Colin Calderwood sensationally quits Brighton as assistant to pave way for move to Aston Villa

BRIGHTON last night revealed assistant boss Colin Calderwood had sensationally quit the club - paving the way for a move to Aston Villa.

Calderwood, 51, had worked alongside Chris Hughton for his entire Amex spell since December 2014, having assisted the Irishman at Newcastle, Birmingham and Norwich previously.

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But the pair have now split after Calderwood resigned and was put on gardening leave on Saturday.

The door is now open for the Scot to join Villa, who have been looking for a No2 for Steve Bruce since he took the reins last month and who ironically visit the Seagulls on Friday.

Albion are second in the Championship table behind Newcastle United, while Villa are 14th after a poor start to the season, which is being slowly rectified by Bruce.