Ian Chapman today backed Albion's youngsters to learn the harsh lessons of a testing debut season in League One.

The former Seagulls defender has been appointed full-time reserve coach, having joined the staff on a short-term deal last season.

Chapman, 37 at the end of the month, was brought in by his former playing colleague Dean Wilkins on a part-time arrangement last season.

He worked with a number of Albion's young players in helping the second string finish top of their division and win the Sussex Senior Cup.

Now he expects those players to benefit from being thrown in at the deep end.

The veteran of 331 appearances for Albion between 1986 and 1996 said: "We need to be patient with the young players.

"It has been difficult for Dean. He wasn't in a position where he could take people out if they had a tricky spell. They had to play through it. That's a massive challenge. They have been through that and they can benefit from it."

Chapman, who has also coached junior teams at Albion, is already helping Wilkins and assistant Dean White plan for next season.

He said: "We've got a really busy time coming up looking at players who have been released from other clubs.

"Working with Dean last season was fantastic. I played with him for a number of years and we kept in touch. When he took the job there was space for a bit of help and I was happy to do that. Hopefully I've done okay."

Chapman has stepped down as manager of County League side Whitehawk, a role he combined with his Albion duties last season.

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