Dean Hammond today declared Albion are ready to take on the leaders.

The Seagulls have lost just once in 13 league and cup matches as they prepare to tackle Carlisle, currently top on goal difference.

Hammond, whose penalty clinched the latest win against Cheltenham on Tuesday, has shrugged off any reservations about his side's second-half display in that game and welcomed the chance to tackle the Cumbrians, whose tally of 28 points from 15 games includes a win over Leeds.

The Seagulls skipper said: "It's another big game like Orient last Saturday. It's a top-of-the-table clash.

"It's where we want to be, challenging, and we ant to play the bigger teams in the league. We look forward to it with a lot of confidence. I don't think we fear anyone at the moment."

Albion took a point off eventual champions Scunthorpe when they came to Withdean last season but the current team looks better equipped to test League One's leading lights.

Hammond said: "We've progressed massively. The boys have experienced a whole season and they have now come through this year.

"We've added experience in Fozzy (Nicky Forster), who is looking really sharp now and has obviously adapted to the way we play.

"We're looking really good. We look solid as a team, we're playing some good stuff and we're creating some good chances so we look strong."

Home fans should have no complaints about results.

In contrast last season's Withdean woes, the Seagulls have won seven of their 11 home games so far this campaign in league and cup, averaging almost two goals per game.

Yet they have kept a cleansheet in only one of those seven victories.

Dean Wilkins admitted that was something he wanted to address as he spoke after the Cheltenham game. The silver lining from that cloud, though, is that Albion have shown an encouraging knack of scoring soon after conceding.

You're never more vulnerable than after scoring, the old saying goes. But, in Tuesday's game and in recent trips to Orient and Hartlepool, the Seagulls have turned that on its head and been dangerous just after conceding.

Hammond puts that power of recovery down to team spirit and a refusal to get on each other's backs when a goal goes in.

He said: "The character within the squad is fantastic. As a group the boys get on fantastically well and I think that helps on the football pitch.

"If you have conceded a goal and maybe need to regroup for five minutes, we can do that, and that's maybe why we're scoring straight away.

"You can't get on each other's backs. That would be a negative and you may end up conceding another.

"You just encourage. We're not happy we've conceded, obviously, but you can't do anything about the past.

"You look to the future and try and win the game, which we did.

"I thought we played some good stuff in the first half (on Tuesday). We were 1-0 up at half-time and maybe it should have been two or three. Towards the end it got a bit tight but we got the result and that's all that matters.

"Of course there was concern in that when it was only 1-0 they are always in the game when maybe we should have killed them off."

What's going to happen against Carlisle on Saturday and do you share Dean Hammond's optimism?