Neil Redfearn expects an “open game” when United travel to Brighton on Tuesday night, and the head coach is hoping for more of the same from his side at the Amex Stadium.

Redfearn has guided United to five wins from the last six, a run which has seen them climb into the top half of the Championship table to occupy 11th place.

Brighton were 2-0 winners in August’s reverse fixture at Elland Road but have since endured a mixed season and come into the game sitting 20th in the league and three points above the drop zone.

However, the Seagulls were 4-3 winners over Birmingham at the weekend and just seven points separates the two sides, meaning Redfearn will not allow for any complacency.

"They seem to be quite free-flowing, I think it will be an open game," said the head coach.

"We need to try and keep it as tight as we can and go down the same route of being difficult to play against and difficult to beat.

"They’ve got players in their side that score goals and I think a reflection of any side is if you look at their bench.

"They’ve got players like Craig Mackail-Smith and Kazenga Lua-Lua on the bench – they’ve got some poke.

"It’s going to be a tough game because they’re finding their feet a little bit. They’re still fighting for points.

"We’re fighting for points, for a different reason now, because we’re wanting to keep our season alive for as long as we can and get as far as we can."

Redfearn has found joy in the 4-2-3-1 system since the turn of the year, a formation which has seen his side keep three consecutive clean sheets on the bounce and climb up the table.

But the head coach is reluctant to set any concrete targets for the remainder of the season and wants United to continue taking things game by game.

"I think we’ve got to try and get as many points as we can and go down the same route of ‘If we can’t win, we don’t get beat’," he said.

"It’s stood us in good stead and that resilience of being difficult to play against has actually got us wins.

"I think, at this level, you’ll always get chances if you’ve got players who work hard and you’ve got legs in your midfield, which we have.

"Our team gets up the pitch well, it gets up the pitch quick and we’ll always have chances.

"We found a way – with the diamond - and it worked to begin with but it ran out of steam a little bit and people worked us out.

"Now, we’ve found another way of playing which suits the majority and that is the biggest thing in management.

"You’ve got to go and find a way to get results. Over the course of my time in charge, I think that’s what I’ve done."