Brighton boss Mark McGhee admitted he wished the season had ended a fortnight ago after seeing his relegated Seagulls crushed 5-1 by Stoke in their final game of the Coca-Cola Championship season.

McGhee confessed it would have done his players a favour had their campaign ended when relegation was confirmed with the home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on Easter Monday.

Stoke finished the season on a high with a hat-trick from young Irishman Adam Rooney and further goals from Mamady Sidibe and substitute Peter Sweeney increasing the misery for Albion.

He said: "It was a painful defeat and hard to bear, but it was also a total irrelevance.

"Our season ended with the defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. I believe our players gave everything during the course of the season, and this was one game too much for us.

"We gave everything to try to stay up and in these last two games we've had to play it out. Now we have to plan for next season."

McGhee, prepared to work within the restrictions of having to use Withdean Stadium as a temporary base, is now preparing to develop an essentially young squad.

He said: "I'm watching players this week and I'm going to try and sign a nugget that no-one else has uncovered."

The former Wolves and Millwall boss believes that, until they get a new stadium, the Seagulls are destined to be a yo-yo club - getting by on modest crowds with no money to buy new players and relying instead on producing their own.

He added: "Mentally the players are gutted at being relegated. For our two Frenchmen, Seb Carole and Alex Frutos, especially, it has been a long, hard season and it certainly showed in this game."

Brighton goal-scoring legend Peter Ward flew in from America to witness a crushing defeat for his doomed former club.

Stoke manager Johan Boskamp confirmed he is looking for another job after seeing his side round off the season in the best possible manner.

Boskamp has lost patience with Stoke's Icelandic hierarchy for offering him only a new one-year contract instead of two years and failing to sort out his future while they consider a takeover bid by ex-chairman Peter Coates.

He said: "I'm now available to talk to other clubs and will probably end up in Belgium or Holland.

"I'm not sad but disappointed at leaving but football goes on and I think Stoke have a great future.

"It's not bad to finish with a 5-1 win, and I hope our good following of fans enjoyed it.

"We've made a lot of progress, winning 10 games away from home, and I believe if the team is kept together things will develop well."

Boskamp has long been resigned to leaving if Coates succeeds with his attempted buy-out of the Icelandic owners.

He added: "Now it's time to speak to other teams. I think it is over for me at Stoke.

"I don't regret asking for two years. I have no contract and you can't work with two groups."