TONY Mowbray has warned his defenders to beware the threat of a striker he regards as one of the most effective in the Championship today.

Brighton's Craig Mackail-Smith has scored seven goals since leaving Peterborough to move to the Amex Stadium in the summer.

The Scotland international might not be the most aesthetically-pleasing forward in the game, but his energetic performances were integral to the strong start that briefly propelled the Seagulls to the top of the Championship.

Gus Poyet's side have stuttered somewhat, but Mackail-Smith remains a potent threat in a team that have won four of their last five matches.

"He's done very well with Brighton and he's a threat," said Mowbray. "If you think back to the time he moved, there was a lot of talk that West Ham thought the deal was done.

"I'm assuming he thought he would play more at Brighton and he wanted to play rather than sit on the bench and be one of four or five strikers at West Ham. That's a great credit to him.

"I've watched him a lot this week and he's a bundle of energy who never stops running. He doesn't give defenders a second's rest and his goal return for the work he puts in is very good.

"He might not be everybody's cup of tea, which is probably why a lot of people looked but didn't purchase, because he's not a silky footballer with great technique. He gets his goals from his work rate and running power."

Boro have not met Brighton in a league game since March, 1992, when Bernie Slaven's hat-trick and a late strike from John Hendrie secured a 4-0 win.

You have to go back to 1985 to find Brighton's last win on Teesside, and having made the long journey north yesterday afternoon, Poyet is expecting a difficult test.

"I really enjoy watching Tony's teams play football and he knows how they need to play to win games," said the Brighton boss. "They will be a very difficult team to beat because they are a top-six team, for sure."

Brighton are set to start with Mackail-Smith as a lone striker, but Poyet's assistant, Mauricio Taricco, has highlighted former Newcastle United winger Kazenga LuaLua, who turns 21 today, as a potential match-winner from the substitutes' bench.

"I'm a full-back and I don't want to play against Kazenga," said Taricco. "That tells me everything.

"As a team we need to be better to help him shine."