Maureen Hart will be busy with the scissors, cutting up The Argus and other newspapers as a permanent reminder of her son's last-gasp exploits.

In the seven years since Gary joined Albion, his mum has built up a formidable collection of scrapbooks.

She's had no trouble filling them. Gary was right at the heart of the two title campaigns and promotion last season via the play-offs.

This season has been different. Christmas Day must have been fraught with uncertainty over his future.

At that stage Hart had not started a match in the Championship. He had not even made the squad in half of the games and, with his contract up in the summer, feared the worst.

Then Mark McGhee brought him in from the cold for the Boxing Day victory at home to Gillingham and he has never looked back.

Hart gave Albion an early lead in the draw at Wolves two days later. He has featured in every game since and has earned a new deal.

On Saturday at Withdean the remarkable transformation was completed with a winning goal two minutes into injury time to celebrate his 300th appearance for the club.

It was a landmark Hart thought he would never reach as, clutching a bottle of bubbly from the man-of-the-match sponsors, he talked candidly about the bleakest period of his Albion career.

"You always have faith but at the back of your mind you think your time has gone and you are looking elsewhere. But the gaffer has given me another chance and I have taken it.

"Maybe I was relaxing a little bit, thinking I was part of the furniture and they weren't going to get rid of me. I was totally wrong. That made me step up a bit and realise what I've got.

"I was going through a really horrible stage. I was probably a couple of days from going if I had not been sent off at Gillingham in the reserves.

"I might have gone on loan somewhere but I appreciate the gaffer giving me another chance.

"It was a really good kick up the backside for me. I'm playing again now and hopefully I won't go through that rubbish again."

Hart is grateful for the unswerving support of his parents, regulars in the north stand at Withdean.

He said: "They breathe football, my mum even more than my dad (Jim). My mum collects cuttings from all of the papers, so it will cost her a few bob today. She has got a load of scrapbooks, everything from seven years ago.

"If my parents had to miss a game they would be down in the dumps. My wife Rachel would like to come as well but she looks after the kids."

Gary and his team-mates left it late to give the loyal Harts something to cheer.

The Seagulls seemed destined for a dour deadlock with McGhee's previous club when he pounced from close range as the Millwall defence failed to deal with Leon Knight's left-wing cross.

Millwall's misery was compounded when their young rightback Mark Phillips, cautioned nine minutes from the end for a foul on Knight, was sent off three minutes into added time for a second bookable offence.

He scythed into Dan Harding and could have no complaints about becoming the third player dismissed for Dennis Wise's faltering team in the space of five days.

More drama was condensed into time added on than the previous 90 minutes, in which defences were on top and chances in short supply.

The hapless Phillips squandered the pick of them, heading over from a few yards out at the end of the first half for visitors depleted by injuries, suspensions and the sale against Wise's wishes of Scott Dobie to Nottingham Forest on Friday.

McGhee decided on the least possible disruption to the 4-4-2 system used to such good effect against Sunderland.

Chris McPhee, sidelined since the end of September by a broken foot bone, made a surprise second start of the season in place of the suspended Adam Virgo, with Charlie Oatway on the bench following his three-match ban.

McPhee did well to last the best part of an hour on an unfortunate afternoon for his front partner Mark McCammon against his ex-employers.

Booked for a first half wrestling match with Marvin Elliott, McCammon was substituted in the second half with a back injury sustained in an earlier collision with his own keeper Rami Shaaban.

Hart's winner was a triumph for persistence. All 12 of Albion's victories have been achieved by a single goal margin, which also emphasises how well they have held their nerve.

  • ALBION (4-4-2): Shaaban; Reid, Hinshelwood, Butters, Harding; Hart, Carpenter, Nicolas, Knight; McPhee, McCammon. Subs: Mayo for McPhee (withdrawn 57), Oatway for McCammon (injured 69), Watson, Yelldell, El-Abd
  • Booking: McCammon (38) unsporting behaviour
  • Scorer: Hart (90)
  • MILLWALL (4-4-2): Marshall; Phillips, Ward, Lawrence, Craig; Weston, Elliott, Morris, Sweeney; Quigley, Dichio. Subs: Robinson for Sweeney (withdrawn 62), Serioux for Weston (withdrawn 82), May for Quigley (withdrawn 89), Simpson, Braniff
  • Bookings: Quigley (28) foul; Elliot (38) unsporting behaviour; Lawrence (52) foul.
  • Attendance: 6,608.
  • Fans' View: MARK HARDING (Ansty) It was always going to be decided by one goal but after taking off the two big men (Chris McPhee and Mark McCammon) I was very surprised that we scored by swinging a high ball into the box. Adam Hinshelwood and Paul Reid were solid again and Alexis Nicolas was outstanding.

ROBERT TURNER (Burgess Hill) Our defence looked very good but I didn't think we were going to score. Mark McGhee is particularly good at changing personnel and formations to suit the latter parts of games. I was impressed by Dan Harding who looked really composed and appears stronger than he's been in the past.

DON ROSSITER (Brighton) Leon Knight has done very well in his wide position. I was pleased to see Chris McPhee back after injury, although he is probably some way from being fully match-fit yet. All our wins have been by a one-goal margin but we'd have lost a lot of games like that in this division two seasons ago.

LYN HOWARD (Millwall fan) With West Ham losing and Reading really struggling badly now, a win would have put us right in the thick of the play-off race. We didn't create very much but to lose to a late goal like that was a sickener. We're probably looking at eight wins from the last 11 games to reach the play-offs now.