Craig Mackail-Smith shirt on Premier League push

Above: Craig Mackail-Smith in action for Brighton against Leeds

Craig Mackail-Smith has Gerard Pique’s shirt hanging on a wall at home.

But the Brighton striker insists a Championship medal would become his prized football possession.

The Scot impressed against Barcelona stars Pique and Carlos Puyol when Spain finished off Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2012 earlier this month, winning a penalty in the 3-1 defeat.

Having swapped shirts with Pique, the former Peterborough man has set his sights on being a regular at the top level.

The 27-year-old reckons tonight’s clash with West Ham at the Amex can be a major step towards taking Gus Poyet’s side into the Premier League.

“To play for my country against Spain and then be involved with Brighton means it has been quite a few weeks for me,” he said.

“It was fantastic to play Spain and that is what you aim to do, to play against the world’s best. To be on that pitch and play the full 90 minutes was superb. I want more of that now.

“I didn’t speak to Pique or Puyol as I was trying to concentrate on doing my job.

“It has been good coming back to Brighton. The aim is still to get promoted. We want to be pushing to get into the Premier League.”