Favourite BHA promotion days

[Jameson]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. I agree with so many comments here and it has brought back such happy memories. The thing that strikes me is how fantastic it's been supporting Brighton and Hove Albion; we've been blessed with so many exciting seasons. Then of course have been the great escapes too; never a dull moment. I can't imagine what it's like supporting one of the many teams where nothing much happens.

For me? Home to Rochdale in 1971-2, my first full season of following the Albion. We got a 1-1 draw to go up, the crowd was something like 35k, you had to get to the ground an hour and a half before kick off to be sure of getting in (proper pay on the gate!) and I could only get onto the back of the west terrace (north end) standing on a few bricks that the builder had been using. I recall a picture in the Argus of a copper behind the south stand goal, arms aloft, celebrating our goal. Absolutely awesome.

 

[glasfryn]

will always be Newcastle

 

[Boycee]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. I agree with so many comments here and it has brought back such happy memories. The thing that strikes me is how fantastic it's been supporting Brighton and Hove Albion; we've been blessed with so many exciting seasons. Then of course have been the great escapes too; never a dull moment. I can't imagine what it's like supporting one of the many teams where nothing much happens.

For me? Home to Rochdale in 1971-2, my first full season of following the Albion. We got a 1-1 draw to go up, the crowd was something like 35k, you had to get to the ground an hour and a half before kick off to be sure of getting in (proper pay on the gate!) and I could only get onto the back of the west terrace (north end) standing on a few bricks that the builder had been using. I recall a picture in the Argus of a copper behind the south stand goal, arms aloft, celebrating our goal. Absolutely awesome.

You can't beat a bit of nostalgia. Even if we won the European Cup, for me it could never match the Sheff Wednesday game. Weird.
I was too young (5) to remember the Rochdale game

 

[binary]

ON the actual day we have been promoted during the season I have never been at the game. Sheff Weds in the 70s was a school night, could not go to Newcastle in 79, listen to us get promoted as Reading drew with Tranmere, we were effectively promoted with a win at Grimsby in 88 but I was doing an assignment at College. So my memory has to be 2004 at Cardiff. However been part of promotion parties at Port Vale, Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers so you can guarantee that promotion will be achieved against Sheffield Wednesday as a friend is getting married in Derbyshire and I am doing a reading! Still I am hoping for Daggers at home!

 

[NMH]

Wednesday for me too. Outrageous nailbiter, SW made a very tough match we had to fight hard to win, and yes, evening matches were brill at the Goldstone. I was behind our North goal about 10 steps up to the right side looking at the pitch. Awesome atmosphere and a terrific exhilarating evening all round. Talk about value for money....what was it, £3?

 

[Scotty Mac]

apart from the play-off final, i can only remember being at one and that was the plymouth game

quite how everything went our way that day i dont know

 

[1234andcounting]

Decisions, decisions. I think the win at Plymouth for the 2000-2001 promotion is my favourite, if only because it confirmed our return from the wilderness, football wise. For sheer atmosphere as others have mentioned, the home game against Sheff Wed in '77 was the best. Newcastle a great day out, marred slightly by not coming back to Brighton after the game as my finals were starting a couple of days later.

Only missed on promotion clinching game since I started going Brizzle Rovers on 88.

 

[kevo]

I think as far as match and atmosphere were concerned the Sheff Wed game WAS better than Newcastle. The crowd had been pretty noisy all season though, remember the League Cup games against Ipswich and Derby? We'd got promoted in 1972 in a night game (against Rochdale) and the atmosphere was nothing like the Sheff Wed game.

I think you've remembered it pretty well, I'm pretty sure we did go 1-0 down and Wardy definitely missed a penalty. We got another won and Mullery got Horton to take it. There was a 'false' invasion before the end as we all ran on thinking the referee had blown for full time and the players were waving at us to get off!

I think it's an age thing. Those promotions meant more to me because I was young and nothing, but nothing was more important to me than a Brighton win. Never gone quite as apeshit again as I did for the promotions under Mullery. (Except for the FA Cup semi-final obviously)

Couldn't resist looking it up in Tim Carder's book. It was our last home game of the season (tho we still had two away games to come). We needed to win and hope Rotherham lost at home to Reading. We went 1-0 down in the first minute (!) and were still behind at half-time. Wardy did indeed miss a penalty at the beginning of the second half but he made up for it by scoring the equaliser in the 57th min. Nobby Horton (with a pen) and Stevie Piper made it 3-1, and they pulled one back just before full-time. Rotherham's game had kicked-off half an hour earlier so after news had come through of their defeat, we knew all we had to do was hang on at the end to go up. Crowd was slightly less than I thought - 30,756. Great memories!