Jurgen Locadia believes this is his time to shine for Brighton

Locadia set up Glenn Murray for the opener before firing home a very well taken goal of his own.

Two headed goals from Shane Duffy completed the scoring at St Andrew’s.

Last season the forward scored just four times in all competitions, but the Dutchman feels he will continue to benefit from the new tactics and formations implemented by Graham Potter.

He said, “I feel good and the team are playing well. I played in a new role behind Glenn Murray against Birmingham, and it allows me to run into the channels more and use my long-distance shooting.

“That gave me more space and more freedom to move, and I think it suits me better. I definitely prefer playing behind the striker.”

Locadia is starting his third campaign with Albion and the 25-year-old is excited about the season ahead following a disappointing start to his Brighton career.

“I feel it’s probably fair to say that I haven’t shown my full potential here yet. I can give goals and assists, so if I keep this up, I can continue improving. “It’s about being flexible, as a team you know you have to always adapt. If the coach thinks it would be better suited for us to play in a certain way one week against particular opposition, then it’s up to us as players to carry that out.

“This year as a club we have to be as consistent as we can. We have to keep the level as high as we can every week. Personally, I want to score goals, help the team, and enjoy the game while having fun on the field.”

Potter has also been impressed with the promising signs from the striker and praised his application and work rate.

He said, “Jurgen is a player with a lot of potential, and he’s one of a number of players that we want to try and improve.

“That’s the job I have, and he’s applied himself really well since I’ve arrived. He’s had a tough time since he’s been here, and it probably hasn’t gone as well as he would have wanted.

“That happens in football sometimes, and you have to keep working hard. He’s been good to work with, and hopefully that can continue.”

Brighton complete their pre-season fixtures with an eye-catching home match-up against Valencia on Friday night, ahead of the Premier League curtain raiser at Watford on August 10.

Locadia added, “Valencia will be a tough test for us and even a bigger test than today (Birmingham). If we play a good game against Valencia, we are ready for the start of the season.

“I’m feeling pretty good so far. We are looking forward to getting back out at the Amex, no doubt man, it’s been a long time. I think the fans are ready, we as a team are ready and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”