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50 years ago today - league debut of an excellent summer signing



A

AnotherArch

Northern Exile
Apr 2, 2009
1,180
Stockport & M62
Bobby Smith, formerly of England and Spurs, made his league debut for little old Brighton in the Fourth Division at home to mighty Barrow. He had one year earlier won a European Cup Winners Cup winners medal and played for England. Previously he was in the Spurs double winning team and had another FA Cup winners medal.
The attendance that day was over 20,000. I remember going to watch Sussex play cricket in the morning at Eastbourne and then changing at Lewes station that was absolutely rammed. That was the first indication that we were at the start of something big (well for us, in those days, it was). Then arriving at the Goldstone to see the size of the crowd - wow!
 




GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,720
Gloucester
Ah, those happy days when 'and Smith must score' meant a certain goal! If not Bobby Smith it would be Jack Smith, who played alongside him.
 












S

silverwizard

Member
Nov 10, 2009
54
Great days! Was that the last season in which the Albion scored over 100 league goals? Was it also the last season they were unbeaten at home? Can anyone confirm this?
 






dejavuatbtn

dejavuatbtn

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2010
7,192
Henfield
carlzeiss said:
Bobby Smith should be on the legend wall IMO .
Click to expand...

Yes, it was my favourite season but, to be fair, Bobby Smith couldn't really fail in that division, and whilst a legend as a footballer, (look at his Chelsea and Spurs records) I am not convinced he should be classed as an Albion legend for one good season. Having said that, Barry Rees has, quite deservedly, become a legend for his short time with us that season and I would just love him to be recognised on the legends wall.
 








Daffy Duck

Daffy Duck

Stop bloody moaning!
Nov 7, 2009
3,824
GOSBTS
Remember that promotion night. My Dad took me on the pitch and sat me on his shoulders so that I could see all the players going up into the West Stand and chucking their shirts to the crowd.

It was fantastic!
 








G

Geriatric Seagull

New member
Nov 10, 2009
979
Littlehampton
One of the best ( and strangest) bits of business the club ever did. Did George Gunn really arrange the transfer by paying off Bobby Smith's gambling debts? It was always rumored that he did! And talking of goalscorers, don't forget Wally Gould's contribution. A never-to-be forgotten season for us geriatrics.
 


perseus

perseus

Broad Blue & White stripe
Jul 5, 2003
23,456
Sūþseaxna
Division 4

AnotherArch said:
Bobby Smith, formerly of England and Spurs, made his league debut for little old Brighton in the Fourth Division at home to mighty Barrow. He had one year earlier won a European Cup Winners Cup winners medal and played for England. Previously he was in the Spurs double winning team and had another FA Cup winners medal.
The attendance that day was over 20,000. I remember going to watch Sussex play cricket in the morning at Eastbourne and then changing at Lewes station that was absolutely rammed. That was the first indication that we were at the start of something big (well for us, in those days, it was). Then arriving at the Goldstone to see the size of the crowd - wow!
Click to expand...

Good post. I still remember the exciting 0-0 draw with Oxford United in the week (a few days later) with 22,000+ at the Goldstone. Signing Bobby Smith was just like if we signed David Beckham just after he stopped playing for England.
Most importantly, we saw him on TV in an FA Cup Final.
 




Matrix10

Matrix10

New member
Jun 7, 2011
501
Bexhill
I cant believe it was 50 Years ago, and by coincidence I was going through some old bits of mine this morning and found a trading card from a comic, I think the Victor, with a picture of the Spurs team with him, Danny Blanchflower and the rest.
Hastings United got ambitious and bought him off us and I went to see him on occasions. It was a bit like watching Lionel Messi playing against a Sunday league side in the Southern League, even though he was about 17 stone by then.
 




M

Mo Gosfield

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2010
6,284
Geriatric Seagull said:
One of the best ( and strangest) bits of business the club ever did. Did George Gunn really arrange the transfer by paying off Bobby Smith's gambling debts? It was always rumored that he did! And talking of goalscorers, don't forget Wally Gould's contribution. A never-to-be forgotten season for us geriatrics.
Click to expand...


I believe there was a fee involved, circa £5k, which was a massive amount for a Div.4 club in those days. It was no secret that Smith was an inveterate gambler and regularly ran up big gambling bills when at Tottenham. I don't doubt there is some validity in the story.
It was my first season watching the Albion and although he was clearly going downhill after years of playing the battering ram upfront, his class shone at that level. I remember standing behind the North goal and watching him rise for a header. He hung in the air and with two defenders on him, at the last split second, he took his head away, leaving Wally Gould with a free header behind him. Pure class.
I seem to remember that he turned up to pre-season at the start of 1965-66, two stone overweight and was promptly sent home. After one or two early appearances he was finished and ended at Hastings Utd before ( I think ) becoming a lorry driver.
He certainly made an impact in his short time at the Albion and more than paid for himself with the increase in gate revenue.
 


G

Greyrun

New member
Feb 23, 2009
1,074
First ever game eleven years old and went on my own because my dad didn't like football,dads didnt make such an effort in those days.
I too remember Bobby hanging in the air attacking the north goal.After the game off to catch the bus lined up by Hove rec.
 


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