[Albion] Unforgettable moments from football that have nothing to to with the match

[Jack Straw]

Northampton away, 1987 FA Cup 2nd Round. As we drove towards the ground, we passed a mini-bus full of Brighton supporters who were waving whole celeries out of the windows. At half-time, the celery reappeared. Separated into two inch shards, as soon as the half-time whistle went, literally thousands of bits suddenly shot up in to the air. It wasn't just a few bits, there was so much, you couldn't see the sky through it! Any pieces that landed were immediately recycled back in to the air. This went on for the whole of the half-time interval. This remains amongst the funniest and most surreal unexpected events I've seen following the Albion.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

30 th August 2014, Brighton v Charlton,67th minute.
My elder brother Tony Langridge, 67, aka Woodingdean Gull, Chairman of REMF had passed away 2 weeks previously and the club had his face on the scoreboards
for a minutes applause.
Tears of love and pride welled in my eyes as the ground rose to give Tony a minutes applause.......then Dunky got the opening goal halfway through the minutes applause.
You couldnt make it up, as the applause mixed into the Amex celebrating Albions opening goal.
That moment will stick with me forever.
RIP Bruv.

 

[happypig]

In the early 90's I went to Brentford a few times with mates who were fans.

Brentford scored and there was a chant of "chomp chomp chomp chomp CHOMP" after which loads of people, from all parts of the ground threw Cadbury's Chomp bars (only 10p) onto the pitch.

Full story here :https://beesotted.com/cult-brentford-the-story-of-chomp/

 

[Official Old Man]

So many memories, mostly of the 'good times' back in the 70's and the Seagull Special train that always arrived many hours before a game, generally because we had either the team or the kit on board.
John Vinicombe (allegedly), may have been Bristol, in a pub pre match. We all went to the game but he stayed. Still there after the game.
Same or different game but definitely Bristol. So bored we sang 'You've got the best ....... in the land', including a tractor on the side of the pitch.
Why, at every station we used to pull in to and wait for a passing express, would there be a Man Utd hooligan on the other platform giving it his all knowing we couldn't get him?
Cardiff. Firstly waiting whilst we had to change engines to get through the Severn Tunnel, then scared for my life running back to the train post match.
Blackpool, the Teddy Maybank game. Escorted from the station by police to the ground. Along the seafront you could see fans dropping off at the back. Only half left when I dropped off to a pub. Always wondered how many the police actually got to the ground.
Sheffield (Hillsborough pre disaster). Literally strip searched coming off the train and kettled to ground. Still remember to this day my thoughts about the ground and how dangerous it was. Stood at the back.
Lincoln. We were going to look at the Cathedral. Stood at the bottom of a hill with an off license next to us we changed our minds.
Newcastle '79. Flew up by plane. Emptied plane bar, emptied ground bar (Newcastle Amber?), emptied airports bar, emptied restocked plane, celebrated in Brighton and met the train back. I was young!
Watford '84 Cup. Heavy handed police taking the sticks from our flags.
One more. Had a promotion party at the Hassocks Hotel in '79 and invited (was it Stavros) from the train. Bottle of Champagne had been in my fridge for years so we opened it all over his lovely suit.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The megaphone ‘borrowed’ from a steward in the away end at Adam’s Park, Wycombe, one frosty Boxing Day.

Brilliant. Have no recollection what the game was like or the score.

It was February 2004, and we had the sit-in demonstration after the game. The person who 'lifted' the megaphone posts on Nsc now. Silly of the stewards to leave it laying around.
They tried to find it, but it was being passed under coats, along lines, forwards and backwards. It was left there when we'd done, so no laws were broken!
Several Nsc'ers mentioned in this article afterwards.

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/6719728.albion-campaigners-say-it-with-flowers

 

[junior]

As soon as i read the thread title i decided to put the Cheltenham burger van, only to see it got first mention by the OP.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I've mentioned this one before but I still chuckle whenever I think of it.

Evicting the drunk from H block at Withdean, with four stewards grabbing a limb each because he'd collapsed on the steps, resisting. One poor steward was left holding an artificial leg as the other three proceeded down to the track.


On a personal note, the FA cup game in 1967, where Chelsea had scored, and we managed to equalise, I turned round to kiss my Dad on the cheek, only to find in the melee, he had moved forward and I was kissing a complete stranger, and even worse, he was a Chelsea fan. Fans were mixed on the East Terrace in those days.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Northampton away, 1987 FA Cup 2nd Round. As we drove towards the ground, we passed a mini-bus full of Brighton supporters who were waving whole celeries out of the windows. At half-time, the celery reappeared. Separated into two inch shards, as soon as the half-time whistle went, literally thousands of bits suddenly shot up in to the air. It wasn't just a few bits, there was so much, you couldn't see the sky through it! Any pieces that landed were immediately recycled back in to the air. This went on for the whole of the half-time interval. This remains amongst the funniest and most surreal unexpected events I've seen following the Albion.

To be accompanied by the song:

"celery, celery, if she don't come I'll tickle her bum with a stick of celery"

It led to brief celery versus Krispies wars in the North Stand IIRC.

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

- Away at Leeds as a very young kid in the 70's and walking through a Leeds fans demonstration.

- Turning up at the Goldstone as a very young kid with a tennis ball in my pocket. Prime currency as a young kid as could play cricket and football (but never tennis) with it. Being asked to hand it over by a huge policeman because "I might throw it on the pitch". I asked "why would I throw it on the pitch, it's my ball". Policeman laughed and let me keep it.

- Seeing "Rice Krispies" doing the rap. What is he doing these days?

- Singing "Peter Beales" at the West Ham fans at Upton Park who all did have on the Peter Beale Hat and tank top.

- The East Terrace at the Goldstone packed. What a sight (If they bring standing back I'd like the lower tear in the east to be standing, I know it wont happen but would make the ground IMO.

- The 1991 play off final. The acid house kid and really the sense of anti climax the whole day, not just the result was. Didn't feel like a Brighton game from start to finish.

- Brighton / Palace Boxing days and in particular the graffati covered by sawdust in front of the away end that got revealed as the game went on. Imagine that today.

- Leeds, Arsenal and Chelsea away support in the 80's taking up the entire East terrace.

- Watching a game from the away end at the Amex. Walking in with a friend who supported his team and being hit by the wall of noise with the new West Stand in full voice. I've been around the country and when the West pipes up it's as loud as anywhere.

- Hopping over the turnstile. During the boycotts at the Goldstone as a protest against Archer. Also going to Millwall's Old Den as a neutral. Arriving at the cold blow lane end just as the payers were running out and the bloke on the turnstile asking for a fiver, pocketing it and telling me to hop over the turnstile.

- The BISA meetings, Fans United, York and the rest.

- Watching Albion play Charlton at Upton Park and Selhurst Park. Weird games.

- Fires on our terrace away at Fulham in an evening game mid 1990's. What was that about?

- Hereford away. Many, many thing but the carnage before and after the game.

And many more.

 

[Gazwag]

Northampton away, 1987 FA Cup 2nd Round. As we drove towards the ground, we passed a mini-bus full of Brighton supporters who were waving whole celeries out of the windows. At half-time, the celery reappeared. Separated into two inch shards, as soon as the half-time whistle went, literally thousands of bits suddenly shot up in to the air. It wasn't just a few bits, there was so much, you couldn't see the sky through it! Any pieces that landed were immediately recycled back in to the air. This went on for the whole of the half-time interval. This remains amongst the funniest and most surreal unexpected events I've seen following the Albion.

I can remember finding a greengrocers before that match to buy some

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

I can remember finding a greengrocers before that match to buy some

I always thought Albion started the celery thing in the 1987 Goldstone Gaz 3rd division promotion year and chelsea then took it on and made it famous, but do we know really who started it?

 

[dennis]

Northampton away, 1987 FA Cup 2nd Round. As we drove towards the ground, we passed a mini-bus full of Brighton supporters who were waving whole celeries out of the windows. At half-time, the celery reappeared. Separated into two inch shards, as soon as the half-time whistle went, literally thousands of bits suddenly shot up in to the air. It wasn't just a few bits, there was so much, you couldn't see the sky through it! Any pieces that landed were immediately recycled back in to the air. This went on for the whole of the half-time interval. This remains amongst the funniest and most surreal unexpected events I've seen following the Albion.

Wasn’t just celery I got hit by a pie, was very funny half time

 

[Charity Shield 1910]

The Sheffield Wednesday game when Danny Wilson run the show for them. The fantastic reception DW received and the laughter by even the police when the crowd was announced. The Goldstone was packed, and they knocked off half the true gate.

 

[Bry Nylon]

It was February 2004, and we had the sit-in demonstration after the game. The person who 'lifted' the megaphone posts on Nsc now. Silly of the stewards to leave it laying around.
They tried to find it, but it was being passed under coats, along lines, forwards and backwards. It was left there when we'd done, so no laws were broken!
Several Nsc'ers mentioned in this article afterwards.

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/6719728.albion-campaigners-say-it-with-flowers

Ah. Thank you. So not Boxing Day but I recall it being very cold and mid-wintery. I always enjoyed a trip to Adam’s Park, nestled in that little wooded vale just off the M40. It always seemed to have its own micro-climate.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Was that when we got walloped 6-1 with Andy Ritchie enjoying our leaky defence?

Possibly. I don't remember much about the game, except we got thrashed. Too wet and cold to care. It was a long way from home.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Ah. Thank you. So not Boxing Day but I recall it being very cold and mid-wintery. I always enjoyed a trip to Adam’s Park, nestled in that little wooded vale just off the M40. It always seemed to have its own micro-climate.

It was certainly cold and frosty but all that demonstrating etc kept us warm,

 

[Guinness Boy]

Wasn’t just celery I got hit by a pie, was very funny half time

This and the mention of Krispies doing the rap reminded me of another story I've posted on NSC before.

A season or two after the celery debut at Northampton we were away at Barnsley. We walked onto the open away terrace to see Krispies standing on his own with a brown paper bag with something in.

As the away end "filled up" (typically about 200 of us made those sorts of trips back then) he removed the contents to reveal......a marrow. This, he waved in the air whilst singing "on Ilkley Moor b'hat 'at".

Unsurprisingly this caught the attention of plod who confiscated his vegetable of choice and wandered away, shaking their heads and saying "every team's got one...."

 

[Frankie]

Watching from the family section of the south stand the night Millwall fans decided they'd like to have a tear up with OAP's Women , and small Children , at first i have to admit i was absolutely petrified as they came toward us , there were a handful of stewards no police so i thought retreat was the best idea , my partner just sat there along with a handful of other Brighton supporters as i made my way up to the back of the stand i stopped to see the Millwall fans in a spot of bother trying to figure out how to negotiate a 4 ft strip of netting separating the home and away fans , by now the charge had been fully halted as half a dozen Brighton fans had decided they were not going anywhere , this completely discombobulated the remaining Millwall fans most by now had retreated back to their seats in humiliation as if the netting was electrified , two Millwall fans had completely been engulfed by the netting and were easy prey for the now in attendance police , you can imagine the taunting from the few Brighton supporters left in the stand , very funny .

It did make me wonder what sort of person decides to try and pick a fight with those sat in a family section , totally without any reason or any provocation , maybe they were trying to uphold the good name of their club but whatever the reason they ended up looking like complete and utter cowardly idiots , which made up for the rubbish result on the night .

 

[AmexRuislip]

When I used to get the train from Hastings on a matchday, en route to the Goldstone Ground.
You used to have to change at Eastbourne for the onwards journey to Hove.
One of my own memories was of an elderly Albion fan, who always had a small transistor radio on, so all could listen to the chatter pre and post match, where all the results were coming in.
Together with smells of cigars and the footy programs, the chap with the radio will always be a memory for me.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

So many memories, <snip>
Lincoln. We were going to look at the Cathedral. Stood at the bottom of a hill with an off license next to us we changed our minds.<snip>.

Ha!

@Dicknight's Mumm dropped me and [MENTION=3733]papajaff[/MENTION] off there one midday, and we spent the afternoon in the pub at the to of the hill near the Cathedral. Later DKM drove us to the game (which was at Hull if I'm correct. Could have been York).