So, after the caviar of Arsenal’s visit, it is back to the bread and butter as Albion manager Chris Hughton describes it.

More like stale crust, in fact, without wishing to sound too disrespectful to today’s beleaguered hosts Blackpool.

Complacency is unlikely with Hughton in charge but, just in case the Seagulls have a false sense of security about the visit to the Fylde Coast, there have been reminders about the dogfight going on since they last kicked a ball in the Championship with that uplifting win against Ipswich at the Amex.

Millwall, down to ten men, scrapped out a 0-0 draw at home to Reading on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, up in South Yorkshire, Rotherham enjoyed a near-rout against in-form Bolton Wanderers, eventually running out 4-2 winners.

Albion still have to go to Millwall and Rotherham. The Championship, already prone to surprises, is likely to become even more unpredictable as the finishing line draws closer, concentrating the minds of those chasing promotion or safety.

Hughton, reflecting on midweek events, stressed: “There aren’t any easy games. It’s a league where it’s very difficult to predict some scorelines.

“It’s very competitive around us and there isn’t a team around us that’s not capable of winning a game.

“So it is a reminder. You get some good days with results around you and some not so good days but ultimately it will be about ourselves and making sure we get enough good results to stay clear of it.”

In that sense, Bolton’s first half capitulation at Rotherham was more relevant to the task facing Albion today in dealing with the closest thing the Championship has to whipping boys.

In good form, like the Seagulls, and fresh from a 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup, Wanderers were three goals down by the break.

Hughton noted the similarities. He said: “It’s something we have got to be conscious of, that we are on the back of a really good, hyped-up game against Arsenal to back to business and we’ve got to make sure we have our back-to-business heads on.”

No stone has been left unturned by Hughton. He was at Watford last Saturday to see for himself Blackpool crumble from 2-0 up at the break to 6-2 down by the 66th minute and ultimately a 7-2 humiliation.

Hughton is old school in this respect, preferring to watch live with his own eyes when the schedule permits – this in a week when the finder of Sheffield United’s two-goal teenager against Tottenham Che Adams accused Football League clubs of “scouting by DVD”.

Hughton said: “I always have gone to other games to watch but you have to work it around your schedule. It worked out quite well, we played on Sunday and Blackpool were at Watford. Generally if we played on a Sunday I would go to a game on a Saturday and I’m used to going to midweek games.

“At half-time you would never have seen that (7-2). Did they deserve to be 2-0 up? Arguably not, but they were very much in the game and it was fairly even so I didn’t see that coming and I think it sums up their season a bit.

“What they have got is good footballers in the squad, a big squad. They’ve rotated and used a lot of players this season and, that being the case, it’s been difficult for the manager (Lee Clark), but they have got enough good players on their day to perform very well.

“At this moment the league table doesn’t lie – we’re still in a position where a couple of good results can raise you a few places, a couple of bad ones can soon see you fighting in the bottom three.

“We’ve been in decent form but it’s a different type of challenge (to Arsenal). It’s away from home, we know the pitch won’t be the best but we’re looking for the battling qualities in the team as well as technical abilities and we definitely can’t afford to underestimate them.”