Graham Potter has no qualms about calling Albion versus Crystal Palace a local derby.

The clubs are 50 miles apart but that distance does not dull the rivalry.

They are practically on each other’s doorsteps compared to the previous derby matches Potter enjoyed.

His old club Ostersunds love tangling with GIF Sundsvall in the Norrland derby in Sweden, a good 230 miles north of Stockholm.

The two cities, their respective provinces and the two football clubs are big rivals.

But they are separated by 125 miles of Swedish countryside.

Potter did not face Cardiff City when he was Swansea boss last season.

But he learnt how to cope with derby pressure and keep a cool head during those battles in Sweden.

He told The Argus: “The local derby was a two-and-a-half-hour drive so it did not have the same feel.

“This is a local derby in comparison to what I was used to in Sweden.

“It was 200km between the two teams.

I had a mix over there – won a few, lost a few. It’s normal, it’s football.”

Those mixed results included a 5-0 mauling at Sundsvall, which older Albion fans might be able to empathise with, and a 4-0 home win.

Asked his approach to derby day, Potter said: “To respect and understand the emotion that is around the game but also to play the game with a clear head.

“To be professional and to focus on what you need to do to win the match.

“We can sit and thump our chests and headbutt walls all we want and say, ‘We want to win, we want to win, we want to win’ but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to.

“Focus on what you need to do is what we always try to do and, at the same time, always respect the emotion of the game.”

Albion have been below Crystal Palace in league status for most seasons through the decades.

But they have caught up with their rivals in first the Championship, now the Premier League.

Potter’s former colleague Bobo Sollander recalls Ostersunds making up ground similarly.

Sollander said: “I don’t really have particular memories of a single game but, if I remember right, we always won at home and struggled away when Graham was here.

”It was always a bigger game for us in Ostersund.

”We were the smaller town and never close to competing in football before and now we were one league higher than our rival.

”The thing with the north of Sweden is the distances are big and the population is not, so we are not close to anything.

”Our closest away game next year is Uppsala, which is 490km (305 miles).”

All of which makes the Albion versus Palace clash feel pretty local, even if the M23 is closed and the trains are playing up.

The Seagulls did the double last season and might feel they should have added a win at Selhurst Park in December.

That was Potter’s first derby in this country.

He said: ”We are excited for it “I enjoyed the atmosphere at Selhurst Park. It was my first experience.

“It’s normal in derbies that supporters get involved and they did.

“At the same time, it wasn’t in a bad way. It was a good atmosphere.

“We played well on the night, which probably calmed the home team down a little bit.

“Then, towards the back end of the game, they started to get involved again.

“But we hope for a strong home support for us.”

There was a light-hearted moment during Potter’s pre-match press conference.

He had been rather put on the spot when asked by a television reporter for two nominations for the Premier League hall of fame. Potter innocently went for his former idol Eric Cantona, along with Alan Shearer.

Cantona’s rather controversial connection to Crystal Palace – and the fact Albion fans love him as a result – was pointed out.

It was an untimely reply ahead of derby day. Or maybe timely if you prefer.

All part of a derby which, compared to some, is pretty local after all.