Charlie Chase (Midfielder)
Born in Patcham, Chase was a right-half and inside-right who appeared for the Albion in the club’s record 18-0 defeat to Norwich City on Christmas Day in 1940. He was drafted in to the Albion side for a wartime game against Watford in June that year, and ended up signing for the Hertfordshire club after the war. Before his departure, Charlie played four times for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 1945/46 FA Cup competition, where ties were played over two legs. He figured in 55 League games for Crystal Palace from July 1948 before leaving the professional game. After hanging up his boots, he ran a tobacconist’s shop in Islingword Road, Brighton.
Malcolm Poskett (Striker)*
With his gold chain, classic moustache and impressive goalscoring ability, this lanky marksman became a favourite at the Goldstone in the late 1970s, following a £60,000 transfer from lowly Hartlepool in February 1978. All this despite competition from Peter Ward and Teddy Maybank. With Maybank facing a cartilage operation, Poskett scored on each of his first two matches for the Seagulls, against Hull and Burnley before a cherished hat-trick at Bristol Rovers in April 1978. In 1978/79, Poskett scored ten League goals, but found the chance of first team action hard to come by. This continued in 1979/80 due to the blossoming Peter Ward-Ray Clarke partnership. Poskett was sold to Watford for £120,000 in January 1980. According to John Vinicombe in the ‘Super Seagulls’ book, ‘Poskett went like a shot to Vicarage Road.’ There, he played his part in the Hornets’ eventual promotion to the top flight in 1982, hitting seventeen goals in 63 overall League games for the Hornets.
Neil Smillie (Winger)
Despite being signed by Mike Bailey in the summer of 1982, it took a change of manager at the Goldstone to breathe new life in Neil’s career. As he told Shoot! Magazine, “The deal was an exchange between me and Gary Williams, one which went through after talks. That was last July and I was glad because I’d begun to feel in a rut at Palace. I played in the first two games of this season, but we lost the second, 5-0 to West Bromwich Albion, and Mike Bailey dropped me. Then it was the bench followed by the reserves until October 26, the Milk Cup replay against Spurs. We lost 1-0 and out I went again until November 20 at Watford where we took a 4-1 drubbing.” When Melia took over, Smillie became an increasingly influential member of the side, particularly in the FA Cup run where his ability to take players on added an extra dimension to the side’s play. He was sold to Watford in a £100,000 deal in June 1985.*
Original article
Born in Patcham, Chase was a right-half and inside-right who appeared for the Albion in the club’s record 18-0 defeat to Norwich City on Christmas Day in 1940. He was drafted in to the Albion side for a wartime game against Watford in June that year, and ended up signing for the Hertfordshire club after the war. Before his departure, Charlie played four times for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 1945/46 FA Cup competition, where ties were played over two legs. He figured in 55 League games for Crystal Palace from July 1948 before leaving the professional game. After hanging up his boots, he ran a tobacconist’s shop in Islingword Road, Brighton.
Malcolm Poskett (Striker)*
With his gold chain, classic moustache and impressive goalscoring ability, this lanky marksman became a favourite at the Goldstone in the late 1970s, following a £60,000 transfer from lowly Hartlepool in February 1978. All this despite competition from Peter Ward and Teddy Maybank. With Maybank facing a cartilage operation, Poskett scored on each of his first two matches for the Seagulls, against Hull and Burnley before a cherished hat-trick at Bristol Rovers in April 1978. In 1978/79, Poskett scored ten League goals, but found the chance of first team action hard to come by. This continued in 1979/80 due to the blossoming Peter Ward-Ray Clarke partnership. Poskett was sold to Watford for £120,000 in January 1980. According to John Vinicombe in the ‘Super Seagulls’ book, ‘Poskett went like a shot to Vicarage Road.’ There, he played his part in the Hornets’ eventual promotion to the top flight in 1982, hitting seventeen goals in 63 overall League games for the Hornets.
Neil Smillie (Winger)
Despite being signed by Mike Bailey in the summer of 1982, it took a change of manager at the Goldstone to breathe new life in Neil’s career. As he told Shoot! Magazine, “The deal was an exchange between me and Gary Williams, one which went through after talks. That was last July and I was glad because I’d begun to feel in a rut at Palace. I played in the first two games of this season, but we lost the second, 5-0 to West Bromwich Albion, and Mike Bailey dropped me. Then it was the bench followed by the reserves until October 26, the Milk Cup replay against Spurs. We lost 1-0 and out I went again until November 20 at Watford where we took a 4-1 drubbing.” When Melia took over, Smillie became an increasingly influential member of the side, particularly in the FA Cup run where his ability to take players on added an extra dimension to the side’s play. He was sold to Watford in a £100,000 deal in June 1985.*
Original article