Tuesday 18 April 2017 12:46, UK
Brighton will play in the top tier of English football for the first time in 34 years next season after securing promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.
Chris Hughton's side could now go on to claim the title with a victory at Norwich on Friday night, live on Sky Sports 1 from Carrow Road.
But how will the Seagulls fare in the top flight? We take a closer look at their strengths and weaknesses to assess their chances of survival in the Premier League...
The manager
Brighton were at a low ebb when Hughton came in at the end of 2014. After several years of progress the club suddenly found themselves in a relegation battle in the Championship under Sami Hyypia.
Hughton came in, kept the Seagulls up that season and then took them to the verge of automatic promotion in 2015/16, where they were denied by a final-day draw at Middlesbrough and couldn't recover in time for the play-off semi-finals - their third exit at that stage in four seasons.
Despite that heartbreak, Hughton showed his strength of character to rally Brighton for this campaign, not allowing them to crumble and steered them right back to the top of the table. During this season, he has mixed resilience with flair and turned the Seagulls into the best all-round side in the league.
Hughton has been dismissed twice from Premier League jobs, first from Newcastle and then at Norwich, but on both occasions the sackings were fairly harsh. And, unlike at those two clubs, Brighton know they would be foolish to sack him even if they do get relegated, as he would still be the ideal candidate to lead them straight back up.
Fanbase and infrastructure
The rivalry with London club Crystal Palace shows just how far Brighton have to go to find a local enemy. The flip-side of that, however, is that the south-coast side have a virtual monopoly on the local area, making them a proper one-club town with a vast potential fanbase to tap into.
The new stadium is ready and waiting for the Premier League, and the facilities and setup are nothing short of first class. After so many years in the wilderness, the move to the Amex back in 2011 - mixed in with a well-timed promotion to the Championship - has brought the supporters back to the club.
You now see as many kids wearing Brighton shirts as you walk down the sea-front promenade and past the famous Pier as you used to with Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Chairman Tony Bloom is also worthy of a mention. Unlike some club owners in the Championship, he understood that it wasn't all going to happen overnight and laid impeccable foundations in steering the club into the top flight.
Star talent
While the balance and depth of Brighton's squad has allowed them to compete over the course of the exhausting Championship season, there are also a few star men who will help them kick on in the Premier League.
Winger Anthony Knockaert has been the best player in the league and will be given more of an opportunity to show what he can do than when he was last promoted with Leicester, while Lewis Dunk has formed an impressive defensive partnership with Shane Duffy this season and will aim to make the same impression as Michael Keane and Ben Gibson have.
Dale Stephens has been coveted by Burnley over the last couple of transfer windows and should prove a fine midfield operator in the Premier League, and goalkeeper David Stockdale has improved immeasurably since his Fulham days, and could potentially sneak back into the England squad if he maintains his current form.
Ageing squad
While there is plenty of young talent at the Albion, Brighton have regularly fielded the oldest average squad in the Championship this season. Star striker Glenn Murray will be 34 soon, while Brighton's other two strikers, Sam Baldock and Tomer Hemed, are 28 and 29 - a similar age to many at the club.
Right-back and captain Bruno has been a virtual ever-present this season, but will be 37 in October and may struggle with the rigours of the Premier League on a weekly basis. Some younger faces will certainly be needed to freshen things up.
Premier League inexperience
Brighton possess surprisingly little Premier League experience, despite the average age of their players.
Of the current squad, only Steve Sidwell and Liam Rosenior have been genuine long-term starters for a top-flight side, and neither are likely to be regulars next season, while only a couple more such as Murray and Stockdale have ever played more than a handful games in the Premier League.
Being newbies
It's tough to survive as a new addition in the Premier League. Brighton will become the 48th team to join since its inception since 1992 and, of the last five teams to get promoted for the first time, three (Burnley, Blackpool and Cardiff) went straight back down at the first time of asking.
Of the other two, Swansea look likely to head for the trap door this season and Bournemouth have spent over £50million and struggled to climb much higher than 16th.
Brighton are highly unlikely to invest anywhere near that much, and are more set on the Burnley model of carefully putting the pieces in place to slowly try and establish themselves, which may mean the first season in the top flight is a difficult one.
