A five-a-side team comprised of legendary Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers players over the years.
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Geoff Sidebottom (Goalkeeper)
Sidebottom was a courageous keeper who was a master at closing down angles. He was notable for his bravery in diving at the players' feet. He joined Wolves straight from school and was understudy to Bert Williams and Malcolm Finlayson. He moved to Aston Villa where he won a League Cup winners' medal in 1961. Later, he played for Freddie Goodwin at Scunthorpe and New York Generals before signing for him at Brighton in January 1969. At the Goldstone, he vied with Brian Powney for the keeper's spot but suffered severe concussion after saving at the feet of Walsall's Tommy Watson in December 1969. He was also badly hampered by clashing with a post in a reserve game in October 1970. After 45 Albion appearances, he retired from the game in February 1971 and enjoyed a testimonial match against Birmingham in May 1972. Geoff passed away in 2008.
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John Humphrey (Defender)
Humphrey was a cultured right-back who completed his apprenticeship with Wolves, signing as a pro in February 1979. Having made his debut against Southampton, his second appearance for Wanderers came at the Goldstone in April 1980, with the Seagulls triumphing 3-0. Over the course of six seasons he made 149 League appearances for the Midlands side, one of the last in a 5-1 defeat to Brighton in 1985 that relegated Wolves to the Third Division. He was sold to Charlton Athletic for £60000 and gave superb service to the Addicks, winning ‘Player of the Season’ from 1987/88 to 1989/90. He had a spell with Crystal Palace and a return to Charlton before moving to Gillingham. He was Steve Gritt's his first signing as Brighton manager in January 1997, helping to steady the ship in defence with his calm and assured play. He is currently Head of Football at Highgate School in London.
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Mike Bailey (Midfielder)
As an attacking wing-half, Bailey is a Wolves legend, joining the club in March 1966 from Charlton Athletic. He helped the club back into Division One in his first season and went on to make 361 league appearances for the side. As captain, one of his career highlights was lifting the League Cup at Wembley in 1974 following a 2-1 win over Manchester City. In the same competition, back in September 1969, Bailey had played in the Wolves side that narrowly beat Brighton 3-2. After hanging up his boots, he returned to the Goldstone as manager in the summer of 1981, having been in the hot seat at Hereford United and Charlton Athletic. With a revamped side, he steered Brighton to 13th position in the First Division 1981/82, a superb achievement. This included a 1-0 victory at Molineux in late September 1981, taking the Seagulls to fifth in the top flight, their highest-ever placing.
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Bertie Lutton (Striker)
Wolves attacker who had also played in the side's 3-2 win over Brighton in the League Cup tie in September 1969. He appeared twice for Northern Ireland by the time of his two-month loan with Albion in September 1971. The Ulsterman made his Albion debut on the right-wing in the Match of the Day-featured game at Villa Park that month. He scored in successive matches, against Torquay and Bristol Rovers later that September before returning to Wolves in November. Lutton's performances impressed Pat Saward enough to sign him permanently for Brighton in March for £5000. He responded again by scoring the equaliser against Bournemouth in April, a goal that effectively put the Cherries out of the running for promotion to Division Two and strengthened Albion’s bid. He did not see much first-team action in 1972/73 and was loaned, and then sold, to West Ham in 1973. After retiring, he emigrated to Australia.
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Tony Towner (Winger)
Tony was a fondly remembered attacker who could operate on either flank. He was a product of the youth scheme and signed as a professional in October 1972. 'Tiger' became a regular in the first team after making his debut in the Second Division against Luton Town in a 2-0 victory in February 1973. He was the club's top scorer in 1974/75 with ten goals. Despite being hampered by a long lay-off, Towner enjoyed playing a significant part in the 1976/77 season, featuring in 23 league games and scoring six goals. In 1978/79, the signing of Gerry Ryan severely cut Towner’s first team chances and he requested a move, signing to Millwall in October 1978 in a £65000 deal. He played well for the Lions, and then with Rotherham, before being handed the opportunity of First Division football with Wolves in 1983/84. In an interview, he said, “We only won four games in the whole season. I actually didn’t do too badly personally and there were one or two highlights, including winning at Anfield and scoring with a header past Chris Woods when we beat Norwich 3-1.”
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Frank Buckley (Manager)
Aged 24 at the time, this rugged half-back joined Albion in the club’s early years along with his younger brother Chris. Buckley made his Brighton debut on the opening day against Millwall in September 1905. He eventually made 34 appearances in his one season with the club, and scored two goals. Buckley then left for Manchester United, before enjoying a playing career with Manchester City, Birmingham City, Derby County, Bradford City and England. He enlisted with the army on the outbreak of the war in 1914 and attained the title of Major, which he retained for the rest of this life. ‘Major Buckley’ went on to manage Blackpool and Wolves. At Molineux, he built a superb side that won the Second Division championship in 1932 and then finished runners-up in the top flight in 1938 and 1939. Wolves also unexpectedly lost the FA Cup Final to Portsmouth a few months before the outbreak of World War Two.[h=3]ALBION V WOLVES
[/h]SATURDAY 14TH MARCH, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]ALBION V NORWICH
[/h]FRIDAY 3RD APRIL, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]ALBION V BOURNEMOUTH
[/h]FRIDAY 10TH APRIL, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
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