Tony Towner's Toe
Member
was fifteen years old in worthing and going to game with my dad but the car broke down on A27 so we never made it. wish we could have another go this week but he's left the building and i am on the other side of the planet.
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38 Years Ago - Our Previous Division 1 Debut
- Thread starter chaileyjem
- Start date
T soprano
New member
Me in 1979 was 11
kit and bag ready for the new season
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
Was in the North Stand, Gooners were everywhere and boy was I deflated when the game ended
I was 14 and stood behind the goal in the South Stand. I can remember being disappointed at the result and worrying if we'd be embarrassed every week but I can't remember there being anything like the build up there's been to this season and I certainly didn't feel as excited as I do now today, counting down the days until Saturday (even though I should now be old enough to know better). I guess the gulf between Division One and Division Two didn't seem so huge back then as it does now between the Premier League and Championship, there wasn't the huge amounts of money available and of course the only real media available for Albion news was the Argus. Not sure if it's just because so much has gone on since then that the memories have faded but it was just so different way back then.
East Staffs Gull
Well-known member
My recollection is that the game wasn't all ticket and that everyone was advised to get there very early in order to be sure of getting in. This might have discouraged some people from attending. I went in the NE corner with the Arsenal fans, as I was mates with one and he was staying at ours. Many had come down the night before. We started very brightly and could easily have taken the lead, but once Arsenal settled down they took full control.
Remember, just a couple of years before, Forest had been promoted from the 2nd Division and won the League (and Derby had won the League just a few years after promotion less than a decade before) - there was certainly a feeling that anything was possible.
Before the match, I was thinking we could do a Forest - there certainly wasn't the feeling that fourth from bottom would do.
origigull
Well-known member
- Jun 29, 2009
- 1,167
I remember being in Spain one week into a two-week holiday and had to find a pub at 6pm that did the BBC final score. It was a bit of a shock that we lost 0-4. We as a group expected a closer game.
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
If I remember correctly Gary Stevens made his debut around the time of the Bolton game
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
I was in the South stand for this one ..El Pres said recently that our capacity had been cut to 28k under health n safety rules
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
Blimey ..posh part of Shoreham has gone down hill
sod1
New member
Coincidentally we came back from a weeks holiday on the Isle of Wight that day, my dad and I got off the train at Hove, leaving my mum and sister to take all the luggage back to Haywards Heath
, I recall it cost 50 pence to get in the children's section in the East terrace, the result was disappointing but I was happy just to be in the top flight , gutted I can't be there Saturdayboik
Well-known member
I was in the North Stand with my mates, including one who was a (well behaved) gooner. I remember the Arsenal fans chorus of "Threegoals, threegoals!" which I must admit I found pretty witty at the time despite the result. And despite the result, we didn't get relegated that season despite the predictions.
Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews
Remainer
Funny you should say that (and I'm not having a pop at you) but I don't recall us being fixated on the attendence compared to the melt down on here when there are still 14 seats unsold on Saturday morning.
I believe at least two things happened, a lot of people where put off due to a bit of aggro the previous night and/or there was a bit of overreacting by gate staff closing turnstiles early and locking some out. 28000 still had us packed in like sardines.
Not to mention the programme was over 150% dearer than the one previous!
KZNSeagull
Well-known member
I was 13 and stood in the North West. All I remember was that we played well for the first 20 minutes, the rows and rows of Doc Martins outside the North Stand - the police told people to take them off to stop trouble, but it did not stop the North Stand being invaded 4 times. Also, the lady I stood next to had a large bag of aniseed balls, some she gave to me, the rest she threw at Sammy Nelson!
Codner pharmaceuticals
Well-known member
In the East Stand for some reason - although Season tickets were in the South? Still have the commemorative first day cover stamp thingy.
T soprano
New member
Humble beginnings in southwick, worked my way along the old shoreham to the Posh part of shoreham as the years rolled by
I wasn't born with a silver spoon but had a silver shovel instead
Going back to that Arsenal game, had season ticket in south stand for that 1st season in Div 1 with my dad, great memories of that opening day driving back of our family holiday in Somerset, remember leaving at 5:30am to get back in time, had to leave at that time I suppose as dad was driving a clapped out Hillman Hunter, any later and we'd have missed the kick off, don't recall much of the game, remember our first win more a few weeks later Against Bolton
E
Eric Youngs Contact Lense
Guest
Good points. It wasn't a comment on whether it was good or bad, just my memory as a 10 year old feeling disappointed as I had imagined it would be the biggest crowd in the world ever to watch a Brighton match and had been in the ground vs. Spurs, West Ham, Blackpool when the crowd had tipped over 30,000.. Plenty of good reasons why it wasn't..
- Apr 5, 2014
- 23,573
I do remember it was remarked on with surprise that it hadn't been a sell-out (or a lock out as was the case in those days when too many people turned up). I think the club had been expecting a sell/lock out, but as you say people were put off attending for a number of reasons - and those reasons increased as the season progressed.