[Brighton] Albion’s grounds .

Questions said:

The Goldstone
Priestfield Stadium
With Dean
The Amex Community Stadium..

What’s your favourite ground and what’s your favourite time.
Mine is The Goldstone between 76 and 79

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Weststander said:

I have fond memories of Surrenden Field and the County Cricket Ground.

Later on I loved the Goldstone from 1976 to May 1979, huge crowds, swaying terraces, did we ever lose? (AGREEING WITH YOU ....MANY NSC’ERS ALSO FIRST WATCHED THE ALBION IN THOSE GLORIOUS 4 SEASONS).

But the Amex is the ultimate, especially once it was complete with the ESU and the corners filled in.

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peterward said:

Not sure i concur..... from where we were, the Amex is a Godsend, its very much a fantastic 21st century ground fit for this age, I'm grateful for it and do like it, but watching the albion or modern football live in this era is not as great as those halycon days in the late 70's, the atmosphere in a packed Goldstone was much better, standing better than the seating, a surge with each goal, the away fans in the E and then NE corner, krispies doing the rap in the 80s Northstand.....

The Amex is very much of these times, and its better today than being in a crumbling relic like Palace, but for the overall experience of watching our beloved club, it still doesnt come close to those heady Goldstone days.

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Weststander said:

I have fond memories of Surrenden Field and the County Cricket Ground.

Later on I loved the Goldstone from 1976 to May 1979, huge crowds, swaying terraces, did we ever lose? (AGREEING WITH YOU ....MANY NSC’ERS ALSO FIRST WATCHED THE ALBION IN THOSE GLORIOUS 4 SEASONS).

But the Amex is the ultimate, especially once it was complete with the ESU and the corners filled in.

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Whitechapel said:

So, in NSC terms I'm a whippersnapper. I'm 26 years old.

Both my mum, and her dad were Brighton fans and as my dad was a Chelsea STH the battle to convert me started at a very young age. In fact, my mum took me to my first Albion game at a frankly ridiculous age. 19th March 1994, a 2-0 win v Orient with Dickov scoring twice I believe. I was probably the youngest person at the ground that day, a mere 15 days old. Obviously I have no memories of the Goldstone, despite being at the York game and other notable matches.

My earliest footballing memories are from the 00/01 season, where I got to go when friends/family couldn't make it. For my 7th birthday I was taken to Orient away. An absolute sea of Albion fans behind the goal, and something I wasn't used to when my recent footballing experiences were Block E of the south stand. Zamora scored and a ridiculous backheel assist to Brooker sealed an amazing day. I cried when I wasn't allowed to go to the Chesterfield game to see us lift the trophy. "There are Brighton fans who haven't seen us win anything for 20 years - you're 7." was basically what my mum told me. However, keen to combat my dad taking me to Stamford Bridge to try and covert me I was offered a season ticket at Brighton for the 01/02 season. Who needed Zola, Poyet, JFH, Flo etc when you had Zamora and Watson in the rain?

From that season I went to every game, was bought every kit and me, my mum and Granddad would take the Costa Express to every away game in a 100-mile radius. Some of my brightest family memories are away days with my mum and my granddad, the two people I've loved the most growing up. There are moments that will live with me forever. The 5-0 loss at Palace being a low point, but weird and random highs outnumber those lows. My Granddad trying to stomach a coke at Portsmouth when we lost 4-2 and they didn't have any other drinks, appearing in the Sports Argus after questioning Molango being our 'one to watch' in the Brentford programme or my mum getting in the face of a steward and kicking off after he tried to kick me out of Selhurst Park for flicking the V's at a rapidly emptying Homesdale end after McShane enured a 1-0 win being cherished memories. We were sitting right on the edge of the Brighton fans during that McShane game and I was hit with enough change to buy numerous packs of football cards when we got him, and in hindsight I'm so glad my mum had the bottle to take me when most parents would have shat themselves.

As I grew up and reached my teenage years I met friends at my high school who were Brighton mad too. I've been best friends with the same lad since I was 13 and the first thing that brought us together was being the only two Brighton fans in a sea of plastic United, Chelsea & Arsenal fans. We were in the same boat, his old man was Brighton through and through (and a former poster on here). We started going to away games together with my mum and Granddad on the Liz Costa coach. Southend away was our first game together. A 2-0 win on a Friday night at 14. Soon we were going everywhere together, and as my best mate found other Brighton fans to get season tickets with in Block H it was no surprise that as a surely 14/15 year old I wanted to move to sit with them. I mean, I could swear and throw wanker signs at the away end.

So depite having seats on the halfway line I started to gravitate towards a rapidly growing bag of childish dickheads in Block H. A few of them I knew from school, but most of them I met and became friends with football. Those early years in L1 were golden. Our first away game as the 'lads' with no parents was Cheltenham away, Brighton overcame a 2 goal deficit to draw 2-2. A late equaliser saw us winding up the home fans so much that a bloke was searching by the away fan coaches with his fluffy drumsticks. However, that game gave all of us the away game bug. Everything sort of fell in to place for me over the next few years. My dad; in a valiant attempt to fix our broken relationship, drove me and friends to a couple of away games a season. The 2-2 at Huddersfield in the Slade great escape being the highlight.

At Poyets first game, me and my now solid group of best mates were there. A Uruguay flag with Poyets face stuck over the sun being our main contribution to the day, and a story to tell when the Costa Express got bricked right by us on the way home. The stars aligned for me and due to a mixture of my mums generosity and college EMA saw me being able to afford the lions share of games in the year we won L1. Overall I missed Exeter, MK, Tranmere, Hartlepool & Carlisle in the league, as well as FCUM away in the cup. Apart from those I made every game that season. The joys of deciding to f*ck off College at lunchtime, walking to Southwick station & finding yourself next to Craig Noones dad on the Brentford away terrace a few hours later. When we beat Dagenham to clinch promotion 10 of us piled in to my bedroom for an evening of drinking games, my mum just happy to see me and a new generation of Brighton fans celebrating a rare trophy in the clubs history.

At The Amex, we ended up in a mighty group of 12, with my best mates dad and his friend itting just in front of us. As we all slowly reached 18, games became more and more excuse for a piss-up. Blackpool away on the day Muamba nearly died was my 18th celebrations, my mum drove a minibus to Forest, Derby & Bolton whilst we all got drunk (and unbeknownst to her) sniffed up in the back. A herculean effort I've never properly thanked her for. Again, there's a lot of memories aorund this time. Boro away in the all-or-nothing game, where I went up with my best mates dad and his friends due to them having a spare train/match ticket. Calling Holloway a Palace c*nt in the hotel, and for him to shit himself when he asked who called him a c*nt only for 8 of us to fess up to it. This era of Brighton games holds so many memories for me too, an unbelievably messy bank holiday in Newcastle, a drunken Match Attacks battle in MK after our 2-1 win up there, a probably rather problamatic muffin fight in a hotel in Norwich etc etc. However, as the Prem seasons have ticked by I've felt more and more like a customer and less like a fan. In fact, I didn't have a season ticket last season, due to a combination of the club being terrible at communcation, the flaws in VAR & my own disillusion. The 19/20 season was the least games I've been to in a season since I was born.

So I guess I should get to the point of this long post nobody is ever going to read is; I never experienced the Goldstone, but I can safely say that my favourite Brighton ground will always be the Withdean. A shithole which wasn't fit to host non-league football but it holds so many memories that I will never be able to replicate. Me and my mum have drifted apart over the years, and my Granddad is sadly no longer with us but I will never, ever forget our old Withdean match rituals. Driving from Shoreham to Lancing to pick him up. Getting the P&R and then walking down to the ground in the sun, all of us picking a result and putting 50p in the kitty to see who'd win. My Granddads negativty, never thinking about Promotion - we could have 50 points at Christmas and he'd be figuring out if we were mathmatically safe. My mum practically elbowing me in the ribs when she sang 'oh it's a corner'. Being the winner of a JPT progamme compition and then being told it was only an example and we hadn't won a load of paint. And then on top of all those memories with my family are memories with my friends. Walking down the running track when Sandaza popped up in the 95th minute and seeing my mate pushed on to the pitch from miles away. The absolute limbs when Bridcutt popped up with a 94th minute winner on the weekend of my 17th birthday. Away games where we were 17 but managed to get served booze and get in to the ground as an U-16.

The Amex is an icnredibly ground and an amazing place to watch sport, but it will never match the Withdean for me. Forever in my heart.

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AmexRuislip said:

The Goldstone is where I first watched the Albion with my dad, so no other comes close

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