New Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton has revealed that he is relishing the challenge of keeping the club in the Championship.

Hughton joined the Seagulls on Wednesday with the team languishing in 21st place in the table.

The 56-year-old believes that the club can only start to look at the possibility of promotion once their status in the second tier of English football has been secured.

"I'm thrilled to be back in management and Brighton & Hove Albion is a fantastic club, with a first-class infrastructure both in footballing and business terms," he is quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"We've got one very obvious initial challenge and I am aiming to hit the ground running but I am confident with the resources at the club we can succeed in retaining our status in the Championship. Once that is achieved we can work towards getting the club back challenging at the top end of the division."

Hughton will take charge of Brighton for the first time on Saturday when they travel to Brentford in the FA Cup third round.