Fleetwood appoint Alexander

Brighton boss Gus Poyet is hoping his strikers can rediscover their touch in front of goal at Charlton on Saturday.

Craig Mackail-Smith, Ashley Barnes and Stephen Dobbie have not found the net in the Seagulls' last four outings.

Poyet said: "Someone needs to score. The strikers need to play for the team, understand the way we play and help the team, but at the same time score and help us win the game.

"These are the things we need to put into consideration and if they have the chance they need to play their game. If everything goes alright they are going to have more chances.

"In my group of players there are not many who are really ahead of the rest. They are very similar and if they are performing well they have the chance to be in the team in front of someone else. It's completely up to the players.

"I say to them 'show me what you can do, but show me for the team'.

Without playing for themselves they need to start producing because they are playing in very specific positions. They need to score goals."

The 41-year-old moves across Lancashire from Preston, where he was working as head of youth development having called time on a professional career spanning over 1,000 games at the end of last season.

Alexander replaces Micky Mellon in the Highbury Stadium hotseat and is taking on a first senior management role with the npower League Two club.

He guided North End for five games last term alongside David Unsworth in a caretaker capacity before Graham Westley's mid-season arrival.

Despite leading Fleetwood to two promotions in the past three years and currently seeing them occupy the final League Two play-off spot, Mellon was sacked in the wake of last weekend's FA Cup second-round defeat to Aldershot - the Cod Army's third consecutive loss in all competitions.

Alexander's first game at the helm comes on Saturday at home to fellow promotion-chasers Southend.