Poyet shows pride in staying put with resolute Brighton

Hull City 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 0

Poyet has been linked with the Wolves role (GETTY IMAGES)

As Wolverhampton Wanderers widened their search for a successor to Mick McCarthy by talking to Walter Smith, the former Rangers and Everton manager, Gus Poyet, another candidate on their radar, ruled himself out of a potential move to Molineux.

"There was an official approach but not to me," the Brighton manager revealed. He added: "So I've not had any decisions to make, but I'm happy here."

Having taken the fast lane to footballing humiliation at the M62's western terminus in Liverpool three days earlier, Brighton enjoyed a rather more fruitful trip to its eastern extremity, restoring self-respect by maintaining their hopes of back-to-back promotions with a valuable draw, earned largely thanks to their goalkeeper.

Peter Brezovan shipped six goals in the chastening FA Cup defeat at Anfield, but the visitors were in much more determined mood against a Hull side who equalled a 104-year-old club record with a sixth consecutive clean sheet. Both sides remain within tantalising reach of the Championship play-offs after a night where the excellence of the Slovakian was matched by his counterpart in the Hull goal, Vito Mannone.

The former was indebted rather more to luck, Liam Bridcutt blocking a shot on the line from Cameron Stewart, who later saw a long-range effort hit the bar when on another night he might have claimed a hat-trick. The former Manchester United trainee failed in a one-on-one with the imposing Brezovan, who also denied Matty Fryatt on three occasions.

Brighton kept Mannone busy with Ashley Barnes, Craig Mackail-Smith and Abdul Razak, the teenager impressing on his debut on loan from Manchester City, forcing saves from the keeper borrowed from Arsenal as the hosts stretched their unbeaten league sequence to six games. "On another day we'd have come away with a few goals and won the game," Nick Barmby, the manager, insisted. Brighton are without a defeat in eight league games, a run aided by a glaring late miss from Aaron Mclean. Poyet added: "We showed we're a decent team."

Hull City (4-2-3-1): Mannone; Rosenior, Chester, Hobbs, Dawson; Evans (Cairney 67), McKenna; Stewart, Koren, Brady (Mclean 63); Fryatt. Substitites not used Gulacsi, Dudgeon, King.

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-4-2): Brezovan; Jara, Greer, El-Abd, Mattock; Razak (Assulin 77), Bridcutt, Navarro, LuaLua (Buckley 67); Mackail-Smith, Barnes. Substitutes not used Ankergren, Calderon, Vokes.

Referee C Berry (Surrey).