Albion boss Gus Poyet is eager to erase the memory of one of the worst matches of his reign.

He takes his high-flying Seagulls back to Watford tonight, where they suffered a lacklustre 1-0 defeat last November.

Poyet said: “It was one of the worst games we played, if not the worst. I am the first to give credit to the opposition but that night it was more about us than what Watford did. I was not happy, so let’s hope it is different.”

Seven of the side beaten at Vicarage Road ten months ago are no longer in the team or at the club.

“It shows how much we are changing and how quickly,” Poyet said. “You start looking now at the players who have been here for long and it is Gary (Dicker) and Adam El-Abd who were probably the two players in the starting 11 at Southampton when this adventure started with me in charge, which shows we have changed a lot.

“Now we have got Crofty (Andrew Crofts) back as well but we have improved. I like to accept responsibility when things go wrong and I am not afraid of saying we have improved a lot. That is, of course, because we have got better players.”

Third-placed Albion, briefly top of the table following Friday night’s home win against Sheffield Wednesday, could lead the Championship again if they better Blackburn and Blackpool’s results at home to Barnsley and Middlesbrough respectively.