Albion are counting the cost of falling gates at Withdean and their absence from the Championship.

Their average League attendance this season dipped below 6,000, the first time that has happened for eight years.

The side managed by Dean Wilkins pulled in an average crowd of 5,936 as they finished seventh in League One.

It would have been lower but for a record Withdean turnout of 8,691 for the October visit of Leeds.

The average is only 111 less than for the previous campaign, when Albion finished 18th under Wilkins.

More significantly, it is 866 below the Seagulls' last season in the Championship in 2005-2006, which equates to around £450,000 in lost revenue.

The top two average attendance figures at Withdean have been achieved at Championship level.

Extra seats were put in during 2005-2006, which helped boost the gate to 6,802, in spite of relegation under Mark McGhee.

That was a slight improvement on 2002-2003, when Albion were also relegated with Martin Hinshelwood and then Steve Coppell in charge.

The Board will be hoping the removal of Wilkins and re-appointment of Micky Adams has a positive impact on crowds.

The average was a healthy 6,602 when Adams steered the Seagulls to the old Third Division title in 2000-2001.

That was fractionally better than the following season, when Adams left for Leicester after a couple of months and Peter Taylor guided the team to the League One title.

The lowest Withdean average of all was for Albion's first season in their temporary home after two years in exile at Gillingham.

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