[Albion] 10 years on - The best Withdean moment - Nominations thread

[Skaville]

- Some BIG wins 8-0 vs Northwich Victoria, 6-0 vs Mansfield, 6-2 vs Torquay and 5-0 vs Leyton Orient
- Wilkins playing seven former youth team players
- Martin Thomas tackling with his head
- Warren Aspinall’s gut
- Glenn Murray’s first Brighton goal against Crewe, with a ring of roses celebration
- Bobby Zamora turning in a MOTM performance in a 1-1 draw on his league debut
- Cheaterfield
- the 2-2 draw with Forest to mark our return home
- Freeman scores the first goal of the millennium
- Kaz wonder goals and back flips
- Adam El Abd scoring from 25 yards against Orient

 

[Mancgull]

First game against Mansfield for me. Watching the Albion back in Brighton, beautiful sunny day, new manager in charge, and us absolutely spanking the opposition. In many ways the turning point for us as we started our comeback after the dark days of Archer, Bellotti and our residency at Gillingham.

 

[Withdean11]

Gus composing "We Are the Champions".

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Chips .... that is all.

 

[1066familyman]

That was a cracking day !

It certainly was!

Russell Slade was one of my favourite managers, perhaps owing to shaking his hand when meeting him on a glamourous stadium tour that we won in a match day raffle.
I was already a fan having seen him in that fetching green suit at Orient away in his first game in charge I think it was.

Happy days!


P.S. My worst Withdean memories tend to centre around the weather. Horrendous in the family stand on boiling hot days. And the flip side. I remember one game where we battered Millwall about 4-0 or something that was so wet, that even with the full poncho set up, there wasn't a piece of clothing on me that I couldn't wring the water out of by the time we got home.

 

[1066familyman]

The comeback against Leicester after being hammered in the first half

"He's got a pine apple on his head" versus Forest

"He's got an omlette on his head" West stand steward

"Cheer up Barry Fry, oh what could it mean, to a fat cockney wanker and a shit football team"

The Zamora goal in the north where it came over his shoulder and he volleyed it into the net (or something like that)

Neville Southall keeping a clean sheet for a hapless Torquay in one of the finest lower league keeper displays of the known universe

Getting into the pub at the ground at noon for three pints and a slap up meal before the match

"What's said a football stays at football" (as noted by @Dick Knight's mumm on several occasions)

a personal one - watching the footy with my son, week in week out, from his 12th to 16th year (when he lost interest).

"Hoof it!.............Quality hoof"

"Oy Ref! It's people like you that give b'stards like me a bad name"

I remember a particularly good chant from a set of away supporters, although to my shame I can't quite remember which club now.

It was a midweek game in the Paint Pot Trophy and the away fans had the family stand. I'd never seen such a low turnout, probably about 30 of them. To their credit, they sang all evening and capped it off a treat with ...'home in a taxi, were going home in a taxi!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Chips .... that is all.

Forks!

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Forks!

Sporks!

 

[zefarelly]

I remember a particularly good chant from a set of away supporters, although to my shame I can't quite remember which club now.

It was a midweek game in the Paint Pot Trophy and the away fans had the family stand. I'd never seen such a low turnout, probably about 30 of them. To their credit, they sang all evening and capped it off a treat with ...'home in a taxi, were going home in a taxi!

That reminds me of a mate and I singing at a Shoreham game ' you're going home in a Southlands Ambulance' after an opposing player got injured.

 

[junior]

Too many to remember, but whilst trying to pick out good memories i started getting hazy recollection of a testimonial game where Matt Le Tisser played for the Albion. Possibly Kerry Mayo testimonial? I think Dean Wilkins played too.

Anyone else remember this?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Too many to remember, but whilst trying to pick out good memories i started getting hazy recollection of a testimonial game where Matt Le Tisser played for the Albion. Possibly Kerry Mayo testimonial? I think Dean Wilkins played too.

Anyone else remember this?

Surely Le Tissier played for the Jimmy Case testimonial at the Goldstone.

 

[zefarelly]

Surely Le Tissier played for the Jimmy Case testimonial at the Goldstone.

That rings a bell. remember leaving the HPT a gnats early and getting in just before it was sold out. . . not that it stopped most getting in at some point.

 

[Official Old Man]

The rain, does no one remember the rain?

And the chant "Can you tell us if we score"

 

[junior]

Surely Le Tissier played for the Jimmy Case testimonial at the Goldstone.

Yes i think you could be right. I think Mayo did have a testimonial at Withdean though.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Yes i think you could be right. I think Mayo did have a testimonial at Withdean though.

He did, against Reading. Gary Hart had one as well.

 

[Frankie]

As a JCL I only ever got to see one game at Withdean and to this day is still the most scared I've ever been at a football match .

We got to the ground very early and had a lovely carvery in the pub chatting to the away fans on what was a lovely March day .

From my seat in the pub I could clearly see the stand we would be sitting in backing on to the woodland and I was looking forward to the game .

Never even seeing withdean before upon entry I found it a bit surreal , as we walked along the running track which in itself was a strange event you could feel the eyes of those seated burning into you which made me feel slightly nervous, they must know I've never been here before , my sub conscious assumed, it seemed like we were heading for the end of the main stand and I was told this was the only spot with any atmosphere at all .

I squeezed my over fed thighs into my seat and soaked up some warming sunshine and waited for kick off , I admit none of the players were familiar to me but I clapped along with the rest as the home team names were called out on definitely the worst PA system I'd ever heard .

Everything seemed good the football was entertaining if not clandestine but I was having a good time , then just before half time the away team scored and a smattering of tiny ants danced away to my left probably cheering but barely audible due to the ridiculous distance they were from the pitch .

So half time came and we trudged off to the refreshment area through the fog of cigarette smoke and chip fat frying to discuss the teams first half failings and how all our nans would have saved the goal .

The smells reminded me of football from days gone by, on the terraces a unique combination of aromas from long ago that you can only find at a football match .

Anyway I digress , so the game restarted and every now and then a few lads would try to start a song but it seemed to just die on the breeze never really taking off , with 16 minutes to go we equalised and the mood changed from one of defeat to one of possible victory , people that had already started to leave along the running track made their way back to whatever seat they fancied it was game on .

So the noise level had really perked up and one had a sense that the game would be won and so did the players , visibly steeled by the crowds involvement, then it happend .

A few started to stamp their feet in tune to Queens we will rock you , this seemed to ripple out and very soon it felt like the whole stand was starting to sway with the vibration , I didn't imagine it because over the deafening din looking around you could see others looking down at was by now a moving stand with 3 thousand Freddie Mercury's stomping out .

I went from having a ball to having palpations in very quick time , it was scary! Luckily for me we scored and the synchronised stomping stopped , the stand seemed stop moving and my heart rate returned to normal .

I've no idea if indeed the stand was swaying that day but it certainly felt like it , I never got the chance to revisit The Theatre of Trees and to be honest I can't say I was sad to see it go , but as experiences go at football grounds it was certainly right up there .

 

[Munkfish]

Baz Savages Moonwalk goal celebration
Tony Rougiers Seagull goal celebration
Danny Cullips backward headers
Adam Hinshlewoods own goal
The Withdean Wager board. GET DOWN YOU IDIOT, WE CANT SEE!

 

[butchy]

-rocketman
-beating mansfield 6-0 in the first game
-numerous pitch invasions
-the beautiful rise of robert zamora
-last minute winners on the running track (bristol city springs to mind)

 

[BUTTERBALL]

Lots of highlights, but the best Withdean atmosphere was when FC United of Manchester came to town in November 2010. Their fans were singing in the pub and didn't stop all game - Elliott Bennett missed a pen at the end to earn them a replay (which we won 4-0).

 

[Yoda]

The comeback against Leicester after being hammered in the first half

This one?: http://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?135539-just-back-from-the-leicester-game