Seagulls gap filled

BRIGHTON will play French club Nantes in their final pre-season friendly – after being let down by Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese giants pulled out of the fixture on August 3, claiming a summer of coaching and staff upheaval meant they could not travel to England.

The Seagulls voiced their disappointment, but manager Chris Hughton and chief executive Paul Barber were also grateful to the Ligue 1 side for stepping in to fill the gap.

Hughton said: “It was important for us to have top-level opponents in our final warm-up.”