[Albion] 20 years ago. How crowds have changed !!

[Falmer Flutter ©]

Yep, I was there. It was a real low point for me supporting the Albion. I remember just sitting on the terrace at HT watching the fireworks lighting up the depressing Gillingham skyline and just thinking what the **** am I doing here.

 

[Brovion]

Yep, I was one of the 800+ who were there.

I used to sit in the main stand and was sat next to a couple of the player's wifes. Both of them were chatting about how awful it was and how their husbands were counting the days until they could leave.

Interesting these days that some fans dismiss the people who trekked up the motorway every home game to that shithole as " uber fans" I even heard conversations suggesting that we only did it to show us as better fans than the ones now attending Amex...in fact I was chatting to a " lifelong" albion fan who didn't even know what I was talking about when discussing gillingham..I was actually accused of being a gillingham fan until,someone put him right!

....

Ha! Do you also remember on here once when your daughter had been a mascot at Priestfield, some dullard said "If you're such a big Brighton fan why did you let your daughter be a mascot for Gillingham?"

Still makes me chuckle.

 

[Giraffe]

I was there, sat next to Ronnie Moore who was scouting us. He was appalled that we had travelled so far and thought we should get medals. He was also appalled that he had travelled so far only to be told by me that our regular starting line up was about five different to what it was normally.

 

[Gritt23]

I haven't got any proof, but I reckon I was there. Maybe I'll have to find some. Genuinely didn't miss many games at Priestfield, as Tun Wells was only an hour away. I'll supply names of two people I may have been with, should I need to.

Same here. I'm not the martyr it appears as I too live in North Kent, so being a season ticket holder for the Priestfield year really was such a big deal.

Can't say I especially remember this game, but I don't actually remember many of those games, despite not missing more than a couple of them. The 5-1 defeat at home to Millwall in some poxy Cup does rather stick out though.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

The days of Neil Emblem, Super Rodney Thomas and that loanee from Arsenal who was utter shit
I remember talking to Robbie Renielt in the wait to get a burger at halftime and him telling me that Nobby Horton didn’t like him
Wouldn’t see Skalak in the North Stand getting his piglet pie these days saying anything like that

 

[Spiros]

Yes I was there, one of the (far too many) depressing visits to Priestfield. But on a positive note getting away from the ground and back onto the motorway was quick given the small attendance

Was there that night, along with pretty much every game at Gillingham. My minor first-world complaint about our current ground is that it actually takes me longer to get home to Worthing after a game at the Amex than it did from Priestfield! Might have something to do with the extra 29,000 people turning up.

Far from being one of those who moans about not being able to get tickets 'because I went to the Goldstone/Priestfield/Withdean' I'm just glad to see that we have a thriving club with a new / returning generation of Albion fans. If that means I can't get a ticket for Man U away then that's a small price to pay. I'd have certainly taken that 20 years ago.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Ha! Do you also remember on here once when your daughter had been a mascot at Priestfield, some dullard said "If you're such a big Brighton fan why did you let your daughter be a mascot for Gillingham?"

Still makes me chuckle.

Yep...goes down in the list of many "whooosh" moments on here

 

[Dave the OAP]

Same here. I'm not the martyr it appears as I too live in North Kent, so being a season ticket holder for the Priestfield year really was such a big deal.

Can't say I especially remember this game, but I don't actually remember many of those games, despite not missing more than a couple of them. The 5-1 defeat at home to Millwall in some poxy Cup does rather stick out though.

Again I was in the main stand with the players wives ....bit of a pattern emerging here....and it was full of the most heinous Millwall fans you could imagine. They were particularly horrendously abusive to keith Dublin ( black centre back who played in London before he joined us...it may not have been keith!) I think it was....what made it worse was his family were sat behind me and left after about 20 minutes listening to things like " die you n*gger *******" and such like....

Horrible night....didn't Jamie moralie score first in that game?

 

[Commander]

I was there. And now I can't get an away ticket for any game that I want to go to.

I had a season ticket at Priestfield and somehow managed to misplace it early on in the season, but because it was only £2 to get in for under 16's, I never bothered getting a new one sent out. You don't get much more uber fan than having a season ticket and still paying to get in.

 

[Perry Milkins]

Again I was in the main stand with the players wives ....bit of a pattern emerging here....and it was full of the most heinous Millwall fans you could imagine. They were particularly horrendously abusive to keith Dublin ( black centre back who played in London before he joined us...it may not have been keith!) I think it was....what made it worse was his family were sat behind me and left after about 20 minutes listening to things like " die you n*gger *******" and such like....

Horrible night....didn't Jamie moralie score first in that game?

Keith MacPherson David...hope you sorted those knickerdraggers out......

 

[Arthur]

Extrapolating from the number of my Albion friends who claim to have been there, I reckon there were at least 14k in attendance (I wasn’t one of them)! Rather similar to those who saw Case’s goal...

It's the Gillingham equivalent of Nelson's goal at Brentford.

I went to nearly all the pissfilled games (25 minutes drive from Faversham) but I don't remember this one. I do remember being tonked 1-5 by Millwall in the fannybygaslight trophy one sad evening, with the legend that was Jamie Moralee scoring one of his legendary rare goals (deflected in off his well-travelled cock, if I remember correctly). If that helps.

I seem to recall we went 1-0 up thanks to that goal and Moralee tried his hardest to miss it from about a yard out hitting the underside of the bar before going in. He then proceeded to kiss the badge only to be met by howls of laughter from the Rainham(??) end.

Again I was in the main stand with the players wives ....bit of a pattern emerging here....and it was full of the most heinous Millwall fans you could imagine. They were particularly horrendously abusive to keith Dublin ( black centre back who played in London before he joined us...it may not have been keith!) I think it was....what made it worse was his family were sat behind me and left after about 20 minutes listening to things like " die you n*gger *******" and such like....

Dublin surely wasn't still playing during the Gillingham days was he? Man mountain of a player!!

I was there. And now I can't get an away ticket for any game that I want to go to.

I was there and now I can't get an away ticket for love nor f**king money because I'm not loyal enough. The closet I'll get to an away game this season is bringing my used car back to the dealer which is two minutes walk to the Liberty stadium on Saturday for a spare key. How times changes Kidderminster, Hartlepool, Barnet. How crowds have indeed changed.

Really don't get this attitude. If you'd been to enough games you'd have enough points. Simple as. Just because you went to a game at Gillingham or even all of them doesn't mean you have a given right to a ticket 20 years later.

Far from being one of those who moans about not being able to get tickets 'because I went to the Goldstone/Priestfield/Withdean' I'm just glad to see that we have a thriving club with a new / returning generation of Albion fans. If that means I can't get a ticket for Man U away then that's a small price to pay. I'd have certainly taken that 20 years ago.

Is the correct answer!

All the time demand outstrips supply then someone is going to miss out and someone is going to be miffed about missing out on ticket. The loyalty scheme has been in place for several seasons now and if you'd gone to enough games you'd have enough points to get tickets.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Again I was in the main stand with the players wives ....bit of a pattern emerging here....and it was full of the most heinous Millwall fans you could imagine. They were particularly horrendously abusive to keith Dublin ( black centre back who played in London before he joined us...it may not have been keith!) I think it was....what made it worse was his family were sat behind me and left after about 20 minutes listening to things like " die you n*gger *******" and such like....

Horrible night....didn't Jamie moralie score first in that game?

Emeka Ifejiagwa (as per [MENTION=13715]jimhigham[/MENTION] posts passim)

Andy Ansah <sigh>

 

[matbha]

[MENTION=12796]Lindfield by the Pond[/MENTION] and I were there. On the way home, Richard Spurs Supporting Littlejohn on the 5 live phone in that night - because England played at Wembley - asked, “...And if you were one of the 1,025 Brighton fans at tonight’s game, give us a call and tell us....why?”

Was utterly dejected and I think we felt lower than the opening game against Macclesfield which just felt weird. But that night, after the result and seeing the tiny smattering of fans who’d gone, I truly did stare into the abyss and think that as a club we were gone.

Anyway fast forward 20 years and can I get a ticket for Old Trafford?!!! Can I f uck!!! Where were you when you were shit, the opponents cry? At Gillingham I reply! And proudly so. Because there are many more liars today than the 1,025 souls who did make that journey on 05.11.97. It’s a badge of honour really.

Probably worth remembering this thread when Rashford or whoever gets a hatrick and this board’s full of knee jerks!

Agreed only missed 2 games at Gillingham this was one of them ,sounds like it was a good thing !

 

[matbha]

Again I was in the main stand with the players wives ....bit of a pattern emerging here....and it was full of the most heinous Millwall fans you could imagine. They were particularly horrendously abusive to keith Dublin ( black centre back who played in London before he joined us...it may not have been keith!) I think it was....what made it worse was his family were sat behind me and left after about 20 minutes listening to things like " die you n*gger *******" and such like....

Horrible night....didn't Jamie moralie score first in that game?

don't think it was keith ,it was Bennet cant remember his first name lol

 

[Dave the OAP]

don't think it was keith ,it was Bennet cant remember his first name lol

Bennett...that was it. They hated him for some reason

 

[Commander]

Really don't get this attitude. If you'd been to enough games you'd have enough points. Simple as. Just because you went to a game at Gillingham or even all of them doesn't mean you have a given right to a ticket 20 years later.

I wasn’t complaining, just stating a fact. The difference is that then I didn’t have any responsibilities so could go to as many away games as I wanted, where as now I have, and so I can’t.

My point was more in agreement to the ‘how things have changed’ sentiment.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

What was the highest attendance we had at Gillingham?. I seem to remember going to one game with around 6K there. I think it was because we all thought it would be the last game there but believe we had another season there......or did I dream that?

 

[LANGDON SEAGULL]

What was the highest attendance we had at Gillingham. I seem to remember going to one game with around 6K there. I think it was because we all thought it would be the last game there but believe we had another season there......or did I dream that.

The fans United game v Doncaster was the highest gate there - just over 6,000. Possibly the worst game of football I’ve ever seen


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[sams dad]

....... knickerdraggers .....

 

[Raphael Meade]

The fans United game v Doncaster was the highest gate there - just over 6,000. Possibly the worst game of football I’ve ever seen


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I think the Darlington game might top the awfulness for me.. 0-4 and Gabbiadini was it, with the hatrick who got the big old round of applause for it.