Hughton named Premier League manager of the month for February

Chris Hughton with his manager of the month award. Picture by Paul Hazlewood/BHAFC

Chris Hughton has been rewarded for Brighton's excellent form by being named the Premier League manager of the month for February.

Albion went through February unbeaten as they beat West Ham (3-1) and Swansea (4-1) and drew 1-1 at Stoke.

Hughton, who fought off competition from Javi Gracia, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and David Wagner, was quick to say the award was a team effort.

Brighton are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions and Hughton said: “It’s a great achievement for the club and certainly for a group of players that have improved as the season has gone on.

Chris Hughton pictured with goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts, assistant manager Paul Trollope and coach Paul Nevin. Picture by Paul Hazlewood/BHAFC

"The three staff that I had the photo with, Paul Trollope, Paul Nevin and Ben Roberts, have all played a big part and I would probably be here for a while to thank everyone that has helped me.

"I have wonderful medical staff, analysis staff, coaching staff and the club have been tremendous in terms of what they’ve allowed me to do as regard to the transfer market.

“The recruitment process we have here is excellent, and ultimately it’s about the people at the top end like our CEO and chairman and owner. We’re in a wonderful facility here and that’s down to our owner and we have a wonderful stadium to play in too.

“We’re thankful to a lot of people, but of course it’s the players that get the results. They’ve enjoyed being in this division so far and are desperate to make sure that we stay there.”

Hughton was also quick to praise the Brighton fans. Another 30,000-plus crowd watched last weekend's 2-1 win at home to Arsenal and Albion's boss said: "They’ve turned out in their numbers and have been outstanding as well. A big thank-you to them because we don’t survive as a team or as a club without their loyal support - they’ve been excellent.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Hughton says staying in the Premier League is still the top priority.

The Seagulls are tenth in the top flight and seven points off the relegation places but Hughton said: “It’s just to continue to making progress. Ultimately it’s to stay in this division and that’s certainly not being negative, and we would take whatever we need to make sure that we stay in this division.

“We’re having good momentum at the moment and as long as we can continue to make progress, we will be happy.”

Keep up with all the top football news and transfer gossip from England, Scotland and beyond with footballwire.co.uk