NEIL Lennon is looking to Jay Spearing to drive Wanderers on in their survival fight at Brighton.

The midfielder has bounced back to form at exactly the right time for the Whites after spending much of the season on the sidelines.

But with Liam Trotter now out for the rest of February with a hamstring injury, Lennon needs to get the most out of the former Liverpool star.

“Jay was lacking in confidence for a while but in the last few games he’s been excellent,” he said. “He’s been a big player for us recently.

“He scored a great goal last weekend and his performance at Wolves away was probably his best in my time here.”

Wanderers have never won at the Amex in three visits but Spearing did get on the scoresheet in a 2-1 defeat in 2014.

It seems likely Lennon will name an unchanged midfield with Trotter unable to build on his encouraging recent displays – meaning Darren Pratley and Mark Davies will also line-up in the middle of the park.

“Liam Trotter being injured is a blow because he’s been in some good form,” Lennon said.

“He was injured in the period he was on the pitch against Rotherham and was able to play on – miraculously, I don’t know – but he’ll be missing for two or three weeks now.”

Neil Danns could come into the equation after returning from a stomach injury, while Dean Moxey has shrugged off a dead leg and should also be fit to start.

Lennon is keen to see Wanderers build on a positive result at the Macron last weekend, even if it wasn’t the standard of performance that his side had shown in their previous two league outings.

“After beating MK Dons and playing well I was very pleased with the way they approached the game at Wolves but winning on Saturday, having not played so well, grinding a result out, should give the players a psychological boost,” he said.

“If any club has had bad luck this season it’s been us, in spades, and you hope that will turn in our favour.

“I didn’t think we deserved to lose the game, I think it would have petered out to a draw, but thankfully we got the break when it came.

“Once again it was a young player grabbing the headlines.”

That young player was Kaiyne Woolery, who cut his teeth in football at Redhill in the Sussex League, around half an hour’s drive from the Amex.

“He’s still got a lot of work to do but he’s got tremendous pace and an eye for goal too,” he said of the 21-year-old.

“To score the winner last weekend is brilliant for his confidence.”