United, Rangers, United – Albion !

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club was formed in 1901, but it wasn’t the first professional club in the area.

In the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 1897, Edgar Everest, the secretary of the Sussex County Football Association, decided that the time had come for an improvement in the standard of football in the county. While other parts of the south had embraced professionalism, leading to the formation of the Southern League in 1894, Sussex was still an amateur backwater with the game dominated by the likes of Eastbourne, Burgess Hill, Southwick, Shoreham, Worthing, Hastings & St Leonards and others. Yet the biggest town in the area, Brighton, had no single side to represent it.

In November 1897, Everest, together with Sussex F.A. councillor Charles Meaden, organised a meeting at the Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Road, to form a professional club for Brighton. Brighton United Football Club was duly launched as a limited company under the chairmanship of Edward Butt-Thompson, a member of Brighton County Borough Council, with Everest acting as company secretary.

There was some reluctance within the town to back the venture, though, and the take-up of shares was only moderate. Nevertheless, preparations continued throughout the spring of 1898 and a trainer-manager was secured in John Jackson, the trainer of Leicester Fosse (as City were then known). A number of experienced players were signed on, including no fewer than seven from the Dundee club.

United secured the use of the Sussex County Cricket Club’s County Ground in Hove, which was the usual venue for big football matches in the area. Playing in green shirts and white knickerbockers, the club made its debut at Southwick, winning 8–1. On Saturday, 3rd September 1898, United travelled to The Dell to take on Southampton, the reigning Southern League champions, in the first game played on the “Saints’” new arena. Some 8,000 supporters, many of them from Brighton, saw the new boys lose 4–1.

The club also entered the F.A. Cup and the United League, a midweek competition played in the afternoon, but gates were not up to expectations. While crowds of 3,000–4,000 had been anticipated, only an average of around 2,300 spectators turned up. The autumn weather was very unkind, especially as there was no covered accommodation at the County Ground, and a large financial loss of around £1,000 was incurred, but the team did reasonably well to finish 10th of the 13 clubs in the Southern League’s First Division.

In 1899/1900, United got off to a terrible start with eight successive defeats in the Southern League. It was a run from which the side never recovered. By the end of March 1900 the club was bottom of the table and living from hand to mouth, a situation so serious that a meeting was held to wind up the company with four fixtures still to play. There was no alternative: the club owed £989 and had little prospect of meeting its debts. United was dead, and commentators wondered if professional football could ever flourish in Brighton and Hove.

However, several influential United supporters, led by photographer William Avenell, decided to form an amateur side to attract the best of the local players in order to maintain a higher grade of football in the area.

The proponents of this idea approached an existing club, North End Rangers, and effectively took them over. The name was changed to Brighton & Hove Rangers, and a pitch was secured at Home Farm, Withdean, at a cost of £30 per season. A covered stand was erected at a cost of £60 on the field which was then in a semi-rural area; the limit of the horse-bus routes was at Clermont Road, near Preston Park Station half a mile to the south. (The site of the ground is still an open space known as Surrenden Field, opposite the junction of London Road and Tongdean Lane, and Home Farmhouse still stands at the bottom of Peacock Lane.)

Wearing black-and-white stripes, Rangers played their first match on 1st September 1900 against Clapton, a 0–0 draw. The team played mostly friendly matches and secured some excellent results at Withdean against good quality opposition, including New Brompton (later Gillingham) (1–2), Leicester Fosse (0–0) and West Ham United (1–1). The club entered the F.A. Cup, and also the local cup competitions. In fact they reached the final of the Sussex Senior Cup but lost 3–1 to Eastbourne in the final at the County Ground. They also lost out to Brighton Athletic in the final of the Brighton Challenge Shield.

The success of Rangers did not go unnoticed and they were invited to join the Southern League’s Second Division for 1901/02. A pitch was secured at the Sussex County Ground, but at the beginning of June 1901 the club folded for reasons which are not clear. It could be that the club was in financial difficulties or that it faced allegations of professionalism, a heinous offence at the time. Whatever the reason, the second attempt to raise the standard of football in Brighton and Hove had failed.

Before they folded, Rangers had secured the services of John Jackson, the former manager of Brighton United and the most experienced football professional in the area, to help take them forward. No doubt dismayed at a second major failure, Jackson took up the challenge and organised a meeting for 24th June 1901 at the Seven Stars in Ship Street (now O’Neills), advertising the formation of a new Brighton & Hove Football Club which had a place in the Second Division of the Southern League and a pitch at the County Ground.

At the meeting William Avenell explained that the downfall of Rangers was due to the large committee, and he advised the new club to have “a clear-headed lot of men” to run it. The name chosen was “Brighton & Hove United”. Daniel Bott, a brewery manager, was elected as chairman, and Billy Newham, secretary of Sussex C.C.C., volunteered his services as treasurer.

However, when news of the meeting was released, Hove F.C. objected that the new name implied that their club had been absorbed. Consequently the name was changed to “Brighton & Hove Albion” in July. Quite why the “Albion” suffix was chosen is not clear. The word had numerous local associations, and West Bromwich Albion (with whom John Jackson appears to have had no connection) set a good precedent for a football club. Whatever the reason, the Albion were now up and running.

Early Success

Run semi-professionally, the infant club beat Shoreham 2–0 in its first game on 7th September 1901 on a pitch off Dyke Road, near the top of The Upper Drive. The first competitive fixture, played at the County Ground, saw Albion defeat Brighton Athletic 6–2 in the preliminary round of the F.A. Cup.

Playing in “fisherman’s-blue” shirts and white knickerbockers, the team challenged for promotion from the Second Division but fell away to finish third in its first season. Late on, a number of games were played at the Goldstone Ground, which had been rented to Hove F.C. by Alderman John Clark of Goldstone Farm from the start of the season, and Albion were invited to share the arena from 1902.

It was a somewhat Spartan new home. There was just one stand, seating 400 spectators, on the western touchline, while a natural bank rose from south to north on the east side. Clark’s large house overlooked the ground from the east, and on Saturday afternoons he would host football tea-parties in his garden.

In 1902/03, Albion again challenged for promotion and ended up sharing the Southern League’s Second Division title with Fulham; a play-off for the title was precluded because of fixture congestion.

However, promotion was not automatic; Albion had to play a “test match” against First Division side Watford for the right to compete in the top section the following season. Albion won the game 5–3 at Canning Town, with former England international Ben Garfield netting four times, but the club committee recommended that promotion be rejected on the grounds of expense. The club membership, though, voted overwhelmingly to accept the place in the First Division in an early demonstration of “fan power”.

Further Progress

The first season in Division One of the Southern League was a struggle and Albion were forced – successfully – to seek re-election, but 1904 was a notable year for other reasons: the club was incorporated as a limited company under chairman George Broadbridge to maintain progress; Hove vacated the Goldstone Ground, leaving Albion as sole tenants of Alderman Clark; an 1,800-seat stand was installed behind the south goal; the club adopted a new strip of blue-and-white stripes which went on to become the traditional colours; and Albion were admitted as full members of the Football Association.

Albion slowly established themselves in Division One over the next few seasons as the club struggled to make ends meet. John Jackson was sacked in 1905, but more as a result of the administrative chaos that had arisen rather than poor performances on the pitch. In fact, the Football Association inquired into the club and suspended a number of directors for mismanagement, as well as censuring the now-departed Jackson. He was replaced by Frank Scott-Walford, who led the club to the F.A. Cup’s first round proper (equivalent to today’s third round) for the first time in 1905/06 before losing narrowly to Middlesbrough in round two, and to third place in the Southern League the following season.

It was the F.A. Cup games that provided the major interest, though. Preston North End, from the Football League’s First Division, were beaten 1–0 at the third attempt in 1908, and Liverpool were taken to a replay. The latter tie attracted a record crowd of around 12,000 to the Goldstone.

Champions of England

In 1909/10, however, Albion won the Southern League championship. Jack Robson, manager since 1908, had assembled an excellent side with the meanest defence in the club’s history – just 28 goals conceded in 42 league games. Men such as goalkeeper Bob “Pom Pom” Whiting, full-back Joe Leeming, wing-half Billy Booth, winger Bert Longstaff, centre-forward Bill “Bullet” Jones and Irish inside-forward Charlie Webb (who, in March 1909, had become Albion’s first international) were outstanding in a superb season. A crowd of around 11,000 saw Albion defeat their nearest rivals, Swindon Town, 3–1 at the Goldstone on 23rd April to clinch the title. Just sixteen players were used as the club also annexed the Southern Charity Cup.

Winning the title qualified the Albion to play for the Football Association’s Charity Shield, which was then contested by the respective champions of the Football League and the rival Southern League. On 5th September 1910, Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Aston Villa 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in one of the club’s greatest-ever triumphs, the goal being scored by Webb. As the team returned to Brighton Station to be mobbed by jubilant fans, the club was dubbed “Champions of England”.

Wartime Troubles (1)

League form declined slowly until 1915, but in the F.A. Cup there were more notable triumphs, the best result being a 1–0 win over First Division Oldham Athletic in 1914. The advent of war in 1914 saw attendances plummet and the players practising rifle-drill on the Goldstone pitch. Many of them joined the so-called “Footballers’ Battalion” of the Middlesex Regiment, and some were among the millions who fell in battle, but in 1915 the club closed down until peace returned.

Towards the end of the war former player Charlie Webb, who was a prisoner-of-war at the time, was appointed manager. He was to remain at the helm until 1947.

When normal fare resumed in 1919 there was a massive programme of works to renovate the Goldstone, partly funded by a take-up of unallocated shares. Although the team struggled, supporters attended games in greater numbers than ever before, setting a new average of 9,206. But a brave new era was about to begin.

New Horizons

On three occasions the Southern League had suggested to the Preston-based Football League that the two competitions should amalgamate. Each time the approach was rejected by the Football League.

However, as the “defections” from the Southern League grew, it became obvious that it could no longer survive as a rival competition. The result was that in 1920 the Southern League’s First Division was absorbed en bloc by the Football League as the Third Division (South).

The club’s first game in the new competition was a 2–0 defeat at Southend. Although they finished only 18th in that first season, Albion generally finished in the top half but, with only the champions promoted, challenged for the top spot only in the late 1930s onwards.

The Goldstone Ground was also improved in 1920, with an extension to the wooden West Stand that had stood since 1901. Behind the southern goal was the large stand of 1904 seating 1,800. The popular east side of the ground was open banking, but this was increased in 1920 to provide room for an extra 3,000 spectators. The northern end was also open.

Some excellent players passed through the Goldstone in the 1920s, under the management of former player Charlie Webb. Jack Doran lit up the first couple of seasons in the Football League with his goalscoring exploits. In 1921/22 the Irish international netted 17 goals in the first 13 games, including a five-goal haul against Northampton Town and two hat-tricks against Exeter City home and away. No other player scored before Jack had 12 goals to his name.

Tommy Cook, who holds the club record of 114 league goals, became the first Albion player to be capped by England, a rare honour for a Third Division player, when he played against Wales at Swansea in February 1925. He scored eight hat-tricks for the club, and also more than 20,000 runs for Sussex at cricket.

In 1922, Ernie “Tug” Wilson made the first of a record 566 appearances for the club; the little winger was an automatic choice for more than 12 years. Other notable performers from the ’20s include half-backs Reg Wilkinson and Wally Little; and full-back Jack Jenkins, who won eight caps for Wales.

Cup Giantkillers

While Albion failed to set the new Third Division alight, they did achieve a number of outstanding triumphs in the F.A. Cup. In 1920/21 they thrashed Oldham Athletic from the First Division 4–1, and became the centre of national interest in 1922/23 when they took on the famed amateur side Corinthians. It was the latter’s first-ever cup tie, and after two close games Albion won the second replay with a Tommy Cook goal at Stamford Bridge. The gate for the third match, played on a Monday afternoon, was 43,760. The tie was also noteworthy in that the first game, played at the Goldstone, was filmed and shown in cinematic newsreels throughout the land.

The following season Albion achieved one of their finest results ever, humbling Everton 5–2 at the Goldstone. Other First Division sides defeated were Sheffield United in 1921/22, and Grimsby Town and Portsmouth in 1929/30. That latter season saw the phenomenal exploits of Hugh Vallance and Dan Kirkwood. Vallance, a “one-season wonder”, notched 30 league goals, a record that lasted 47 years, with his partner hitting 28. Having defeated Grimsby and local rivals Portsmouth, Albion went out in the fifth round at Newcastle before a crowd of 56,469.

In 1930/31, Albion enjoyed another major cup triumph, defeating Leicester City 2–1 away from home, but the best run of all – at least until 1983 – came in 1932/33. Because secretary Albert Underwood had neglected to apply for exemption the club had to compete in the qualifying rounds, an ignominious task which was the topic of much debate. Albion duly despatched the local amateurs: Shoreham 12–0, Worthing 7–1, Hastings & St Leonards 9–0, and Barnet 4–0. In the first round proper Albion defeated Crystal Palace, then beat Wrexham to set up a third-round home tie against Chelsea.

The First Division side boasted many famous names, but Albion pulled out all the stops to defeat the Londoners 2–1 in front of a crowd of 23,580. After Bradford (P.A.) were defeated in the fourth round, West Ham United were drawn next from the velvet bag.

On 18th February 1933 a massive crowd numbering 32,210 gathered at the Goldstone, an attendance record that stood for 25 years. They witnessed a 2–2 draw, but the “Hammers” won the replay 1–0 to end the Sussex interest after nine ties and eleven matches! By the end of the season Arthur Attwood had set a new scoring record with 35 goals in total, but 11 of them had come in the qualifying games.

That win over Chelsea was the club’s last over a First Division side for more than 40 years. In fact Albion suffered a first defeat (since joining the Football League in 1920) at the hands of non-league opposition – Yeovil & Petters United – in 1938/39.

Nearly There

While the 1930s saw the country as a whole in a state of depression and average gates at the Goldstone dipping as low as 6,309, Albion enjoyed their most successful period thus far in the Football League, challenging for promotion for the first time.

The club entered the decade with grandiose plans. Having purchased the lease on the Goldstone Ground from their landlord, Alderman Clark, in 1926, Albion secured the freehold to the site in 1930 from the Stanford Estate. Backed by the security of owning the arena, Albion drew up plans for a colossal new West Stand in 1936 and other improvements, but the only one that saw the light of day was a simple roof over the northern terrace, the first North Stand, which was opened in 1931 largely though the fund-raising efforts of the Supporters’ Club.

As the giant-killing reputation diminished Albion started to become a force in the Third Division. Although the highest place achieved was only third, there were serious promotion challenges in 1936/37, 1937/38 and 1938/39. The goalscoring exploits of winger Bert Stephens – he scored more than 20 goals in each of three successive seasons – plus solid contributions from stalwarts such as Ernie Marriott, Dave Walker and Joe Wilson, attracted average gates of more than 10,000 for the first time.

Wartime Troubles (2)

However, just as Albion finally seemed to be coming to terms with the requirements for promotion, the world descended into turmoil for the second time in 25 years. The Second World War erupted in September 1939, causing the abandonment of the 1939/40 season.

Rather than close down again, though, Albion opted to continue in the emergency competitions that were soon established by the Football League. The game struggled to continue, but manager Charlie Webb used the “guest player” system to play unregistered players when needed. To their credit Albion never failed to fulfil a fixture, but suffered some heavy defeats at times.

While the country as a whole fought desperately to survive during 1940, the state of the Albion was equally critical. Not for the last time a financial crisis engulfed the club, and it was only the initiative of the mayor of Hove, Cllr Albert Hillman, in inviting the directors of the Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium to take the reins at the Goldstone, that saved the Albion from liquidation. The new men, Charles Wakeling and Carlo Campbell, stabilised the position and enabled the club to battle on. It was envisaged that one day the Albion would move in at the greyhound stadium, but it never came to pass.

On the pitch, Albion continued to compete in the regional league competitions, using guest players when necessary and also employing some very capable teenaged players from Sussex. Even so, manager Charlie Webb was occasionally obliged to make up numbers by enlisting servicemen from the crowd. One such memorable occasion was on Christmas Day 1940 when Webb travelled to Norwich with just one professional and three juniors. With the other seven men eventually comprising Norwich reserves and spectators, Albion lost the game 18–0!

With the Battle of Britain being fought in the skies above the south of England during 1940, several games at the Goldstone were abandoned because of the threat of air-raids. On 21st September a game with Southampton lasted just three-and-a-half minutes before being called off because of the danger. Fortunately, the only bomb to hit the Goldstone Ground fell in the summer of 1942 when the empty North Stand was devastated; the roof had to be removed and was not replaced until the conflict had finished.

In 1941/42, Albion were more or less obliged to join the London clubs in the London War League and were deemed to have seceded from the Football League. Order returned the following season with the “rebels” paying a nominal fine to return to the fold.

After six years of warfare, peace was restored in 1945 with the surrender of Germany and then Japan, but football remained on an emergency footing until 1946. However, the F.A. Cup made a welcome reappearance during 1945/46 with a two-legged competition, and Albion did well to reach the fifth round before bowing out to Derby County, the eventual winners.

Struggles and Boom

While the country was at war the club had struggled. Sadly, when things returned to normal, little changed as far as the Albion were concerned. In the first peacetime season they finished 17th, but worse was to follow. The manager, Charlie Webb, turned 60 in 1946 and made way for Tommy Cook in 1947, but the former star player’s time in charge of the team was as traumatic as it was short. Albion sank to the bottom of the table with just three wins from 16 games, resulting in an unprecedented on-pitch demonstration by frustrated supporters. In came Don Welsh to replace Cook, but he could not prevent the club finishing bottom in 1947/48 and having to apply – successfully – for re-election to the Football League for the first and only time.

But while form dipped, attendances rose rapidly and the league record for the Goldstone was broken four times in nine months during 1948 and 1949. The average for 1948/49 was a record 17,729. Plans were made to accommodate the burgeoning crowds, and the old South Stand was, at first, uplifted behind a new terrace in 1949 then re-roofed in 1954. The North Stand was extended in the mid 1950s; the East Terrace was built up over several years in the late ’40s and ’50s; and the ramshackle old West Stand, which had been modified several times, was finally replaced in 1958 (with the southern half of the new “Grand Stand” opening in 1960).

Back on the pitch, Welsh was allowed to spend money at an unprecedented rate to rebuild the team. Johnny McNichol, for instance, cost a record £5,000 from Newcastle United, but proved to be one of the best players ever to wear an Albion shirt. The crowds flocked to watch their new heroes, now wearing blue shirts with white sleeves – the first change since 1904 – but the team could only finish in sixth place.

The 1949/50 season ended in similar disappointment, but in March 1951, with Albion in the lower reaches of the Third Division (South), First Division Liverpool persuaded Welsh to take over the hot seat at Anfield, leaving his former club in the temporary care of his assistant, Billy Lane.

Entertainment in Abundance

The former Brentford marksman immediately put the emphasis back on attack, and a crushing 9–1 defeat of Newport County helped see the club to the relative comfort of 13th position and seal the job for Lane. It was the start of a long period of sustained entertainment at the Goldstone Ground – the average gate for the decade was over 16,000 – but could the Albion secure the championship and the one promotion place that was available?

Lane started to put together the foundations of a formidable side. Built around the skills of Johnny McNichol, the side also had a formidable half-back line in Jess Willard, Tim McCoy and Glen Wilson. Des Tennant and Jack Mansell formed a sound partnership at full-back. The manager also reintroduced the popular blue-and-white stripes.

In 1951/52, Lane’s first full season in charge, Albion challenged for the title before falling away in April. Plymouth Argyle took the honours with a 3–2 win at Hove in front of a new league record crowd of 29,140. But morale among supporters nose-dived the following season when McNichol was sold to Chelsea for £12,000 (plus Jimmy Leadbetter as a replacement), and Albion were never in the hunt.

Other stalwarts came into the side: Eric Gill, who was to keep goal in 247 consecutive games; Dennis “Flash” Gordon and Denis Foreman on the wings, and Bert Addinall and Albert Mundy inside. In 1953/54 Albion finished runners-up for the first time, and the first 30,000-plus gate for a league game at the Goldstone was recorded when Southampton visited in March. Albion led the table going into Easter, but two defeats by lowly Shrewsbury Town allowed Ipswich Town to condemn Lane’s side to another campaign in the Third Division.

In 1955/56, Albion went even closer. This time they set a new scoring record for the club with 112 goals, 73 of them at home. In fact they won 14 home games in a row, scoring 55 times in the process. Mundy hit 28, while his new partner Peter Harburn notched 23; Foreman and Malcolm Stephens also reached double figures. Albion totalled 65 points, another new record, but they were pipped by the infuriatingly consistent Leyton Orient who took a crucial point from the Goldstone in April before a crowd of 30,864.

The near misses prompted rumours that the club did not want promotion – because of higher costs – but that was finally dispelled in 1957/58 when the Third Division (South) championship was finally secured at the 31st attempt. Albion totalled five points fewer than two years before, and there were five teams involved in the run-in. However, the title was won in spectacular fashion when Watford were defeated 6–0 at the Goldstone in the final match of the season. Before a crowd of 31,038, Adrian Thorne, a local 20-year-old who was standing in for the injured Dave Sexton, scored five times in what was only his seventh first-team game; his first three effectively wrapped up the game inside the first nine minutes.

New Challenges

After such a long wait the unbridled joy of the players, directors and supporters was understandable: a place in the Second Division for the first time ever beckoned. With the new West Stand taking shape during the summer, Albion had at last come of age as a football club. Ironically they finally won Division Three (South) in the last season of its existence as the northern and southern sections were combined into new Divisions Three and Four.

However, the club’s debut in Division Two ended in a record defeat as Middlesbrough crushed the newcomers 9–0 (with future Albion manager Brian Clough scoring five).

It was a cruel setback but not disastrous. The team rallied from the bottom of the table in September to finish in a respectable 12th position. Goals were leaked in abundance, but after the turn of the year relegation never looked to be on the cards. On 27th December promotion-chasing Fulham arrived at the Goldstone with a star-studded line-up including former Albion favourite Jimmy Langley. The gate was an incredible 36,747, the biggest ever recorded at the Hove ground. The average over the season was also the highest on record, an impressive 22,460.

The second season in Division Two saw Albion struggling for most of the campaign before finishing 14th, but much interest was reserved for the F.A. Cup, with the club enjoying its best run for some time. In the fourth round many supporters enjoyed the novelty of a visit to Arsenal to see Albion defeat Rotherham United 6–0 under the Highbury floodlights in a second replay, with centre-forward Bill Curry hitting a hat-trick. Preston North End finally put paid to cup hopes, though, with a 2–1 triumph at Deepdale.

The great highlight of 1960/61 was undoubtedly the F.A. Cup encounter with Burnley, the reigning league champions. The game at Hove ended 3–3, but will forever be remembered for a goal by Albion left-back Bob McNicol from around 35 to 40 yards which flew into the Burnley net. The pedigree side from Lancashire won the replay 2–0.

Another memorable occasion was the advent of floodlights at the Goldstone Ground, inaugurated in April 1961 with a friendly against Danish side Frem.

Back in the league, though, it was still a struggle. Unfortunately, 12th place in 1958/59, their first season in Division Two, was the best Albion could achieve. In 1960/61 they survived with a 2–1 win over Huddersfield Town at the Goldstone in the penultimate game, but it was enough to convince Billy Lane that he could take the Albion no further. After 10 years in charge he resigned, to be replaced by George Curtis, an experienced coach.

Strapped for cash, Curtis tried to change the club’s fortunes by employing the newly fashionable 4–2–4 formation but to little avail. Falling to the bottom of the table in March, Albion finished the season last and found themselves back in the Third Division after four seasons. The setback also prompted a battle for control of the boardroom, but the “Pep Group’s” efforts were rejected.

However, worse was to follow. Curtis put his faith in promising but untried youngsters, and Albion fell straight through Division Three. The “Pep Group” returned and succeeded in ousting the existing directors in November 1962. There was an immediate injection of cash, but Curtis was not the man for the job. In the midst of one of the coldest winters on record, the manager was sacked in February to be replaced two months later by former Scottish international Archie Macaulay, but it was not enough to save the club from a second successive relegation which saw Albion in the Fourth Division for the first time.

Out of the Basement

After stabilising the club in 1963/64, Macaulay set about rebuilding the side. In a transfer coup that amazed the footballing world, he secured the services of Bobby Smith from Tottenham Hotspur; the 31-year-old had been England’s centre-forward just six months earlier.

The presence of Smith at the Goldstone immediately brought the crowds back to Hove. In his first game, a home fixture against Barrow, a gate of 20,058 saw their new hero score twice in a 3–1 win. Other players made a big contribution – Norman Gall, Dave Turner, Jimmy Collins, Wally Gould, Jack Smith, Brian Powney – but it was Bobby who attracted all the attention.

Albion went into the final game, a home fixture with Darlington, needing a point for promotion and two for the title. With 31,423 fans inside the Goldstone, the side won 3–1 to clinch the Fourth Division championship. It was a great triumph that rewarded Macaulay’s efforts, and the average gate at the Goldstone was a superb 17,975.

However, all good things come to an end, and the relationship between Macaulay and Smith soured quickly with the burly centre-forward leaving the club early the following season. Albion established themselves as a mid-table side in Division Three and threw in some memorable scorelines to keep the fans interested: Wisbech Town were beaten 10–1 and Southend United 9–1 at the Goldstone.

In 1966/67, Albion steered themselves just clear of relegation, but did enjoy two decent cup runs. In the Football League Cup (introduced in 1960) they reached the fourth round for the first time before losing 8–0 at Northampton, while in the F.A. Cup they drew 1–1 with glamour side Chelsea at Hove in front of 35,000 fans, the second biggest crowd at the Goldstone ever. The replay at Stamford Bridge was lost 4–0.

After a mediocre season in 1967/68, suddenly Macaulay came under pressure the following autumn. With only two wins from 12 games, Albion found themselves just above the bottom four and the manager felt obliged to quit. In came Freddie Goodwin, recently returned from two years’ coaching in the U.S.A., and he steered the club to a comfortable final position.

Building on the late success during 1968/69, Goodwin brought in some experienced men to play alongside the likes of Turner, forward Kit Napier and defender John Napier. In 1969/70 he took Albion to the top of the table, but only one win from the last five games meant that the side fell away to finish only fifth. It was an unhappy finale to the season which ended in uproar when Goodwin left for Birmingham City, leaving Albion to find their fifth manager in 10 years.

Beset by the perennial lack of cash, Albion struggled in 1970/71, but new boss Pat Saward himself engineered the remedy. The manager inspired thousands of supporters to raise money for his “Buy a Player Fund”, resulting in the purchase of Bert Murray who, together with on-loan Willie Irvine, inspired the team to victory over second-placed Fulham in March to stop the rot. Albion subsequently climbed from 23rd place to 14th

Building on the confidence of that late run, Saward put together an attacking side in 1971/72 that quite unexpectedly earned promotion behind Aston Villa. Thanks to outstanding away form – 12 games were won and 43 goals scored – Albion finished with 65 points, equalling the total of 1955/56. In a frantic finale the side secured promotion with a home draw against Rochdale before 34,766 supporters. Murray, the “People’s Player”, won the Player of the Season accolade.

After such an outstanding season, 1972/73 proved to be a bitter disappointment. A disastrous run of 13 consecutive defeats saw Albion slump to the bottom of the table and remain there. After just one year they found themselves back in Division Three once more, leaving fans to wonder if the club would ever be anything other than a Third Division “also-ran”. At such a low ebb, perhaps only one man could even guess at what might happen in the near future.

New Era

That man was Mike Bamber, a dynamic young property developer who was made chairman in October 1973. One of his first acts was to sack Saward, an unpopular move, but news of his replacement soon silenced the doubters.

In a coup every bit as spectacular as Macaulay and Smith nine years earlier, Bamber brought in Brian Clough, the most outspoken manager of his day — and also one of the best. Suddenly the club was in the spotlight. Supporters basked in the publicity and returned in numbers — but it was not an easy existence.

With the players trembling before the new manager, they found themselves humiliated at the Goldstone: defeated 4–0 by amateurs Walton & Hersham in the F.A. Cup, they were then thrashed 8–2 by Bristol Rovers in the league. Things improved as Clough rapidly built a new team and the drop was avoided.

But how committed was Clough? During the season he had enjoyed a number of trips abroad, and the fans’ worst fears were realised when he left for Leeds United in July 1974 after less than nine months in the job. His replacement was Peter Taylor, his erstwhile assistant, who stuck to his contract. In fact, Taylor merely stood by the players that he, rather than Clough, had scouted and signed for the Albion while acting as assistant.

The new man proved a dour contrast to his vociferous predecessor but the team finished in the same place, 19th, in 1974/75. Again the club was humiliated in the F.A. Cup, this time losing at home to Leatherhead.

Albion came close to promotion in 1975/76, though, with front-man Fred Binney hitting 27 goals. Home form was superb – 18 games won and only two lost – and the average gate soared to 15,317, but away form was a let-down and the side eventually finished fifth. During the season, in response to the “Eagles!” chant of arch-rivals Crystal Palace, Albion became known as the “Seagulls”. It was the start of “Seagull mania” as supporters from all over Sussex came flocking to the Goldstone Ground where the team proved to be almost unbeatable.

Golden Years

After two seasons on his own, though, Taylor rejoined his former partner, Brian Clough, at Nottingham Forest in 1976. Bamber quickly brought in the recently-retired England international Alan Mullery for his first managerial post. With a team assembled by Taylor, Mullery steered the club to second place in the Third Division in a campaign that had everything. Once again home form was tremendous – 19 wins and one defeat – and the average gate rose to 20,183. Many were beguiled by the quicksilver skills of Peter Ward, a young player plucked from Burton Albion who was top scorer in the entire Football League, creating a new club record of 36 goals in the process. No Albion player has ever been as popular as Ward, yet the Player of the Season award was won by the inspirational captain, Brian Horton.

For the first time since 1932/33, Albion defeated First Division opposition, beating Ipswich Town and West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup before bowing out to Derby County in a replay. The F.A. Cup also threw up a classic encounter with Crystal Palace that the Selhurst side won in a controversial second replay at Stamford Bridge.

Facing the challenge of the Second Division, Mullery was allowed to spend money like no Albion manager before him. In came Mark Lawrenson, who became the most accomplished player ever in an Albion shirt, for more than £100,000, followed by Teddy Maybank for £238,000. With Brian Horton’s leadership and Peter O’Sullivan feeding his forwards superbly, Mullery’s side challenged for promotion to the First Division and crowds came in record numbers. The gate averaged 25,264, and three times within a fortnight in April 1978 it topped 30,000. These staggering figures prompted the Board to draw up plans to improve the Goldstone, but the club’s strategy soon changed to seeking a new home.

The visit of Tottenham Hotspur saw hooliganism on a large scale, but Albion beat their promotion rivals 3–1 to set up a fascinating finale that saw “Spurs” draw with Southampton to pip the “Seagulls” on goal difference.

In 1978/79 supporters expected the team to do well, but it was only after reaching the fifth round of the League Cup for the first and only time – they lost 3–1 at Nottingham Forest – that they gained the confidence to challenge for promotion. With only two league defeats after November, Albion looked likely champions, but after securing promotion with a 3–1 victory at Newcastle they were beaten to the title by Crystal Palace and finished second. Nevertheless, the team was feted throughout the twin towns as supporters anticipated visits to and by the First Division giants.

Promised Land

Just as their Second Division debut 21 years earlier had proved “difficult”, the first game in Division One, on 18th August 1979, was a 4–0 home defeat by Arsenal. Soon adrift at the bottom of the table, the “Seagulls” faced a daunting trip to Nottingham Forest, where the European champions were unbeaten at home for over two years. However, Gerry Ryan scored the goal which beat Clough and Taylor’s men, and suddenly the team found a new lease of life. Peter Ward, who had been the subject of an aborted transfer to Forest, began to sparkle again, and Albion rallied to 16th place, avoiding relegation with ease.

The season ended with a fire in the South Stand following a game against Middlesbrough. It was refurbished as an all-seater, opening at Christmas 1980, but in the summer the North Stand was demolished after failing a safety test. Although the club finished the decade in the top flight, its home still belonged firmly in the Third Division.

Albion’s second season amongst the elite, 1980/81, was a struggle even more desperate than their debut campaign. Hovering in or just above the relegation places, the team avoided the drop only by winning their last four games of the season. It had been hoped that Peter Ward would form a partnership with £400,000 striker Michael Robinson, who scored 22 goals, but Ward was sold to Nottingham Forest and replaced by £500,000 Andy Ritchie, the club’s record signing. Although escape from relegation was ultimately a triumph, a dispute over the proposed sale of Mark Lawrenson caused a rift between the two men at the helm, Bamber and Mullery, and the manager left the club in the close season.

In came Mike Bailey from Charlton Athletic who carried on rebuilding the team, bringing in players such as Tony Grealish, Jimmy Case and Steve Gatting, all for big fees. He introduced a negative style of play which proved successful at first – wins were secured at Tottenham, Southampton and Liverpool, for instance – and at one time the side was challenging for a UEFA Cup place, but they fell away in the spring and finished 13th, the highest position in the club’s history.

In 1982/83, Albion got off to a bad start. Attendances fell to under 10,000 and Bamber blamed the negative tactics. In December, with Albion lying 18th, Bailey was sacked, to be replaced temporarily by two members of his staff, Jimmy Melia and George Aitken. Melia later took over on his own, but the dreadful league form continued and the club finished bottom of Division One after four years among the elite.

F.A. Cup Final

However, the season will always be remembered for the F.A. Cup. While league form was terrible, Albion went way beyond their previous best in competition to reach the final. It started inauspiciously when Second Division Newcastle United drew at the Goldstone, but Albion won the replay 1–0 with a goal by Peter Ward, who had returned to the club on loan.

In the fourth round Manchester City were thrashed 4–0, a result which pitched bottom-of-the-table Albion against the reigning champions and league leaders Liverpool at Anfield. On Sunday, 6th March 1983, the “Seagulls” achieved one of their greatest-ever victories thanks to goals from Gerry Ryan and Jimmy Case, the latter a deflected effort against his former club within a minute of Liverpool’s equaliser. Although the teams were in the same division, it was a huge upset which put Albion into the quarter-finals for the first time ever.

Fellow First Division strugglers Norwich City were next, Case again scoring the winner in a 1–0 home win which confirmed Melia as manager.

In the semi-final, Albion took on Second Division Sheffield Wednesday at Highbury in front of 54,627 spectators. A 35-yard free-kick by Case and a scrambled effort from Robinson took the “Seagulls” into the final and a clash with Manchester United on the club’s first-ever visit to Wembley.

The build-up to the great day, 21st May 1983, was marred by a dispute over the suspension of Albion’s England international captain, Steve Foster, but the ban remained and the honour of leading the team out fell to Tony Grealish. In an enthralling contest, Albion led at half time with a Gordon Smith header, only for United to take the lead 2–1 in the second half. However, Gary Stephens equalised from close range with four minutes remaining to take the match into extra time.

With just a few seconds of the extra 30 minutes left, Michael Robinson was put through by Jimmy Case. He took the ball into the penalty area and passed to Gordon Smith, who was unmarked. The incident was famously described by radio commentator Peter Jones – “And Smith must score!” – but the Scot saw his close-range effort smothered by goalkeeper Gary Bailey and the game ended 2–2.

Foster returned for the replay five days later, but Manchester United overwhelmed the “Seagulls” 4–0. Nevertheless, back in Brighton and Hove, Albion were feted once again as heroes.

Decline and Fall

The F.A. Cup final had been a terrific adventure, but the reality of the situation began to hit home in the close season. Albion had been relegated to the Second Division, and the highly-paid star players had to be sold. Stevens, Robinson and Neil McNab were among those leaving, with Foster and Grealish moving on later in the season. The campaign started badly with poor results and a riot at the Goldstone by the hooligan followers of Chelsea. The easy-going Melia was soon replaced by the much stricter Chris Cattlin, a former player, and he stabilised the situation, bringing in the likes of Danny Wilson, Chris Hutchings and Steve Penney. The big-spending days were clearly over and the pressure started to tell on Mike Bamber, who stood down after almost 11 years as chairman to be replaced by Bryan Bedson.

The highlight of 1983/84 was another victory over Liverpool in the F.A. Cup, but with the club no longer able to afford even modest transfer fees, Cattlin performed wonders in 1984/85, taking the side to within one win of promotion back to Division One. The following season also looked promising as new star striker Dean Saunders scored the goals that took the club into the last eight of the F.A. Cup for only the second time. Southampton triumphed 2–0 at the Goldstone, though, and any lingering hopes of promotion also evaporated.

The disappointing end to the season saw Cattlin sacked, a course of action that prompted a huge outcry among fans and a venomous campaign against the chairman. Former manager Alan Mullery returned to the scene of past triumphs, but he was given little chance to repeat his previous success and was replaced just eight months later by youth-team coach Barry Lloyd. The last four months of the 1986/87 season were nothing short of traumatic as Lloyd took 15 games to register a first victory. From 15th spot when he took over, Albion plummeted to the bottom of the table and were ignominiously relegated. To add insult to injury, Lloyd was obliged to sell the popular Saunders cheaply, an act that lost the untried manager much support.

Lloyd, though, was determined to rebuild the side in 1987/88. Out went Wilson, Eric Young and Terry Connor. In came Kevin Bremner, Doug Rougvie, Keith Dublin, Dean Wilkins and Garry Nelson, and the club bounced straight back to Division Two on the strength of Nelson’s 32 goals, a record 17-match unbeaten run, and seven wins from the last eight games. It was a splendid and unexpected turnaround in fortunes as Albion finished runners-up to Sunderland. An F.A. Cup game with Arsenal (lost 2–1) attracted a crowd of 26,467 to the Goldstone, the last 20,000-plus attendance at the ground.

The remainder of the 1980s saw Albion either struggling or flattering to deceive in the Second Division. Lloyd cannily got around the financial constraints with some inspired purchases from unlikely sources, but the apparent lack of ambition at the Goldstone did little to appease a dwindling and restless support. Nevertheless, players such as Mike Small and John Byrne played a big part in getting Albion – quite unexpectedly – back to Wembley.

The 1990/91 season started slowly, but nine away wins saw the club competing for one of four play-off berths when the last game against Ipswich Town arrived. A spectacular free-kick from Wilkins secured victory, sixth place, and a semi-final against Millwall. Albion defeated the London side comfortably, 4–1 at home then 2–1 away, but Notts County proved to be too good on the day at Wembley, winning the play-off final 3–1, and around 33,000 supporters returned to Sussex disappointed.

That Wembley failure cost the club dear. One year later, had Albion survived amongst the elite, they would have been members of the new F.A. Premier League with its satellite television windfall. Instead, Lloyd’s side was tamely relegated in 1991/92 and found themselves in the Third Division – renamed Division Two – once more.

Financial Crisis

The glory years of the late 1970s and early ’80s had taken their toll. Unrealistic salaries had led to debts which had spiralled out of control. Abysmal financial management had allowed the club to get into such a state that winding-up orders were sought for unpaid PAYE and VAT. Only the sale of goalkeeper Mark Beeney to Leeds United for an immediate payment of £350,000 in April 1993 eventually averted possible closure.

Organised “fan power”, in the form of the Brighton Independent Supporters Association, entered the scene with an on-pitch demonstration in 1992, while the fanzine Gulls Eye spoke for many on the terraces and was often harshly critical of the club.

Financial salvation was envisaged in a scheme for retail warehouses on the Goldstone. The increased value of the site would allow the club to borrow more, although no such development was anticipated until a new ground was available. (Lloyd, who was made managing director in 1991, was pursuing a new stadium in a disused chalk pit north of Shoreham.) Supporters fought long and hard for planning permission from Hove Council — but it was to prove a hollow victory.

The club’s position was so dire that further winding-up petitions were received in 1993. Two directors, Bill Archer and Greg Stanley, took control amidst the chaos by introducing a new loan from the Co-op Bank; all other directors transferred their shares in the club to Archer and Stanley’s off-the-shelf company, Foray 585. By December 1993 the nightmare in the High Court was finally over — but another was around the corner.

The new regime brought in former Eastbourne M.P. David Bellotti as chief executive, and quickly earned popularity among many fans by sacking Lloyd as manager after nearly seven years at the helm.

Back on the pitch Albion had only occasional cup ties against Manchester United to brighten the horizon. In 1992/93 the average gate fell to just 6,699, the lowest since the 1930s. However, prospects were raised when Liam Brady, one of the world’s great players in the 1980s, was named as manager. Although the financial situation remained acute, the club and its supporters enjoyed a brief revival under the new man, especially in 1994/95 when Premiership side Leicester City were defeated home and away in the Coca-Cola League Cup. The goalscoring exploits of Kurt Nogan, who hit 60 goals in 120 games before being sold to Burnley, ensured Albion were comfortable in Division Two despite the off-the-pitch worries.

Civil War

Then the nightmare returned — with a vengeance. In July 1995 the local Argus newspaper revealed that Archer, Stanley and Bellotti had made a deal to sell the Goldstone Ground, yet had no acceptable plans to relocate the club to a new stadium. From 1996, it was announced, Albion would play home games at Fratton Park, Portsmouth.

The Goldstone was always a ramshackle ground, and by now it was only a shadow of its former self. But for the club to sell its home with no viable alternative was unforgivable. The Board said it was necessary to clear the debts, but why was there no dialogue with supporters about a restructuring of the club? Why was there no discussion with the councils?

That action, together with subsequent revelations regarding changes to the club’s constitution and doubts over the timing of debt repayments, convinced fans that they had been betrayed by owners with ulterior motives, and one of the most bitter “wars” in the history of football broke out. Hove Council, led by Ivor Caplin, took a great interest in the situation together with Brighton Council, but the directors dug in and made a hopeless bid for a stadium and commercial development at Toad’s Hole on the northern edge of Hove.

Chartwell Land, the new owners of the Goldstone Ground, offered Albion another season there at a cost of £480,000, but the Board rejected the offer. The final game of the 1995/96 season, against York City (with Albion already relegated to the bottom division for the first time in 31 years), arrived with supporters believing it to be – unnecessarily – the last-ever match on the ground. The result was a mass pitch invasion with the goals wrecked and the game abandoned. Suddenly there was a great deal of media interest in the situation, and three days later, within an hour of Chartwell’s deadline, the Board announced that it would accept the offer after all.

On the day following the York City game, Caplin reintroduced Liam Brady, who had felt unable to continue as manager, as the front man for a takeover consortium. Its approaches were rejected by Archer, the majority shareholder and chairman, despite the intervention of the F.A. A second pitch invasion in October 1996, a direct result of Archer’s televised intransigence, was penalised by the deduction of two points, leaving Albion 11 points adrift at the bottom of the League in December and facing the prospect of relegation to the Football Conference.

With the team rooted to the foot of the Third Division, the possibility of losing Football League status just six years after being one win away from the top flight was only too real. The vast bulk of the dwindling support felt passionately that their club had to be freed from the unrelenting grip of Archer, Bellotti and Stanley to survive at any level.

Home games were played amidst a funereal atmosphere with Bellotti, who always attended, and Archer, who never attended, the subject of the most vehement mass protest. The demonstrations – never violent – were carried across the country in an inspired campaign that included a rally outside Archer’s home in Mellor, Lancashire; marches through Brighton, Hove and London; and petitions to the F.A. and the Crewe headquarters of Focus DIY, Archer’s company. The boycott of a game against Mansfield Town saw an official attendance of just 1,933 spectators — until demonstrators invaded the East Terrace and West Stand at half time, forcing Bellotti to leave.

In the autumn of 1996, Albion fans took less interest in the form of their team – which was dreadful – than in the protests. Anarchy reigned, and the hated Bellotti was driven out of the Goldstone on several occasions. But an entrenched Board carried on regardless, and when the ground-sharing arrangement with Portsmouth fell through the club agreed a deal instead with Gillingham, even further away.

With the club at rock bottom, the beleaguered manager Jimmy Case, who had been unable to stop the rot, was replaced by Steve Gritt, who immediately set about rekindling team spirit with discipline and organisation.

Indirectly, the supporters were also to have a major influence on the team’s performances. On 8th February 1997 they staged the celebrated “Fans United” day. In a unique show of solidarity, followers of all clubs united at the Goldstone Ground to show their disgust at the club’s Board and at the inadequacy of the F.A. to do anything about the situation. The event was an outstanding success, not least because of the 5–0 scoreline by which Albion beat relegation rivals Hartlepool United. From that moment on, “Seagulls” fans started to believe in their team – if not their club – once more. Gritt’s side, inspired by the suddenly burgeoning home support, started to catch their fellow strugglers; although away form remained poor, only two more points were dropped at the Goldstone.

In the New Year the Football Association, through the initiative of Public Affairs Director David Davies, introduced the existing Board and the popular rival consortium to the professional mediators of the Centre for Dispute Resolution. Against expectations, they secured an agreement for the future of the club in March 1997 that was announced the following month before the final game at the Goldstone Ground. Both sides had compromised to produce an agreement in which no single person was to have a controlling interest in the club.

Fittingly, Albion said goodbye to their home of 95 years with a 1–0 win over Doncaster Rovers to move off the bottom of the table for the first time since October and set up a momentous showdown with Hereford United. Perhaps the most important game ever in the club’s history, the tense shoot-out at Hereford on 3rd May 1997 was drawn 1–1 thanks to an equaliser by substitute Robbie Reinelt, a result which saved Albion and instead relegated the home side to the Conference (as they had scored fewer goals). It was an incredible escape, an unbelievable finish to an unreal season, and the “Seagulls” celebrated as if a championship had been won.

With the Goldstone Ground demolished for a new retail park, the Football League allowed Albion to share with Gillingham provided £500,000 was lodged as a guarantee that the club would return to the Brighton area within three years. After much confusion over the payment of this bond, the “Seagulls” survived a motion by the League’s Board to expel them and found themselves playing 70 miles away at the Priestfield Stadium (although new offices were established in Queen’s Road, Brighton). The new Board, which was still not legally in place, tried to move the club to Millwall’s New Den, but this option was rejected because of objections by the Metropolitan Police.

Rebirth in the Wilderness

After much delay, the deal to restructure the club was concluded on 2nd September 1997. While Archer retained a shareholding, the new chairman was local advertising mogul Dick Knight. With them on the Board were Bob Pinnock, Knight’s financial adviser; Martin Perry of construction giants Alfred McAlpine; and two F.A.-appointed non-executive directors, Sir John Smith and Richard Faulkner. Through a shareholders’ agreement, the two “non-execs” were given the power to resolve any dispute between the two main factions on the reconstructed Board. The new regime brought a welcome breath of fresh air to the club and promised a new relationship with supporters, with regular meetings. David Bellotti was dismissed as part of the deal.

Together with the council, now united as Brighton & Hove Council, the new Board looked at ways of returning the club to the area on a temporary basis while a permanent solution was sought. A search of possible sites ended with plans for turning Withdean Stadium, an athletics and county league football arena in north Brighton, into a stadium capable of hosting league football with an all-seated capacity of 6,000. Backed by a supporters’ campaign to Bring Home the Albion, the bid met stiff opposition from some local residents, but an innovative transportation scheme and a petition of more than 32,000 names allowed the council to pass the plans in June 1998. The threat of legal action by residents dissipated in August, but contractual problems with the stadium managers and others meant that construction work was largely delayed until February 1999, thereby ruling out a return until the 1999/2000 season.

In 1997/98 the team proved to be even worse than the previous season. This time the inept performances of Doncaster Rovers kept Albion off the bottom of the League, but with just one win at their Gillingham “home” Steve Gritt, the popular manager, was replaced in February 1998 by former favourite Brian Horton. Home gates, naturally, fell to their lowest ever, an average of just 2,328 as few supporters trekked into Kent. On Bonfire Night 1997, 1,025 fans saw the 3–0 defeat by Barnet in Division Three at Priestfield, the smallest “crowd” ever to watch the club in the Football League.

Performances improved in 1998/99 and for a time it looked as if there might even be a promotion challenge, backed by a club-record run of five successive away wins in the league. In January 1999, though, Horton left for Port Vale to be replaced by his assistant, Jeff Wood, and the team fell away to finish 17th. Wood quickly paid the price and was replaced by Micky Adams in April after just 13 games. At the end of the season Adams set about building a new team to give the Albion a good chance of success on their return to Sussex.

Albion’s Return

The team’s homecoming was a triumph against the odds. At a cost of around £1.8 million, the rundown athletics arena at Withdean was transformed into a workable football stadium, albeit a most unusual one with a small covered North Stand and a large, open South Stand. The pitch left a lot to be desired, further straining the relationship between the club and the stadium management company, Ecovert South. Apart from the traditional Sussex by the Sea, amplified music was banned, while supporters’ cars were completely prohibited from the local area.

Withdean hosted its first Albion match, a friendly against Nottingham Forest, on 24th July 1999 in front of a crowd of 5,891. The first league game, against Mansfield Town, ended 6–0 with Darren Freeman scoring a hat-trick on his Albion debut. Briefly the club was on top of its division again for the first time in 15 years, but fell away during a largely barren autumn and winter.

However, the enthusiasm surrounding the club, and the backing of local businesses, increased throughout the season. A sponsorship deal with the local but internationally renowned record label Skint ensured that it was “cool” to wear blue-and-white replica shirts once more.

Supporters ensured the success of Withdean by using public-transport vouchers, park-and-ride sites and walking to games, and by organising litter patrols to clear up after matches. The boost to the local economy was considerable, and football fever on a modest scale gripped the area once more.

In line with the council’s conditions, every game was all-ticket, and virtually every game was sold out as the “Seagulls” enjoyed their most successful campaign for some time, finishing 11th. For a time in the spring it looked as though the play-offs were within reach, but five draws in a row in April put paid to those hopes. Nevertheless, the team finished the season with an impressive run of 14 games unbeaten.

The average league gate at Withdean in 1999/2000 was 5,733. In June 2000 the club won council approval for 960 extra seats to take the capacity to 7,027, and restrictions on amplified music were eased. In November 2005 a new West Stand for away supporters opened as part of an improvement to the facilities within the stadium. More seats for home supporters will open early in 2006, taking the capacity to almost 9,000. It will be much easier for many erstwhile Albion fans to see their team once more – albeit from beyond the curve of an athletics track.

Renaissance

In 2000/01, after a poor start, Albion rediscovered the impressive form with which they had ended the previous campaign. With Bobby Zamora, a £100,000 signing from Bristol Rovers, hitting 28 Third Division goals (the leading league goalscorer in England), the “Seagulls” moved into the promotion positions in October and never looked back. At times the football was sublime; slick passing was matched by deadly finishing, while at the back the side set a new club record of 24 “clean sheets” including six consecutive league games.

Albion entered their Centenary Year of 2001 on a run of just three defeats from 23 games. The only dampener was the sogginess of the Withdean pitch, and four games had to be rearranged. Despite emergency repairs, the club was forced to spend £130,000 in the summer to bring it up to scratch.

But nothing could stop the “Seagulls’” march towards promotion and they never looked likely to drop out of the top three. Contenders Cardiff City were beaten 1–0 in front of a record 6,922 crowd at Withdean, and, although there were occasional hiccups, promotion was clinched with a win at Plymouth on Easter Saturday — with six games to spare! Moving into top spot for the first time at the end of April, Albion ensured themselves of their first title for 36 years with victory at home to Chesterfield on 1st May.

The championship celebrations, combined with events to mark the centenary, ensured 2001 was a year to remember for all Albion supporters — but, amazingly, it got even better! Boosted by the signings of experienced defenders Simon Morgan and Robbie Pethick, Micky Adams’s team took the challenge of the Second Division head on and quickly rose to the top.

A home defeat by Brentford at the start of October was only Albion’s second in the league, but it proved to be the popular manager’s last game in charge. Leicester City, a struggling Premiership side, gave Adams the opportunity he craved, and in a curious irony the former Leicester boss, Peter Taylor, was appointed to the Withdean hot-seat.

Lying third when Taylor took over, and with the team virtually picking itself, Albion were never out of the top four as the new manager steered them to the Second Division championship. With a mean defence and a propensity for late goals, the team managed some crucial wins over the leading contenders. Once more the star was Zamora, who hit 28 league goals for the second successive season and was joint top scorer in the Football League; again, no other Albion player managed double figures. In the autumn Zamora set a new club record by scoring in ten successive appearances. The ability of the young striker proved a key element as the team sought to defend deeply before counter-attacking.

From mid January onwards, Albion were never out of the promotion places. As long-term leaders Reading began to falter so the gap between the clubs closed. The “Royals” were well beaten 3–1 at Withdean and held to a 0–0 draw at the Madejski Stadium a month later.

On Easter Monday a last-minute goal by Lee Steele secured a home win against Bristol City to take Albion back to the top of the table. A win at Peterborough the following Saturday edged the “Seagulls” nearer to the First Division, and the failure of Reading to beat Tranmere Rovers on the Sunday confirmed promotion. The title was secured with a goal-less draw at home to Swindon Town combined with other results, and for the second successive year Withdean saw a championship trophy presented to club captain Paul Rogers.

Only six other clubs – Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town, Oxford United and Wolverhampton Wanderers – had ever achieved successive championships of different divisions. Albion joined that elite group on limited resources and with little change in personnel. Only six league games were lost, another club record, but the average crowd was virtually the same as the previous season at 6,598 as Withdean perpetually sold out.

For supporters who had experienced the depths of despair – the “war years” under Archer and Bellotti and the “wilderness years” in Gillingham – two championships represented an incredible success. While a few years earlier it looked as though the club might not reach its 100th year, Albion emerged fitter and stronger to face the challenges of the 21st century. The upheavals of the 1990s changed the club out of all recognition. The directors are now the most approachable in history, and supporters are involved in almost every facet. The pride and  passion have been restored, and the title triumphs have added greatly to that self-respect.

But, even as the club enjoyed another championship parade through the city, manager Peter Taylor was resigning because of the financial problems he foresaw for the Albion in Division One. After an uncertain summer, youth development supremo Martin Hinshelwood was promoted to manager in July 2002.

A 3–1 win at Burnley in the first game of 2002/03 proved a false dawn. After a home draw against Coventry City, Albion endured a miserable run of 12 successive league defeats that saw the team plummet to the foot of the First Division. Hinshelwood was relieved of his managerial duties in October – he was given the role of Director of Football – and replaced by former Crystal Palace boss Steve Coppell.

The new manager’s first two games were traumatic: a 4–2 home defeat by Sheffield United, who scored three in the last 12 minutes, and a 5–0 humiliation at Palace. But the third game saw a win, 3–2 over Bradford City, and slowly Coppell was able to bring about an improvement. In came experienced performers Dean Blackwell and Simon Rodger, while he also used the loan system to considerable advantage.

The gap at the bottom closed, and by March the “Seagulls” had moved out of the relegation zone. However, their failure to beat lowly rivals proved critical and they fell back into the bottom three. On the last day of the season there was still a chance, but Stoke City, with their fate in their own hands, did enough to send the “Seagulls” straight back to Division Two. Having been nine points adrift of safety in October, it was a valiant if vain effort, but at least pride had been restored.

In the summer, Zamora, with 83 goals to his name from 136 games, was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a club-record fee of £1.5 million as Albion contemplated life back in the Second Division. Coppell brought in Leon Knight from Chelsea as Zamora’s replacement, initially on loan, as Albion got off to a sound start, and Knight was quickly signed on a permanent basis after hitting four goals in his first three games.

While rarely playing fluently, the team hit top spot in October but then watched as Coppell left for Reading, the third manager to walk out on the club in two years. As the results started to go awry, in came Mark McGhee to restore order. Albion fell as low as eighth at one stage, but from March onwards they were never out of the play-off zone as a mean defence conceded just seven goals in the last 13 league games of the regular season. The football wasn’t always pretty, but Guy Butters, a 34-year-old centre-half voted Player of the Season, and captain Danny Cullip were outstanding as the “Seagulls” ensured that the season would be extended by finishing in fourth place.

Millennium Magic

The play-offs saw Albion paired with fifth-placed Swindon Town with the first leg at The County Ground. Much against the run of play, a deflected shot from Richard Carpenter gave McGhee’s side the advantage of a 1–0 lead going into the return leg at Withdean.

Once again the Wiltshire side dominated the game and forced the tie into extra time with a goal nine minutes from the end. Seven minutes into the extra period they took the lead and look likely winners. The “Seagulls” fought back though, and for the first time in the tie started to take charge of the game. Nevertheless, it was deep into added time when right-back Adam Virgo launched himself into the visitors’ penalty area to head home and ensure a penalty shoot-out. Although outplayed for most of the preceding 210 minutes, Albion showed considerable aplomb to triumph 4–3 from the spot for the right to play for a place in the First Division.

The date with Bristol City at the magnificent Millennium Stadium was a tantalising prospect, but would all those potential Albion supporters make the journey after seven years of restricted attendances since leaving the Goldstone Ground? The answer was emphatically yes! As queues stretched around the Withdean streets and along Queen’s Road, around 28,600 people secured tickets and travelled to Cardiff by coach, train and car in the biggest turn-out of fans since the Wembley play-off final 13 years earlier.

The streets of the Welsh capital took on a carnival atmosphere as blue-and-white mixed happily with the red-and-white of Bristol City. Inside the arena the game was tense, but City, the favourites, rather froze on the day and Albion shaded the match. Victory was secured with a late penalty from Leon Knight, his 27th goal of the season, and Danny Cullip stepped up to receive the club’s third trophy in four seasons.

More Struggles

So Albion returned once more to the second level of English football (renamed the Football League Championship), but this time they had some stability in the managerial hot-seat. Mark McGhee could not have done better than to take the “Seagulls” up, but now an even greater challenge lay ahead: to survive in the new division on very restricted means.

But survive they did. Thirteen victories by a single goal helped Albion limp to 20th place, one point clear of the relegation zone. Having looked comfortable towards the middle of the table in February, the team suffered six consecutive defeats, but an unbeaten finish of five games saw Mark McGhee’s save their status on the last day of the season thanks to an Adam Virgo equalising goal at home to Ipswich Town.

Weighed down by the costs of a temporary home and a prolonged public inquiry (see below), the situation in the financial department reflected the uncertain position on the pitch. In September 2004, Albion launched the “Alive & Kicking Appeal”, a plea to supporters to help plug a £2 million gap in the books. As ever, fans rallied behind their club, making donations and gathering funds with innovative ideas to raise well over £300,000. Further serious sums of money came from the sale of popular players Darren Currie and Danny Cullip, the windfall of an FA Cup tie at Tottenham, further investment by the directors and shareholders – but above all the sale of the versatile Adam Virgo to Celtic in July 2005 for £1.5 million to equal the record set by Bobby Zamora.

The sale of the club’s best players caused Albion to struggle once more in 2005/06. There was a memorable win at Crystal Palace and a home win over Leeds United, but few other highlights as the team was meekly relegated in bottom place. During the season Withdean Stadium was remodelled with a new western stand for away supporters, new dressing-rooms, a new two-storey hospitality suite and a new East Stand for home fans; the capacity was increased to 8,850. Suddenly it was no longer difficult to obtain a match ticket, but the team did little to encourage long-lost supporters to return. Nevertheless, a new record attendance for an Albion game at Withdean of 7,999 was set against Southampton in April 2006.

The Future

But while fortunes on the pitch continue their erratic cycle, the financial position of the club is likely to remain somewhat uncertain – with a significant loss made each year – until the issue of a new stadium is settled. The size and location of Withdean Stadium mean it can only ever be a temporary home. Although the cost of hiring the ground has reduced since the end of the management company’s contract in 2004, the commercial possibilities for the club are severely limited. There is little scope for increasing revenue and there can be no viable long-term future for the Albion at Withdean, which has cost around £3 million to rebuild – but it has provided valuable breathing space.

The quest for a final solution to the club’s problems – a permanent stadium with a seated capacity of 20,000-plus – continues. Late in 1998, director Martin Perry (who was appointed full-time chief executive in July 1999) provided Brighton & Hove Council with a detailed report into five prospective sites: Waterhall (north-west of A23/A27); Shoreham Harbour (Portslade); the greyhound Stadium (Nevill Road, Hove); Brighton Station car-park; and Village Way North, Falmer (south-west of A27/B2123). The ruling Labour group backed the club’s preferred site at Falmer, and in February 1999 the council called for a referendum.

Once again, the club’s supporters came to the fore as the Falmer Stadium Campaign – motto “Falmer For All” – sought to persuade residents that a stadium near Falmer would benefit the whole community. Volunteers delivered around 128,000 leaflets and staged numerous events to publicise the cause, backed by the club’s exciting preliminary plans for a futuristic, multi-purpose stadium. On 6th May 1999, 56,701 people backed the council’s policy of a permanent home for the Albion with 11,194 against; while 44,985 voted for that home to be at Falmer with 21,548 against — a 68% vote in favour.

In August 2000 the council included a stadium at Village Way North, Falmer, in the first draft of its new local development plan. Eleven months later it reaffirmed that commitment, while also making allowance for other sites to be considered should the club not be able to reach agreement with the University of Brighton (one of the landowners, along with the council). In the year that Brighton & Hove became a city, the council formally recognised that a modern community stadium befitting the towns’ new status was a necessity.

The £51 million community stadium will be funded by contributions from the club and possible partners; grants from the Football Foundation, the South East England Development Agency and others; stadium naming and catering rights; loans secured on future season-ticket sales; and public fund-raising. Although initially intended to be constructed in four phases, the revised business plan allows for a single, two-year construction programme giving a 22,374-seat capacity.

The project will include facilities for education through sport (for children and adults); a skills-training centre; banqueting suites and conference facilities; office space; and sports-science and sports-medicine units linked to the University of Brighton. Backed by the city council for its immense social, economic and sporting benefits, the community stadium has the potential to create 1,100 full- and part-time jobs.

Another supporters’ campaign, including a 61,000-name petition, encouraged the council to pass the plan for Village Way North in principle in June 2002, but the application was then called in by the Government for determination at a public inquiry because of its position just within the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A lengthy and complex public inquiry into the application was held throughout 2003 in conjunction with an examination of the city’s new Local Development Plan. Agreement with the University of Brighton for the use of its land, which had been a crucial sticking-point for some considerable time, was also achieved (provided the Government also passed plans for road improvements at the stadium).

The club put its case eloquently and clearly to the inquiry, but the planning inspectors were not impressed. In February 2004 the report into the Local Plan was published, strongly recommending against a stadium at Falmer because of the sensitivity of the site. As the prospect of a potentially fatal defeat on the stadium issue stared the Albion in the face, supporters yet again rose to the occasion by orchestrating a campaign to convince John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister who would ultimately decide the issue, that a stadium for Brighton & Hove is in the public interest.

As support for the stadium flooded in from across the country, belying the inspector’s assertion that it was not in the national interest, Albion fans staged a sit-in after the game at Wycombe and sent flowers and Valentine cards to Mr Prescott. These headline events ran in parallel with a major effort to lobby Members of Parliament to sign Early Day Motion 889 in support of the stadium; 145 signatures were secured, including a third of John Prescott’s own back-bench MPs. Meanwhile, the Albion themselves submitted further evidence on Sheepcote Valley, a site to the east of Brighton suggested as the best alternative by the Local Plan inspector.

It was July 2004 before the result of the Deputy Prime Minister’s deliberations were known, and while the decision – or lack of it – was somewhat unexpected, it was perhaps not that surprising given the extraordinary circumstances. Mr Prescott ordered the inquiry to reopen to examine evidence on seven or more potential alternative sites, presumably to determine whether Falmer really is the best place for a stadium.

The inquiry resumed in February 2005, a continuation of a lengthy, frustrating and expensive process. In the face of two negative inspectors’ reports – the call-in inspector also came out overwhelmingly against the proposals – it was perhaps the best the club could have hoped for. Mr Prescott’s decision certainly seemed to indicate that the “public interest” arguments expounded by the fans’ campaign had won the day, that Brighton & Hove should have a new stadium, but the question of exactly where remained.

The second part of the inquiry confirmed what the club and the city council had always maintained: that there is only one site in the city or the conurbation that has a chance of securing planning permission for a community stadium. That site is Village Way North, Falmer, and in October 2005 – after a second march on the Labour Party conference at the Brighton Centre – John Prescott granted permission for the stadium. His decision took into account the national importance of a project creating so many jobs in the seriously deprived Moulsecoomb area, and the immense socio-economic benefits to the city. In short, the benefits outweigh the harm that the stadium would cause to the environment at a site already partly urbanised.

The joy was short-lived. The following month Lewes District Council, together with three other opposing bodies, launched a legal challenge against the decision, prompting yet another supporter-led campaign and the formation of The Seagulls Party to take the battle into the political arena. In September 2006 there was a supporters’ rally outside the Liberal Democrat party conference in Brighton to protest at the actions of the Lib Dem-led Lewes District Council. It seemed that the council’s ambition was to delay the stadium for as long as possible; in October they eventually agreed to the quashing of planning permission for the stadium, an offer the Government had made – because of an error over boundaries – five months earlier n May 2006, and the decision will now be re-taken by the new Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Ruth Kelly

With the new decision anticipated as coming in the spring of 2007, the process has been set back around 18 months. The decision is likely to be five-and-a-half years after the planning application was submitted, but even then supporters must hope that it will again be positive and that there are no grounds for another legal challenge by Lewes District Council or anyone else.

Over £3 million will have been spent on the Falmer stadium project before a single brick has been laid. The stadium is now likely to open in 2010. When it does, it will secure the future of Brighton & Hove Albion, a much-loved institution that has been a part of the local scene since 1901 and which celebrated its centenary in 2001. In the 105 years of its existence supporters have experienced many ups and downs as the team’s fortunes have waxed and waned. But, in the club’s darkest hours, its friends and supporters were not found wanting. The Albion has reasserted itself as an essential part of the local community through the passion, commitment and fraternity of its followers. Long may it remain so.

Tim Carder, November 2006