Brighton & Hove Albion defender Shane Duffy has said that he is "quietly confident" of the club's chances of earning promotion to the Premier League this season.
The Seagulls currently sit second in the Championship - one point behind leaders Newcastle United - with eight games of their season to go but are being pushed hard by a chasing pack including Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Reading.
The club's run-in includes games against four of the teams in the relegation scrap but while Duffy is optimistic of his side's chances, he has warned his teammates that nothing is certain in the Championship.
"It's an exciting time now. These are the vital games, ones you want to be involved in," he told The Argus. "The lads are up for it. We are quietly confident we can do it.
"It's always alright on paper but they are never like that in this league. You can never take any game lightly and in a way they are probably tougher games than the top four or five because you naturally get yourself up for those games, being in the limelight playing against Newcastle, Reading and Huddersfield.
"But these are worth the same three points against a Blackburn or a Birmingham. That's the way we've got to think."
Next up for Brighton is a home encounter with one of the relegation strugglers, Blackburn Rovers, on Saturday afternoon.
Neil Wilkes
