Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth were both promotion rivals in Division Three back in 1971/72. Pat Saward’s Albion side defeated Bournemouth 2-0 in December 1971 thanks to goals from Kit Napier and Peter O’Sullivan. Despite having the prolific striker Ted MacDougall in their side,Albion secured a valuable 1-1 draw in the return fixture in April to help pip the Cherries.In September 1973, with Albion back in Division Three, they lost 2-0 at home to the Cherries. According to a 1990s editorial by David Bellotti, this was future chief executive’s first ever match at the Goldstone.
Fast forward 15 years later after that defeat, Albion encountered Bournemouth in an FA Cup third round tie in January 1988. This time, Barry Lloyd’s side recorded a 2-0 success with Doug Rougvie and Garry Nelson on target. Here is the matchday programme from that January afternoon.
At the end of that 1987/88 season, the Seagulls clinched promotion to join their south coast rivals in Division Two. This celebrated Brighton side included Mike Trusson who later went on to become first team coach at Bournemouth.
When the two sides met the following season, it was a troubling time to be an Albion supporter. Barry Lloyd’s team were in the middle of an eight-match losing streak and Steve Penney wanted a transfer. The match at the Goldstone in September 1988 ended in a 2-1 defeat, despite Gary Chivers scoring from a free-kick.
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Even so, good home form took the Seagulls rapidly clear of the drop zone by the New Year. However, it was a dominant display win at Dean Court in 1989/90, in particular Ian Chapman’s eye-catching goal, which won the plaudits the following campaign.The dependable Chivers was again Albion’s right-back that day. He served the Seagulls well with some superb performances in five-and-a-half years at the club. However, in November 1993, he became a Cherry. The defender made his Bournemouth home debut against the Seagulls, helping his new teammates to a 4-2 victory in the FA Cup. To rub salt into the wounds, the final goal was scored by ex-Albion forward Paul Wood.
Two years later, a famous Albion fans’ protest came during the televised match with Bournemouth in September 1995. The background and aftermath is detailed in the ‘Build a Bonfire’ book by Stephen North and Paul Hodson.
As you can see, supporters were angry at David Bellotti’s announcement that Brighton would play home games from Fratton Park.
Within two months, Liam Brady resigned as manager. Albion’s next two managers, Jimmy Case and Steve Gritt, had both played for Bournemouth, the latter at the start of his playing days, and Case towards the end. You can read about the whole of Case’s career in his recently released autobiography, ‘Hard Case’.
[h=3]ALBION V WIGAN
[/h]TUESDAY 4TH November, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
[h=3]ALBION V blackburn
[/h]saturday 8th november, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]Albion v fulham
[/h]SATURDAY 29TH NOVEMber, kick-off 3pm
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