Will Hoskins has revealed how a glowing reference from his old team mates helped convince him Gus Poyet had something special going on at Albion.

The former Watford and Rotherham striker admits he jumped at the chance of signing for the League One champions after a season at Bristol Rovers.

Hoskins scored twice and stood out when the Seagulls won 4-2 at the Memorial Stadium in February.

But he was equally impressed by what he heard in the run-up to that game from Watford players beaten 1-0 by the Seagulls at Vicarage Road in the FA Cup.

Hoskins said: “I know a lot of the lads from Watford and they said I would suit being in that team and they will do very well.

“I was interested in seeing how Brighton did in the Cup game.

“I spoke to a couple of my friends afterwards and I knew then Brighton were going places.”

Hoskins was close to signing on loan for the Seagulls in March and is relishing the chance to join Poyet’s pass-and-move side.

He added: “When they came to Rovers you could see they had a plan and knew how to execute that plan. We went 1-0 up early on but they never panicked.

“They didn’t go long, they kept playing their football and that comes from the manager. I thought ‘Yes, they really are a good side’.”

Hoskins’ goals would have made him an obvious summer target for many clubs looking to spend money on a striker but did not wait for other offers to come in.

He added: “Brighton came in for me so early and I had my mind made up that was where I wanted to be.

“You never know what might be around the corner so I just thought ‘let’s get this done now’. I wasn’t going to wait around before signing.

“I was on the bench at Withdean because I was coming back from injury and the Brighton crowd really got behind the team so I’m looking forward to hearing them in the new stadium.”

Poyet has highlighted the tactical options which Hoskins can offer, making him an ideal fit to the way the Seagulls play. The Albion chief said: “He will bring plenty of qualities and a different option for the team up front.

“He is able to play up front on his own, even though he is not a target man, but he can also play on the shoulder or play wide and cut in, especially from the left, so he adaptable to playing three strikers up front.

“He’s also very good at linking and he’s very gifted technically, so he gives us different options depending on the game and the opposition.”