By Stuart Roach

Steve Coppell believes that Brighton's promotion success of the past two seasons can help them scramble over the line to First Division survival this term.

The Seagulls are still stuck in the relegation zone after a season of struggle that followed two successive promotions for the south coast club.

But back-to-back wins over Wolves and Bradford have seen Brighton move to within touching distance of safety.

Things change from week to week Steve Coppell

"We do have that spirit of a team who for the past two seasons have won promotion and now they are under pressure," he told BBC Sport.

"That pressure has made them bond together and gel together a little bit tighter.

"There are some very tough games ahead and things change from week to week.

"Some weeks you look at your team and the points you have got and you think it is going to be too big a mountain to climb.

"But the performance and the result we had against Wolves made us realise that if we continue like that we can get out of it, no problem."

Though time would appear to be running out for those sides near the foot of the table, Coppell insists there is plenty to play for in a crucial stage of the campaign.

"There is a third of the season left," he insisted in an interview with this website.

"Although it's concentrated time-wise, a third of the season in terms of games is an awful long way to go.

"With time on our side, we have got hope and hope really does drive us on at the moment.

"I think if you asked any one of our squad at the moment whether we can get out of our situation then the answer would be yes.

"That's a good sign."

While the 4-1 win over Wolves would appear, on paper, to have revived Brighton's season, Coppell insists the upturn in fortunes began well before then.

Roll on the next match Steve Coppell

"I think we had played really well in half a dozen games before Wolves," he added.

"We had been playing well without getting the results and without scoring the goals.

"Wolves was one occasion where we scored the goals and more importantly scored the goals at exactly the right time and we came away with a resounding victory."

A 1-0 win at Bradford followed to haul Brighton above Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke and to within two points of fourth-from-bottom Grimsby.

But Coppell is not getting carried away.

"I'm not foolish enough to think that will happen every week," he said.

"As long as we don't have the team splitting into cliques and little groups of threes and fours we have got a chance.

"Roll on the next match and we'll see what happens."