TOMMY ELPHICK admits he is delighted to be the first Albion player to commit himself to the club into the Falmer era.

But thoughts of moving to a sparkling new home just down the road and playing a key role in a momentous time for his local club seem an awfully long way off right now.

They are being pushed right to the deepest recesses of a mind concentrated on helping Albion through their more immediate challenges.

Like getting away from the relegation zone.

Wheels are in motion on the new stadium, a fact which will be celebrated by a ceremonial gathering at the site on Wednesday, by which time the Seagulls could be a two-leg tie from a Wembley final in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

By signing a new deal until June 2012, Elphick will be under contract for the first season at Falmer.

If things progress as they have over the last year-and-a-half, the local boy made good should be one of the figureheads of the side by that point, assuming he has not moved on.

But 2011? Even 2009 seems a long way off right now as the Seagulls ponder some key forthcoming League One matches plus tomorrow’s Trophy last-eight tie at Shrewsbury.

Elphick, reflecting on a troubled Friday night against the lively MK Dons, said of the Falmer move: “It’s a long way down the road and something I have put to the back of my mind.

“My aim now is to get this club out of the relegation fight we are in.

“I’m delighted (with the contract). It takes me into Falmer but those things take care of themselves off the pitch.

“I’ve got to look to put my performances right on the pitch and leave those things to the people who are paid to deal with them.

“You hear of interest (from other clubs) but if I play my best and do what I’m capable of then those things take care of themselves.”

Elphick was not at his best on Friday when former Albion target Peter Leven was allowed to go through and slide the Dons’ third goal past John Sullivan.

It was a night of defensive errors for Albion as they were given plenty of work in and around their own penalty area by a neat and tidy MK line-up.

And that was why immediate concerns were weighing on the central defender rather more than a far-off image of some golden afternoon in 2011.

He admitted: “It was terrible. There were too many individual mistakes. I was guilty of one.

“It’s something we have got to put right on the training ground.

“We’ve conceded four goals so you can’t say any defender or goalkeeper has done well.”

So Albion are battling against the drop, then?

“We can’t deny it,” Elphick said. “It’s desperate really. It’s demoralising to look at it like that.

“It hurts me just as much as it hurts the other players and the manager.”

Asked if he had agreed with boss Micky Adams’ decision to rest him for the previous fixture at Oldham, the 21-year-old stopper admitted: “Not really, I don’t want to miss a game all season.

“If it was my choice I would have been out there but the gaffer decided to rest me and that’s his decision to take.”

Now, though, comes the Trophy, which offers its own different challenge but will not take minds away from the league table for too long.

Elphick admitted: “We’ve enjoyed the cups but the league is our bread and butter and we have got to start putting things right.

“Tuesday night is just a bonus and thankfully it comes quicker than the next league game so we are looking to put things right and progress.”