A hat-trick by teenager Adam Rooney gave Stoke their biggest win of the season and ensured Brighton ended the campaign at the foot of the Coca-Cola Championship table.

The 18-year-old scored twice in the first half and completed his hat-trick after 63 minutes with Mamady Sidibe and Peter Sweeney also getting on the scoresheet.

It was probably Johan Boskamp's last game in charge of the Potters and he saw his side make a bright start.

Brighton goalkeeper Wayne Henderson was called into action almost immediately when he had to deal with a 25-yard shot from Darel Russell.

Stoke made their pressure pay and after five minutes they were ahead after the home defenders failed to deal with a David Brammer corner, allowing Rooney to slot the ball past Henderson.

Brighton tried to get themselves back into the game and were almost back on level terms moments later when Colin Kazim-Richards latched into a free-kick from Adam Hinshelwood, forcing Stoke goalkeeper Steve Simonsen to parry the ball to safety.

Their response was short-lived though as Stoke extended their lead after 21 minutes, Rooney grabbing his second goal of the game when he latched onto a pass from Josip Skoko to beat Henderson.

And Skoko, who was causing Brighton problems, almost made it three moments later only to see his shot blocked by Richard Carpenter.

A free-kick just outside the penalty box gave Brighton some hope of pulling a goal back but Kazim-Richards shot straight into the wall.

Rooney was in the thick of the action again when Stoke went 3-0 up, with Sidibe picking up a pass from the teenager and drilling the ball home from 18 yards out.

Russell almost made it 4-0 when his left-footed shot from 25 yards out hit the post as half-time approached.

The Seagulls came out stronger in the second half with good chances in the opening 10 minutes from Kazim-Richards, Carpenter and Sebastian Carole but all to no avail.

Rooney grabbed his hat-trick and put the game beyond Brighton's reach with their first attack of the second half just after the hour, firing home a pass from Sidibe from eight yards.

Rooney was substituted for Sweeney with 15 minutes left and the tactical change by Boskamp paid off as Sweeney added goal number five with nine minutes left.

Substitute Doug Loft got a consolation goal minutes later but it was a case of too little too late for the Seagulls.

Teams

Brighton Henderson, Reid, Hinshelwood, Butters, Lynch,Nicolas, Carpenter, Carole, Frutos (Loft 58), Noel-Williams,Kazim-Richards.

Subs Not Used: Chaigneau, Mayo, El-Abd, Gatting.

Booked: Henderson.

Goals: Loft 84.

Stoke Simonsen, Duberry, Hill, Mbuyi, Buxton,Brammer (Garrett 70), Russell, Skoko (Kopteff 83), Dickinson,Rooney (Sweeney 77), Sidibe.

Subs Not Used: de Goey, Broomes.

Goals: Rooney 6, 22, Sidibe 40, Rooney 63, Sweeney 82.

Att: 5,859

Ref: K Wright (Cambridgeshire).