Hyypiä has faith in Seagulls squad regardless of mixed start to season

Brighton and Hove Albion find themselves sitting 19th in the Championship table as the season reaches its first real milestone.

However tempting it may be for supporters to pore over every crumb of early season information, there is little to be deduced from studying the fledgling table in the opening weeks.

Teams have new player settling in, the fixture list has yet to even out and an array of new managers are most-likely getting to grips with their playing squads.

The ten game mark, though, is when people traditionally starting taking notice of the league standings. And, with Brighton having reached that point with just two wins to their name, the more nervous of the Amex faithful are starting to shuffle in their padded seats.

Brighton have beaten only Leeds United and Bolton Wanderers in the Championship so far '“ the most recent of which came back on August 23. Since then the Seagulls have managed four draws and two losses. They have also only found the net nine times in the league this season - a total better than only Rotherham, Bolton and Blackpool, two of which sit in the bottom two places.

It is, however, too early for fans to start panicking or preparing for a relegation battle.

Hyypiä's side are becoming increasingly-difficult to beat. No team outside the top nine have conceded fewer goals and the Albion have kept an impressive three clean sheets in four games, if you include the Capital One Cup win at Burton.

Despite not managing to win midweek, the Seagulls had 26 shots and, but for a man of the match performance by the away '˜keeper, would have taken a morale-boosting maximum points.

The players are still adapting to Hyypiä's system and, despite the relatively meagre goal return so far, there are definite signs that the manager's attacking intentions are coming to the fore.

Hyypiä himself remains confident. He told the club's official website: 'I want the players to keep the faith in what we are doing.

'I want to continue playing this way and the results will come.That's my way of doing things and as long as I'm here I don't think it will change a lot in terms of how we play, how we defend or how we attack, because I believe in those things.

'I have a lot of faith in this team, they have played with this system and the things we've worked on for three months and that's how we'll continue.'

Brighton face two tricky games, first against high-flying Watford tomorrow, and then at home to Middlesbrough. It may be that the points situation does not improve drastically over the next week.

But Hyypiä is determined it is only a matter of time before results begin to match performances and the Seagulls start to climb the table.

For Albion tickets, visit: www.seagulls.co.uk or call 0844 327 1901.