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Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale has hit out at those who claimed the Seagulls would slip up in the race for promotion to the Premier League.

The south coast club secured top flight status with a win over Wigan Athletic on Easter Monday and can secure the Championship title with one more win from their final three matches.

And the stopper - who was named in the EFL Championship Team of the Season this week - was pleased to prove those who doubted Brighton's promotion credentials wrong.

Stockdale told the Argus: “Even if they [Huddersfield Town] had won, we would still have been going for the title. I said in the huddle before ‘Forget about promotion, let’s win the title’.

“I give a team talk before every game. I said it before QPR (April 7) ‘Our dream is to be champions so let’s make it happen’.

“To come back after the international break when people were doubting us, some saying we were going to bottle it again, I just want to say to them ‘You’re welcome’.

“That just spurred us on. Bottlers? Who’s bottling it now? Not us, an incredible group of players, staff, from the chairman down.

“Don’t write us off, we’ve still got a job to do. Let’s make it seven or eight on the spin. We can reach a hundred [points] now. There are boundaries now which will put a lot of smiles on people’s faces for a lot of months before we go into the Premier League and a different type of fight.”

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Both Town head coach David Wagner and Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez had previously questioned Brighton's mental strength, with the Seagulls failing to clinch promotion last term.

Back in March Wagner said: “Brighton have struggled in the past very often at the end of the season. Newcastle I am totally sure will [get promoted] but for Brighton we will see.”

But the Seagulls secured top flight football next season on Easter Monday after Town could only muster a draw against mid-table Derby.

Stockdale went on to back manager Chris Hughton to keep Brighton in the top flight next season.

He joked: "We’ve got to consolidate and the gaffer’s the perfect man to do that. He’s been there and done that, I’ll leave it up to him.

"We’ll take it game by game and who knows we might be in the Champions League in the next two years? That’s a joke by the way! But why not, who said Leicester were going to win (the league)?

"Dream big, dream a lot. Everyone’s happy and what a time for the club. You’ve got to enjoy every minute."