El Abd: It was rubbish goal to concede from a corner

But there was no doubt the upbeat feel coming from the home camp after Nicky Forster's spot kick claimed another point.

Yes, the Seagulls should have been well clear before Jabo Ibehre struck his stunning counter attack goal late on.

And yes, the hosts almost grabbed a very late winner when El-Abd's defensive partner Tommy Elphick saw his header hacked off the line by Paul Terry.

However, the fact Albion bounced back from a late setback, the fact they are now seven unbeaten at home in League One and the fact sixth-placed Tranmere lost all helped put a positive feel on things.

The play-off pack are bunching together but the Seagulls, with three games in hand on sixth place, have to be considered contenders at this point and the players seemed to know the mathematics of the situation by the time they had finished their warm down.

So one gained or two dropped? El-Abd said: "On the balance of play it was two lost but being one down with ten to go, you have to say it is a point gained.

"To be honest, I personally felt we were in control of the game and the points were only going to come our way.

"We shot ourselves in the foot really with a rubbish goal to concede from our corner.

"Having said that, it's great character to bounce back from that and it was fantastic to see Fozzy put away the penalty.

"It's very positive at the end of the day considering we are six points behind (sixth place) with three games in hand."

El-Abd insisted there was not too much concern in the home changing room at half-time, even though Albion were still level when they should have been ahead.

The Seagulls centre-back, whose recent performances have won over some critics he seemed to have in the stands, highlighted an unseen reason why the defence were delighted with a cleansheet at the break He said: "We were upbeat at half-time because we were kicking against the wind and hadn't conceded.

"The wind was quite tricky out there. It may not have seemed so from the side.

"When the ball hung up in the air, it was swirling around. It was a factor in the game.

"We gave ourselves a foundation to go on and win the game. It didn't materialise but we are very happy with the point in terms of being 1-0 down and bouncing back in the last minute."

That ability to bounce back is not in question. Albion have trailed three times to Orient this season and equalised on each occasion.

You could argue a win for each team from their two meetings, rather than two draws, would have left both better placed to move into the top six.

There is certainly an argument that the Seagulls are now better placed than the O's to grab a play-off berth.

To do that, they really need a home win over Gillingham tomorrow to set them up for possibly a make-or-break road trip to Carlisle and Walsall.

El-Abd, who enjoyed the more upbeat feel around Withdean on Saturday, said: "The games are coming thick and fast. March is a crazy month. It's one we are really looking forward to. If we are going to mount a challenge we've got to take the points. The crowd were fantastic. They played a massive part in us coming back."

So come on, point gained or two dropped?

"You know, I think before the game you would have taken a point. Orient are a good side, let's give them credit.

"They are an experienced side with some good players. Look at it positively. We're still in the mix."

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