Chris Birchall is targeting an extended run in the team before international commitments interrupt his Albion career again.
Birchall has a dual objective – helping the Seagulls to stay up and Trinidad and Tobago to make a flying start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.
He missed the recent home defeat by Peterborough to play in Trinidad’s opening game, a 2-2 draw in El Salvador.
That cost him his place in the starting line-up against Carlisle at Withdean four days later but, with Seb Carole ineligible, Birchall was back on the right wing at Luton.
A similar scenario is looming at the end of March, when Trinidad’s next match clashes with Albion’s home game against Tranmere, so Birchall is keen to make the most of the hectic fixture programme between now and then.
“You have to go and you always want to go to represent your country,” he said. “I am no different and Trinidad have been great with me but sometimes it’s a bit hard getting back into things.
“I had a few days to get adapted to the climate, the coldness and the time difference, which is the big thing.
“The gaffer was probably right in not playing me against Carlisle but now I am back a good run of games is all I can ask for.
“I am one of those players who thrives on fitness. If I feel fit then I feel I can run all day, whereas if I haven’t played a good few games then, as a winger, where you have to get up and down, you can’t show your best.”
Birchall was involved in two key moments at Luton. His slide-rule pass, from the more central position he occupies at international level, set up Nicky Forster’s first-half equaliser and 200th goal of the veteran captain’s career.
He also took Albion’s fifth penalty in the shoot-out, which on-loan Derby keeper Lewis Price saved to send Luton to Wembley.
It might have been academic in any case, since Price had also saved the Seagulls’ previous penalty from another January signing, Jason Jarrett, but that was no consolation to Birchall.
“We should have beaten them over two legs,” he said. “It was disappointing, especially for me missing a penalty.
“I wanted to take the fifth one. I felt confident and the rest of the lads felt confident in me. We had been practising them in training but it’s different in a game.
“I was more disappointed for the fans. They have been waiting a long time for success. Even when I was at Port Vale I always knew about the fan base at Brighton, because they went up that season (2001-2002).
“In the last game of that season the fans they brought to Vale Park were unbelievable, so I know the kind of atmosphere the crowd can make. Their support on Tuesday night was brilliant.
“We have got to forget about what happened now. We have got 18 games to go in the League with no other distractions, even though Wembley would have been great.
“The lads have got to pull together and try to get ourselves out of it. We have dropped into the relegation zone and we feel that we shouldn’t be there but good teams have said that in the past and gone down.”
Birchall is relieved that Micky Adams, who was also his manager at Coventry, will still be in charge at Millwall tomorrow.
“We are glad that the gaffer is still here,” he said. “There were rumours that if we didn’t put the performance in against Luton then it could have been curtains for him and we didn’t want that.
“We found out yesterday in training that he is still here and we’re delighted. The new boys are delighted he is staying and the old boys are too.”