Seagulls flying but must keep feet on ground, insists Hughton

BRIGHTON boss Chris Hughton warned his side will face a “rude awakening around the corner” if they lose sight of their Premier League objectives.

The Seagulls are unbeaten in three games as they head to Burnley, with five wins from the past eight league outings after defeating rivals Crystal Palace 3-1 at home on Tuesday night.

While his side may now be in the top 10 and fans allowing themselves to gaze up rather than look anxiously over their shoulder at the battle for survival, Hughton is not about to lose sight of the bigger picture.

“My focus hasn’t changed, irrespective of any league position. Once you start changing your focus and thinking you’re better than you are, then there can be a rude awakening around the corner,” said Hughton (below).

“For a side like ourselves, who have won some matches on the spin like we have, you can also see it go the other way.

“My focus isn’t on our league position, what I do think is about making sure we distance ourselves from the teams below us.

“We just want to improve both as a team and a club while gaining as many points as possible.” Burnley, meanwhile, find themselves stuck in the relegation zone, after collecting just two points from the past eight matches.

The Clarets lost 3-1 at home against Liverpool on Wednesday, which was a fifth league defeat at Turf Moor, so often a veritable fortress during previous campaigns.