I thought. I wasn't happy with his weight and told him he should lose a few pounds to get sharper."

Adams' lecture seems to have done the trick. Former soldier Cameron is starting to fire after a slow start.

He played well at Plymouth last Saturday and his improved form continued in Tuesday's 2-2 home draw against Lincoln.

"David showed what everybody thought about him during pre-season," Adams said. "He has knuckled down and lost a bit of weight, and he looks a handful when he plays like that. Long may it continue.

"He has gone from being part-time and a cook in the army to full-time with Brighton.

"It's a long way from Scotland, he's had to uproot his family and it takes time for some players to settle."

Cameron set up Charlie Oatway's first-half equaliser against Lincoln, outwitting his marker before laying the ball back invitingly from the by-line.

Oatway said: "Dave worked really hard. He bullied people and did his job well.

"All credit to him. He has done it for the last couple of games now. He has got hold of the ball and given us a bit of breathing space.

"He caused Lincoln all sorts of problems and he is a good, honest lad. Hopefully Dave will crack on now and start winning us games."

The players were disappointed they didn't win on Tuesday, veteran sub Phil Stant's late equaliser forcing them to settle for their first draw at Withdean.

"There were some good individual performances and collectively we played well enough," Oatway said: "But it was definitely two points lost. If you are going for promotion or the play-offs you have got to win games like that."

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