Dunk wants Brighton to emulate recently-promoted success stories

Defender Lewis Dunk believes Brighton can take confidence from the recent success of newly promoted teams to the Premier League ahead of their debut season in the top flight.

The Seagulls were pipped to the Championship title by Newcastle United after a late Aston Villa equaliser on the final day but already had promotion secured after a tremendous season.

Brighton welcome title contenders Manchester City to the Amex on the opening day of the season with Dunk optimistic the squad can pose a real threat in the Premier League.

“You look at those teams and when they first went up, they were similar to us with a similar set of players. Hopefully we can use them as an example and do what they’ve done,” he said.

“When you see Bournemouth finished ninth in the league last season, it gives you confidence. Hopefully we can emulate them, push on and do that.

“The top six or seven teams are the ones that are always going to be up there, and the rest are going to be challenging to stay in the league.

“It’s like a mini league and we can be at the top of that. Everyone wants to play against the very best players in the world and I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”