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Goldstone Memories - 1990/91



Spencer Vignes

Active member
Oct 4, 2012
168
Howdy,

Just to let you know that Saturday's edition of Seagull for the visit of Fulham will be focusing on the 1990/91 season when Albion, against all expectations, came within 90 minutes of a return to the top flight via the play-offs.

To be honest most of us were expecting a relegation battle. And yet with the likes of Mike Small and John Byrne on board - and with certain other players such as John Crumplin rising to the challenge - it turned out to be a season to remember. Ipswich at home and 'Wendy's' last minute free-kick; taking Liverpool to an FA Cup replay and being ahead in extra-time at the Goldstone; Bryan Wade going goal crazy at home to Newcastle. And so on.

If names such as Small, Byrne, Crumps, Clive Walker, Perry Digweed and Mark Barham mean anything to you - or if you want to brush up on your Albion history - then this is for you. Bryan Wade will also be sharing his memories in our question and answer section. Feel free to share your own memories of the 1990/91 season, or of the men who featured in that side, on here.

Oh, and are any of you aware of the bit of joint history that the Albion made that season?

Just to recap, to mark the impending 20th anniversary of the Goldstone's demise we are remembering stand-out seasons from our time at the old place in each edition of the programme throughout this season.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the retro pieces in Seagull.

All the best,
Spencer (Albion fan, sports writer & author)
[MENTION=23620]Spencer[/MENTION]Vignes
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Jul 23, 2003
33,818
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Howdy,

Just to let you know that Saturday's edition of Seagull for the visit of Fulham will be focusing on the 1990/91 season when Albion, against all expectations, came within 90 minutes of a return to the top flight via the play-offs.

To be honest most of us were expecting a relegation battle. And yet with the likes of Mike Small and John Byrne on board - and with certain other players such as John Crumplin rising to the challenge - it turned out to be a season to remember. Ipswich at home and 'Wendy's' last minute free-kick; taking Liverpool to an FA Cup replay and being ahead in extra-time at the Goldstone; Bryan Wade going goal crazy at home to Newcastle. And so on.

If names such as Small, Byrne, Crumps, Clive Walker, Perry Digweed and Mark Barham mean anything to you - or if you want to brush up on your Albion history - then this is for you. Bryan Wade will also be sharing his memories in our question and answer section. Feel free to share your own memories of the 1990/91 season, or of the men who featured in that side, on here.

Oh, and are any of you aware of the bit of joint history that the Albion made that season?

Just to recap, to mark the impending 20th anniversary of the Goldstone's demise we are remembering stand-out seasons from our time at the old place in each edition of the programme throughout this season.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the retro pieces in Seagull.

All the best,
Spencer (Albion fan, sports writer & author)
[MENTION=23620]Spencer[/MENTION]Vignes

Getting in to the playoffs with a negative goal difference?

Anyway, what a season. One of my favourites. I was 19 years old and had found a great group of lads to go home and away with and I managed almost every game home and away. It wasn't pretty at times but Wilkins' goal against Ipswich (where I found myself in the centre circle after, along with half the North) and the way Walker took Millwall to bits are in my top ten ever Albion moments. Less fun was the return at Millwall where they tried to set fire to their own ground. It was an oddly tense and subdued walk back to the station. The FA Cup game at Anfield where John Crumplin OWNED John Barnes will also live long in the memory as will Wade's 4 goals against Newcastle - actually is that the answer instead of the negative goal difference?
 




bhafc99

Well-known member
Oct 14, 2003
7,050
Dubai
Losing the play off final to a ginger ****?
 


Spencer Vignes

Active member
Oct 4, 2012
168
Guinness, you were right. We are one of only two teams to have qualified for the play-offs with a minus goal difference. Brentford were the other club (minus three in 2004/05). Amazingly we managed to get in with minus six.
 




Ernest

Stupid IDIOT
Nov 8, 2003
42,739
LOONEY BIN
Getting in to the playoffs with a negative goal difference?

Anyway, what a season. One of my favourites. I was 19 years old and had found a great group of lads to go home and away with and I managed almost every game home and away. It wasn't pretty at times but Wilkins' goal against Ipswich (where I found myself in the centre circle after, along with half the North) and the way Walker took Millwall to bits are in my top ten ever Albion moments. Less fun was the return at Millwall where they tried to set fire to their own ground. It was an oddly tense and subdued walk back to the station. The FA Cup game at Anfield where John Crumplin OWNED John Barnes will also live long in the memory as will Wade's 4 goals against Newcastle - actually is that the answer instead of the negative goal difference?

I was going the opposite way , that season I started going to away games less and less as got fed up with getting strife for turning up pissed , losing 6-1 at Oldham and nearly having my toes drop off through frost bite was the final straw
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Jul 23, 2003
33,818
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
I was going the opposite way , that season I started going to away games less and less as got fed up with getting strife for turning up pissed , losing 6-1 at Oldham and nearly having my toes drop off through frost bite was the final straw

I was at that Oldham game, it was an absolute shocker. May have been the game where the mini bus crew played their fans on the plastic pitch afterwards. We got thrashed as well, some bloke took most of the skin off his leg doing a sliding tackle then the Cardinal fell asleep in the pub. Must have got home well after midnight.
 


Feb 23, 2009
22,840
Brighton factually.....
The 2-0 defeat at Ayresome Park felt terrible and thought our chance had gone to even get in the play offs.

The only highlight was the Albion fans singing "you only score with your children"
 
Last edited:




Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Jul 23, 2003
33,818
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
The 2-0 defeat at the Riverside felt terrible and thought our chance had gone to even get in the play offs.

The only highlight was the Albion fans singing "you only score with your children"

PEDANT ALERT - Ayresome Park. My mate recently posted a picture of us there on FB. Luckily I wasn't in shot.
 




smeg

New member
Feb 11, 2013
980
BN13
I don't remember much about this year except it was hot, the World Cup was a cracker, Bryan Adams at number one for four months and going out a lot!! :whistle:
 






dejavuatbtn

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2010
7,128
Henfield
A great season culminating in a pants performance at Wembley. I thought Lloyd did pretty well that season with a limited budget. The mascot for the day was Andrew Welsh who played in the first Junior Seagulls football teams. Whilst at university he lost his sight but it didn't stop him from playing international blind cricket and becoming a director of the Starr Trust, making sport available to marginalised people.
 


Brovion

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 6, 2003
19,322
I ran on the pitch as well when we scored. I thought, "What am I doing? I'm 33 years old and I'm running on the pitch like a bleedin' teenager. Ah well. FUGGIN BRILLIANT DEANO YOU BEAUTY!!!"


EDIT: I'm referring to the last game against Ipswich. I didn't run on the pitch EVERY time we scored; that would have been silly.
 




veuve

Well-known member
Jun 27, 2015
586
Probably my best season watching many years of the Albion, unexpected sucsessful season and a great trip to the wall.Great memorys and happy happy days.
 


veuve

Well-known member
Jun 27, 2015
586
Prior to the wall game we had spent all afternoon in a strippers pub in vauxhall so memorys a bit jadad ,when your playing pool with ladies in g strings and there buying you drinks you know its going to be a happy day.
 


Spencer Vignes

Active member
Oct 4, 2012
168
The pitch invasion after Wilkins scored his last minute free kick v Ipswich is probably the most spontaneous one that I can ever remember at an Albion game. Sure, I remember plenty of pitch invasions over the years on the full time whistle, but for everyone to go for it in a wave of sheer 'AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!' while the game is still in progress.....well, that's pretty unique.

The really funny thing is that at that very moment Barnsley's PA announcer was busy telling the Oakwell crowd that they had qualified for the play-offs, thinking the game at the Goldstone has finished 1-1. Wendy's free-kick knocked them out of the frame and put us back in. Talk about egg on your face.
 


AZ Gull

@SeagullsAcademy Threads: @bhafcacademy
Oct 14, 2003
11,589
Chandler, AZ
Howdy,

Just to let you know that Saturday's edition of Seagull for the visit of Fulham will be focusing on the 1990/91 season when Albion, against all expectations, came within 90 minutes of a return to the top flight via the play-offs.

To be honest most of us were expecting a relegation battle. And yet with the likes of Mike Small and John Byrne on board - and with certain other players such as John Crumplin rising to the challenge - it turned out to be a season to remember. Ipswich at home and 'Wendy's' last minute free-kick; taking Liverpool to an FA Cup replay and being ahead in extra-time at the Goldstone; Bryan Wade going goal crazy at home to Newcastle. And so on.

If names such as Small, Byrne, Crumps, Clive Walker, Perry Digweed and Mark Barham mean anything to you - or if you want to brush up on your Albion history - then this is for you. Bryan Wade will also be sharing his memories in our question and answer section. Feel free to share your own memories of the 1990/91 season, or of the men who featured in that side, on here.

Oh, and are any of you aware of the bit of joint history that the Albion made that season?

Just to recap, to mark the impending 20th anniversary of the Goldstone's demise we are remembering stand-out seasons from our time at the old place in each edition of the programme throughout this season.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the retro pieces in Seagull.

All the best,
Spencer (Albion fan, sports writer & author)
[MENTION=23620]Spencer[/MENTION]Vignes

I had graduated from University in the summer of 1990 and was still figuring out what my next career move would be. I had an interview at Loughborough University on the day of the replay with Liverpool. Thankfully I was finished just in time to catch the last train that would get me back to Hove so that I could take up my usual position in the North Stand. So there I stood for that epic encounter, wearing a suit and with my briefcase at my feet.....
 






portlock seagull

Why? Why us?
Jul 28, 2003
16,979
Howdy,

Just to let you know that Saturday's edition of Seagull for the visit of Fulham will be focusing on the 1990/91 season when Albion, against all expectations, came within 90 minutes of a return to the top flight via the play-offs.

To be honest most of us were expecting a relegation battle. And yet with the likes of Mike Small and John Byrne on board - and with certain other players such as John Crumplin rising to the challenge - it turned out to be a season to remember. Ipswich at home and 'Wendy's' last minute free-kick; taking Liverpool to an FA Cup replay and being ahead in extra-time at the Goldstone; Bryan Wade going goal crazy at home to Newcastle. And so on.

If names such as Small, Byrne, Crumps, Clive Walker, Perry Digweed and Mark Barham mean anything to you - or if you want to brush up on your Albion history - then this is for you. Bryan Wade will also be sharing his memories in our question and answer section. Feel free to share your own memories of the 1990/91 season, or of the men who featured in that side, on here.

Oh, and are any of you aware of the bit of joint history that the Albion made that season?

Just to recap, to mark the impending 20th anniversary of the Goldstone's demise we are remembering stand-out seasons from our time at the old place in each edition of the programme throughout this season.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the retro pieces in Seagull.

All the best,
Spencer (Albion fan, sports writer & author)
[MENTION=23620]Spencer[/MENTION]Vignes
I'm with Guinness boy - it was and remains my favourite ever Albion season for so many reasons. Lived breathed and slept the Albion that season! Could stick me on Mastermind with that as my specialist round! Will ask someone to get me a programme tomorrow 'cause flying off on hols so missing game :(
 



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