Albion are counting the cost of falling attendances at Withdean as the fight for a new stadium at Falmer drags on.

Gate revenue for the Seagulls could drop by almost £500,000 by the end of the season, an Argus investigation has revealed.

Albion played their 14th home match in League One against Millwall last Saturday.

Millwall were, by coincidence, also the visitors for the Seagulls' 14th game in the Championship last season.

The contrast in the crowd figures make alarming reading for Albion's hierarchy.

The aggregate attendance for the first 14 fixtures has dropped from 93,983 to 82,584, lowering the average gate from 6,713 to 5,898.

Based on an average ticket price of £23, that means Albion are losing £19,000 per match compared to last season.

If the trend continues they will be £437,000 worse off by the end of the campaign.

A drop in away fans, from an average of 625 per match down to 405, is partly responsible for the fall in attendances.

The main reason though - and the big concern for Albion - is the loss of home supporters.

The total figure has dropped from 85,236 to 76,907. That brings the average down from 6,088 to 5,493, almost 600 per match.

The only gate below 6,000 throughout last season was for the final match against Stoke, when Albion were already relegated.

This season the attendance has dropped below 6,000 eight times in 14 matches.

Albion would have anticipated lower crowds in League One than the Championship but it is not just diehard fans who have been turned off.

Corporate hospitality has been hit too. It is much harder to find clients who fancy watching Chesterfield, Northampton or Cheltenham, rather than Leeds, Wolves or Sheffield Wednesday.

The biggest factor of all is apathy towards the Withdean experience. Albion are in their eighth season in their temporary home and people have become fed-up with a makeshift ground with no roof on three sides.

The anti-Falmer brigade are bleeding the club towards a slow and painful death, because the situation will probably only get worse.

Albion's recent slump in form has removed any realistic prospect of promotion back into the Championship.

They are now facing the possibility of relegation to League Two and some season ticket holders have already vowed not to renew next season after missing out on seats for the FA Cup tie at West Ham.

Falmer changes the mood, changes everything. Even though it will take time to build, an end to the Withdean nightmare will be in sight and supporters will have something to look forward to.

We've had more than 90 minutes and extra-time, now a penalty shoot-out. The final whistle for Falmer, signalling an Albion victory, cannot come quickly enough for the club and long-suffering fans.