Premier League survival over FA Cup success a no-brainer for Brighton boss Hughton
The Seagulls are 16th in the top flight and just three points above the relegation zone but are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and travel to Millwall in the last eight next month.
A fan's poll on Twitter this month asked Albion supporters if they would rather stay up and go out of the FA Cup or win the FA Cup and go down to the Championship.
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Hide AdAlmost 2,000 fans answered the poll, with 43 per cent saying they would prefer to win the FA Cup and go down.
Hughton was told about the poll in his pre-match conference for this evening's match at Leicester and replied: "Well, it's not 44 per cent now, that is sure.
"For me it's a no-brainer. We need to be in this division next season."
Asked why staying in the Premier League is so important for the club, Hughton said: "There's lots of things. The club has worked incredibly hard for a number of years, even before I'd got here four years ago, we'd missed out in two play-offs.
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Hide Ad"The club has worked incredibly hard to get to this level. That's the first one.
"The second one is the Championship and even occasionally the first division has teams in there that have been consistent and regular Premier League teams.
"There's no guarantee if you drop out of this division.
"Burnley did it and came straight back, with a good team and good management but there's no guarantee when or if you're going to get back into this division.
"That would be the reason. We've worked so hard to get here that it's important we stay here."
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