Brighton v Wigan 1997

Keeping The Dream Alive. · Feb 20, 2014

Stumbled across this on Youtube. Seemed apt to share it on here given Saturday's fixture.

Stunning rendition of 'We Are Brighton' at 2 minutes 30 seconds. North Stand was electric that day.

Mellotron · Feb 20, 2014

Funny how small the North looks now - it was VAST, nearly ENDLESS when I were a lad.

Since1982 · Feb 20, 2014

Was there that day on what was left of the East Terrace. Thought it was going to be my last visit to the Goldstone as I hadn't then been able to secure a ticket for the Donny game although I eventually managed to. Wigan were on their way to promotion and we were close to those extraordinary games with Doncaster and Hereford. When you consider what has happened to both teams since then it is almost unbelievable - not least Wigan - new stadium, FA Cup winners, European football....My abiding memory of that day is the Wigan fans singing Good Luck to the Albion from the South Stand at the end of the game. Great to see this footage.

BRIGHT ON Q · Feb 20, 2014

Remember it well,Jeff Minton was fantastic that day,i think Wigan may have been top and we were scrapping for our lives.Oh my ,the North stand was fantastic.

W.C. · Feb 20, 2014

Keeping The Dream Alive. said:
Stumbled across this on Youtube. Seemed apt to share it on here given Saturday's fixture.

Stunning rendition of 'We Are Brighton' at 2 minutes 30 seconds. North Stand was electric that day.

Nice, thanks for that. 'We are Brighton' as always been my favourite song. I only started going a few years before this, just as everything went tits up. Weird that, that collection of very poor footballers will be forever etched on to my memory as the Brighton I first came to love.

Easy 10 · Feb 20, 2014

Another game at the Goldstone we had no right to win. An outrageous 3 points against one of (if not maybe THE ?) top team in the division.

The home form in that run-in was just phenomenal, in such stark contrast to the abysmal away form. The only points I recall us dropping at home in the run-in was in that 4-4 v Orient, and even then, the 4 goals kept us up on goals scored (plus the 5 v Hartlepool at Fans Utd). Thank christ goals scored was the criteria that season instead of goal difference, otherwise a draw would NOT have been enough at Hereford. We stayed up courtesy of being 3 goals better than them, having scored 53 to their 50 (our GD was -17 to their -15).

Miraculous escape is such a cliche, but so true that year.

catfish · Feb 20, 2014

I attended that game strictly against doctor's orders. Had a hip replacement 2 weeks beforehand but there was no way I was going to miss it. Great memories.

The Truth · Feb 20, 2014

That was my last ever game at the Goldstone. 2nd last game of the season at home right?
Wigan were 2nd top i think at the time with a lot to play for and we done them 1-0.
What i remember about that game was how loud the wigan fans were after the match, they were all singing their hearts out only singing "goodluck Brighton". A lovely way to say goodbye to the ground and a reason to have a soft spot for Wigan.

Lincoln Imp · Feb 20, 2014

Easy 10 said:
Another game at the Goldstone we had no right to win. An outrageous 3 points against one of (if not maybe THE ?) top team in the division.

The home form in that run-in was just phenomenal, in such stark contrast to the abysmal away form. The only points I recall us dropping at home in the run-in was in that 4-4 v Orient, and even then, the 4 goals kept us up on goals scored (plus the 5 v Hartlepool at Fans Utd). Thank christ goals scored was the criteria that season instead of goal difference, otherwise a draw would NOT have been enough at Hereford. We stayed up courtesy of being 3 goals better than them, having scored 53 to their 50 (our GD was -17 to their -15).

Miraculous escape is such a cliche, but so true that year.

It is not certain that every member of the division-winning Wigan side was 100 per cent sober when the game started. Paul Rogers would have been his usual superfit self but as for some of the others...

Hiney · Feb 20, 2014

That game is featured in Saturday's 'get with the programme' article in the match programme.

Herne Hill Seagull · Feb 20, 2014

My strongest memory of that day is the Wigan 'keeper, running to take his place in the North goal before kick off, pointing at one end of the North Stand, and describing the length of it with his outstretched arm, nodding in appreciation at how packed it was from one end to the other. Odd that such a moment stands out - I don't remember the goal at all.

Simster · Feb 20, 2014

Easy 10 said:
Another game at the Goldstone we had no right to win. An outrageous 3 points against one of (if not maybe THE ?) top team in the division.

The home form in that run-in was just phenomenal, in such stark contrast to the abysmal away form. The only points I recall us dropping at home in the run-in was in that 4-4 v Orient, and even then, the 4 goals kept us up on goals scored (plus the 5 v Hartlepool at Fans Utd). Thank christ goals scored was the criteria that season instead of goal difference, otherwise a draw would NOT have been enough at Hereford. We stayed up courtesy of being 3 goals better than them, having scored 53 to their 50 (our GD was -17 to their -15).

Miraculous escape is such a cliche, but so true that year.

Although on the other hand, if it had been goal difference and we hadn't been deducted 2 points, we'd have stayed up even if we'd LOST at Hereford - Exeter would have gone down.

DarrenFreemansPerm · Feb 20, 2014

I've still got my ticket stub from this game

TWOCHOICEStom · Feb 20, 2014

How much slower and longer did we sing back then. Sounds so good.

Knightsworld · Feb 20, 2014

My last game at The Goldstone and the last game my Grandfather managed to get to. Happy days. Atmosphere was something else that day.

T soprano · Feb 20, 2014

Just looked in me ALBION scrap book and still have the ticket stub for that game :smile:

Gordon Smith's Paperboy · Feb 20, 2014

Useless piece of information: that was also the last game Rowland Myers did the matchday pa. His former Radio Sussex colleague, Richard Lindfield was on the mic for the final Goldstone match if I remember correctly.

Notters · Feb 20, 2014

Simster said:
Although on the other hand, if it had been goal difference and we hadn't been deducted 2 points, we'd have stayed up even if we'd LOST at Hereford - Exeter would have gone down.

Although strangely the FA/Football League had threatened to deduct 3 points, and by only deducting 2, they saved us from relegation.

Man of Harveys · Feb 20, 2014

Brilliant YouTube of one of the most ridiculous times to be a supporter of any club, at any time, ever. Fantastic.

It certainly didn't seem it in any way at the time but it was a sodding PRIVILEGE to have experienced those extraordinary times close up.

Barrel of Fun · Feb 20, 2014

That was my last game inside the Goldstone - I watched the Donny game stood on a wall above the East Stand.

Was it a smash and grab? I remember Wigan were guaranteed promotion, but not the title at the time. I remember very little about the game itself.

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