Pat Saward's Brighton - please describe the players!

[Goldstone Rapper]

Hope you can help.

I'm just doing some research for the Seagulls TV website, laying the foundations for a section on the early 1970s. As you can appreciate, there isn't much Albion video footage around for back then, which was way before I was born. While I am familiar with most of the names of the players, I wanted to get a better sense from NSCers of what the Albion footballers were like in those days.

Dry facts such as when a player was signed, who he had spells with, how many appearances he made etc are easy to find from old match programmes, not to mention Tim Carder's excellent Albion A-Z; Who's Who. However, if you were watching Brighton back then, I'd like your sense of the playing styles, strengths, limitations, anecdotes of the players, to add some colour to the names of the players I never had the privilege to see.

Any takers?

Let's start with Goalkeepers....
Brian Powney (1961/62 to 1973/74)
Geoff Sidebottom (1968/69 to 1970/71)
Ian Seymour (1970/71) Loan signing from Fulham
Alan Dovey (1970/71 to 1972/73)
Tommy Hughes (1972/73) Loan signing from Villa
Peter Downsborough (1973/74) Loan signing from Swindon

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Hope you can help.

I'm just doing some research for the Seagulls TV website, laying the foundations for a section on the early 1970s. As you can appreciate, there isn't much Albion video footage around for back then, which was way before I was born. While I am familiar with most of the names of the players, I wanted to get a better sense from NSCers of what the Albion footballers were like in those days.

Dry facts such as when a player was signed, who he had spells with, how many appearances he made etc are easy to find from old match programmes, not to mention Tim Carder's excellent Albion A-Z; Who's Who. However, if you were watching Brighton back then, I'd like your sense of the playing styles, strengths, limitations, anecdotes of the players, to add some colour to the names of the players I never had the privilege to see.

Any takers?

Let's start with Goalkeepers....
Brian Powney (1961/62 to 1973/74)
Geoff Sidebottom (1968/69 to 1970/71)
Ian Seymour (1970/71) Loan signing from Fulham
Alan Dovey (1970/71 to 1972/73)
Tommy Hughes (1972/73) Loan signing from Villa
Peter Downsborough (1973/74) Loan signing from Swindon

Brian Powney was a solid lower division goalkeeper. I don't really recall any particular weaknesses hence his long career with the Albion. However he was a nice guy who used to come round to the annual 30th Brighton Scout fete in Patcham for allcomers to take penalties against him.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Brian Powney was a solid lower division goalkeeper. I don't really recall any particular weaknesses hence his long career with the Albion. However he was a nice guy who used to come round to the annual 30th Brighton Scout fete in Patcham for allcomers to take penalties against him.

Think the only thing that stopped Brian getting further was his height,very agile and popular...if he had been a bit taller he could've been higher in the league...

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Think the only thing that stopped Brian getting further was his height,very agile and popular...if he had been a bit taller he could've been higher in the league...

That's exactly my memory of him.

 

[severnside gull]

Brian Powney was one of my early Albion heroes - way too small to be a top level keeper (about 5'9" I think) but he was a very good shot stopper and he commanded the box quite effectively for all that. Of course the footballs were much heavier and less liable to swerve and dip than they do now which made the keeper's job much easier but he had to contend with being physically battered much more than would ever be allowed nowadays and he stood up well.

Geoff Sidebottom was very athletic and in my memory he was an absolute master of closing angles. I think his technical strength probably came from starting his career with Wolves as back up to the great Bert Williams (finest keeper I ever saw). I remember him as being a much more technical keeper than Powney.He was one of those old school keepers who thrived on diving at peoples' feet - very brave (sometimes ridiculously so). He seemed quite an exotic character, probably because I think he was our first ever player to have joined us from the USA where he played under Freddie Goodwin.

Don't much recall the others I'm afraid but didn't Tony Burns play at around the same time - the blond bombshell - more interested in posing for the girls than in diving in where it hurt or so I remember him - although maybe he left before Pat came - I'm sure he moved to Charlton or Palace in about '69 or '70 and did Saward arrive in 1970?

 

[Gwylan]

Sidebottom was a decent keeper who actually kept Powney out of the side for a while. Seemed to recall he got a bad head injury diving at a forward's feet

 

[severnside gull]

Think the only thing that stopped Brian getting further was his height,very agile and popular...if he had been a bit taller he could've been higher in the league...

Is that a deliberate pun? It made me laugh out loud

 

[Gwylan]

Don't much recall the others I'm afraid but didn't Tony Burns play at around the same time - the blond bombshell - more interested in posing for the girls than in diving in where it hurt or so I remember him - although maybe he left before Pat came - I'm sure he moved to Charlton or Palace in about '69 or '70 and did Saward arrive in 1970?

My candidate for the worst keeper Brighton have had. Looked like a male model and played like one

 

[severnside gull]

My candidate for the worst keeper Brighton have had. Looked like a male model and played like one

wouldn't disagree with that - the amazing thing is that he made a fair career as a goalkeeping coach latterly - I ran into him in the late 90's at Millwall where he had been coaching for years - he didn't remember Brighton with any great kindness and I think it was mutual

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Some stuff on Geoff Sidebottom fron NSC and the Argus. Why did someone have to mention Tony Burns - you've spoilt my evening now.

Geoff Sidebottom Dead
Albion mourn keeper Sidebottom From The Argus)

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Thank you for all your contributions so far. This thread is very enlightening and helpful in getting a better gauge of who the players were. Good to hear that Powney was a fine keeper in his time and that there was more to him than the superficial dismissal of someone asking '...oh, wasn't he the one that let in eight against Bristol Rovers?'

Thanks for the insights on Tony Burns. In Tim Carder's books, it says he was released in March 1969.

Oh, and here's a lovely picture of Alan Dovey, who made six league appearances for the Albion. Bought the photo on eBay. Bargain!

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Is that a deliberate pun? It made me laugh out loud

By Jove he got it!!...it was but it was true as well....

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Moving on to Defenders... (although feel free to comment on keepers if you have any more insights!)

Stewart Henderson
John Templeman (+midfield)
Alex Sheridan
John Napier
Norman Gall
Ian Goodwin (+midfield)
Eddie Spearritt (+midfield)
George Ley
Steve Piper
John Moore (loan signing from Luton)
Mick Brown
Graham Howell

What were these players like?

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Some stuff on Geoff Sidebottom fron NSC and the Argus. Why did someone have to mention Tony Burns - you've spoilt my evening now.

Geoff Sidebottom Dead
Albion mourn keeper Sidebottom From The Argus)

Thanks for these

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Powney has twin granddaughters, both of whom 'acted' in Hollyoaks.

I learned that from the matchday programme and happened to be queuing in front of one of them, outside the Fez Club in Putney.

My ice breaker was "Didn't your grandfather used to play in goal for Brighton?"

"How the f*** did you know that?" was the response.

Conversation was flowing freely until my good friend managed to upset one of her 'entourage' with an innocuous joke.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

From your goalkeeping list, Powney & Sidebottom were the only ones to make an impact, the others were loans or reserve keepers.

Tony Burns was more known for his blond hair & blue eyes which had him a fairly regular in the Football league Reviews' Top 10 best looking players! Powney was a guest at the Amex towards the end of last season. A local lad and I think he hastwin g'daughters who are a bit tasty and may have tried a singing career andacting in Hollyoaks a few years back.

As mentioned before Geof S was a much better technical keeper. Pretty sure it'll be coved on Alex dawson's link but most will remember him lying flat out in the north goal whilst play was down the other end of the pitch and the crowd shouting wildly for play to stop. They didn't kick the ball out in those days though!

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Stewart Henderson - small and classy right back, good tackler and raided down right wing.
John Templeman (+midfield) - there's a fairly recent thread on him that say's it all.
Alex Sheridan - barely 1 season, left back. Sort of slim and well turned out, but don't you want a defender ugly & dirty?
John Napier - £25,000 record signing, big centre half and rock at the back. Anyone know where he is now?
Norman Gall - he was the div 3 version of Bobby Moore. Not too tall but worked off sweeping around Napier, always calm & in the right place.
Ian Goodwin (+midfield) - Not an instant hit as a big lump in midfield so soon lost his place only to come back some months later as a tough centre half. I suppose you could say he was a bit of an AEA.
Eddie Spearritt (+midfield) - Played most anywhere, even stand in goalie when needed. Classy player and long throw expert. Another of the blond haired, blue eyed boys and one of the few players to play in the top div (with Carlisle!) after leaving Albion. Uncle to Hannah Spearritt.
George Ley - Quite a signing as established left back with Pompey. Some class but never really looked interested.
Steve Piper - started from youth team as centre back but was later to have a big impact in midfield in mullery's side.Tall and slim, i'd liken him to a Dean hammond, somtimes controlled a game but sometimes invisible.
John Moore (loan signing from Luton) - experienced defender brought in to srore up a poor team so had good head but not the legs.
Mick Brown - hardly registered.
Graham Howell - right back and sometimes midfielder. tennacious but that's about all. not to be confused with Ronnie Howell from the same period.

 

[Questions]

From your goalkeeping list, Powney & Sidebottom were the only ones to make an impact, the others were loans or reserve keepers.

Tony Burns was more known for his blond hair & blue eyes which had him a fairly regular in the Football league Reviews' Top 10 best looking players! Powney was a guest at the Amex towards the end of last season. A local lad and I think he hastwin g'daughters who are a bit tasty and may have tried a singing career andacting in Hollyoaks a few years back.

As mentioned before Geof S was a much better technical keeper. Pretty sure it'll be coved on Alex dawson's link but most will remember him lying flat out in the north goal whilst play was down the other end of the pitch and the crowd shouting wildly for play to stop. They didn't kick the ball out in those days though!

I remember that really well FG? Sidebotham was unconscious for what seemed absolutely ages but the Walsall players kept the ball for an eternity as they tried to get into a position to put a shot into our empty net. He was treated again but collapsed once more and then Spearitt went in goal I think.

Well I think it was Walsall and Spearitt . Maybe I don't remember it that well. Lol.

I do remember that both Powney and Siddy bottom both could actually come for crosses and take the ball cleanly instead of punching everything that came near them. Jesus we used to laugh at the continental keepers who punched everything. Even great keepers like Sepp Mayer and Dino Zoff always looked suspect under the high ball. English keepers were the best by a mile in those days.

 

[Czechmate]

Brian Powney was one of my favourite players , used to wear the old green cloth gloves , my hero , i was only young . John Napier was nicknamed Kit Napier , wasn't Ian 'Spider' Mellor in the team as well ? Tall player who played up front and was great at scoring goals . This is only from memory so may be wrong on some of the things above . Pat Seward was a great man . Got a feeling Eddie Spearritte played more on the wing too.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

You are right about Walsall and, for a few years, there was quite a feice rivalry and many matches in which we never seemed to beat them. And Eddie Spearritt did take over in goal.

Just another Tony Burns memory, he couldn't half throw a ball, prefering to throw out into the other half rather than kick.

Thank's mr Rapper for starting this and it's great if we can bring to life some of these names, players that were hero's to those 'of a certain age'!