Albion boss Micky Adams has branded the absence of top scorer Glenn Murray for the next fortnight as a “massive blow”.

A thigh injury ruled Murray out of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Hartlepool, leaving Adams without both of his first choice strikers.

Captain Nicky Forster is also out for another fortnight following knee surgery and Adams is finding it difficult to land a forward on loan.

He said: “Since Nicky Forster has been out it has always been a priority but the problem is trying to get people in and that’s not easy.

“We thought we had a deal earlier in the week and then a boy who had not featured in the team came on, made an impact and scored a goal, so that was the end of that one. His parent club decided to keep him.

“We are looking at a couple of weeks with Glenn. It’s a massive blow and people have got to understand that but we persevere. We’ve got to keep going.”

Kevin Kyle, bought by Adams from Sunderland when he was Coventry manager, compounded his problems by heading Hartlepool’s early winner to stretch the Seagulls’ winless sequence in League One to ten games and drop them a place to 18th.

Robbie Savage and Andrew Whing are sweating on their places against Leicester at Withdean tomorrow night after they were the victims of a double substitution early in the second half.

“Savage and Whing were disappointed to come off and that is understandable but we were trying to win a game of football,” Adams said.

“I don’t agree that any player should think about himself in those circumstances, when we are losing a game 1-0. They should think of the bigger picture and that’s about trying to win a game for everybody. I have to make tough decisions.

“The two players have disappointed me and that is all I’m prepared to say on it.”