GOAL-SHY Albion have an extra incentive to hit the net against Newcastle.

The Seagulls are just 14 minutes away from enduring the longest goal drought in their history.

Albion have gone 660 minutes without finding the net in league and cup after Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham – or 556 minutes in league only.

That is close to the worst ever 673-minute blank they endured in September and October of 1970 as they headed to 14th place in the third tier.

The Seagulls have already suffered seven successive ‘nils’ in league and cup for the first time ever.

Their three previous six-game goal droughts include one in their promotion-chasing season of 2015-16, when they hit a tricky patch in December and January.

It was ended by an early strike from Bobby Zamora, which secured a 1-0 win at Blackburn.

They also went six games without a goal in league and cup in 1924 and 1970.

Stats compiled by club historian Tim Carder show their current run of six blanks in the league only matches sequences in 1922, 1924 and 1970.

Albion’s most recent league goal remains the winner by Anthony Knockaert at Crystal Palace on March 9.

Knockaert returns to contention for a place on Saturday after completing a three-match ban.