Having knocked on the door for a number of seasons, Brighton and Hove Albion returned to the top flight of English football after an absence of 34 years. It’s only the second time in the club’s history that they have reached these giddy heights, and the turmoil suffered in between the two spells means few begrudge them their time in the sun.
1982/83 is a season no Brighton fan will forget. Relegated from Division One, as the Premier League was then known, they came within a whisker of beating Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley. With the game poised on a knife-edge at 2 - 2, Brighton’s Gordon Smith found himself with just United goalkeeper, Gary Bailey, to beat but saw his shot saved and became one of English football’s most infamous misses.
The game went to a replay which United won comfortably 4 - 0. In losing, the Seagulls created an unwanted record in becoming the first team to reach an FA Cup final and be relegated in the same season.
Worse was to follow as the club slumped into the bottom division, almost dropping into the Conference, as well as selling their then-home, the Goldstone Ground. Two years as footballing nomads passed before the club returned to the town, and since 2011, they have played at the Amex Stadium (aka Falmer Stadium).
It’s a great place to watch football; comfortable with acoustics which cause the noise of the crowd to envelope supporters in all corners. The...
