Indifference is probably the wisest way for Albion fans to deal with Liam Bridcutt's return to the Amex tonight.

The midfielder who marshalled the Seagulls from League One to the Championship play-offs is likely to be targeted on his comeback to his former home with Leeds United.

Those tempted to deride mention of his name and jeer every pass might reflect on the law of sod's enduring capacity for one-time heroes to inflict damage on former employers.

This unwritten but often recurring rule reared its head again at Ashton Gate last week.

Sam Baldock, booed when he touched the ball following his move to Albion from Bristol City two summers ago, duly rammed the abuse back down the throats of the home supporters by scoring shortly afterwards.

There is little danger of this happening in Bridcutt's case.

It is almost five years since he scored the last of the only two league goals of his career.

Both came in 4-3 wins for Albion at Withdean, against Carlisle and a month later in April 2011 against Dagenham and Redbridge, a result which clinched promotion from League One for Gus Poyet's team.

In fact, there is far more chance of Bridcutt receiving a card than scoring a goal this evening - he has collected six yellows in 17 appearances on loan to Leeds from Sunderland.

He is, however, capable of hurting Albion's promotion challenge in another way, by reproducing the type of accomplished performance for which he was feted during his spell on the South Coast.

Fans voted him player of the season both in 2011-12, the first season at the Amex back in the Championship, and in 2012-13 when Crystal Palace dumped Poyet's team out of the play-offs.

Bridcutt was the first to win the award in seasons back-to-back since Bobby Zamora, a measure of his influence.

He will never be held in anything like the same esteem by Albion supporters as Zamora. This is not only because he is a defensive midfielder, rather than a goalscorer, but also because of the manner of his departure.

The 26-year-old made the last of his 132 league appearances for the club in a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Amex on New Year's Day 2014.

Oscar Garcia's side sneaked into the play-offs without him. Bridcutt, hampered by injuries in his final months with Albion, was bought by Poyet's Sunderland a few weeks later after a transfer request was initially rejected and he had informed staff he was not in the right frame of mind to play in a match against Derby.

Bridcutt's determination to be reunited with Poyet following the Uruguayan's acrimonious dismissal the previous summer exacerbated the sense of betrayal felt by some supporters.

He is not the first and will not be the last to try to force the club's hand.

Earlier this season, Fulham transfer target Lewis Dunk refused to play in the Capital One Cup tie at Southend and was fined two weeks wages before agreeing a new five-year contract.

For Bridcutt, Sunderland's interest was too good an opportunity not to grasp, multiplying his wages and playing in the Premier League for a manager he knew well.

It has not worked out for him at the Stadium Of Light. He has made only 19 starts for Sunderland and Poyet is long gone.

The same is true of former Albion team-mate Will Buckley, now trying to rebuild his career on loan to Birmingham following a nondescript stint at Leeds.

For Bridcutt, the switch to Elland Road in NOvember, extended for the rest of the season, has re-ignited him.

He has been effective as a defensive shielder - the job he performed so well for Albion - and now that he is spreading his wings a little more since the signing at the end of the January transfer window of Parisien Toumani Diagouraga from Brentford.

Bridcutt is under contract at Sunderland until the end of next season. His Premier League wage packet could hinder the hopes of Leeds manager Steve Evans signing him permanently.

The former Crawley boss says Bridcutt has helped improve his side "by some distance", enough to keep them clear of relegation trouble.

Bridcutt, back to bolster the Yorkshiremen this evening after missing last week's 1-1 draw with Fulham to attend a funeral, has been good for Leeds and Leeds have been good for Bridcutt.

It is worth remembering the benefits were also mutual when he was at Albion.