911, the evening of

[Brighton TID]

11 September 2001. Withdean Stadium. Brighton v Southampton. Worthington Cup. Evening kickoff.

Did anyone here go to this game?

I recall a genuinely surreal atmosphere walking to the ground. Shit was happening in America. Football seemed almost irrelevant on this evening. We lost 3 nil. I think Svensson may have scored a worldy, possibly a brace. Nobody really seemed to care.
My mate kept mentioning some bloke called Bin Laden, George Bush and nukes.

Also, I think Nathan Jones started for us. He didn't do any of those fancy flicky stepovers though.

 

[Brighton Boy]

Yep. Just turned 16 and in my first week at Lewes college.

Was not aware that anything had happened until I arrived at the ground and it was almost silent. I found out from a few people but didn't really comprehend the magnitude until I got home later that evening to see it with my own eyes.

 

[matt]

Yes. A surreal evening and I have no recollection of the game or the score.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Yup. Despite losing 658 friends and colleagues that day, I had all the tickets for frends for the game and had to go. Was in complete shock

 

[pastafarian]

one of the strangest games ive been to,you could tell that peoples hearts were not into it and their thoughts were elsewhere simply trying to comprehend the enormity of it all.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I was there. Ridiculous it went ahead

 

[sully]

Indeed. A surreal evening. I remember watching the events in New York on the TVs in the pub before the game, but remember nothing of the game except that we lost.
It must be the only game I've ever been to that I just didn't care about. I've no idea how the players managed to get themselves onto the pitch that evening.

 

[£1.99]

Yes i was there. Was a very sombre evening

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I went and it was a very strange feeling indeed. I remember getting home from work and seeing the images on TV whilst getting ready for the game. Micky Adams looked a bit lost and none of the players were totally engaged. Seem to think it was raining too.

 

[Yoda]

I went and it was a very strange feeling indeed. I remember getting home from work and seeing the images on TV whilst getting ready for the game. Micky Adams looked a bit lost and none of the players were totally engaged. Seem to think it was raining too.

How I remember it, but don't remember the rain. During the day was sunny and warm wasn't it?

 

[backson]

I remember going, agree it was a strange atmosphere, however I seem to recall it was the day after. I'm sure I spent the evening of 9/11 watching the news.

I think we let in 3, but don't know what we scored, might have been 3-0

Edit: no I'm wrong, was the 11th, but the score was 3-0

 

[NEASTGULL]

Yes, I was at the game, although I almost did not make it as the company I was working for at the time considered themselves a high risk, and were not allowing any one to leave the premises at first.

If I recall the afternoon correctly, I was summonsed out of a meeting to be briefed and man the emergency liaison desk, before being informed that I would not be allowed to leave the office when my shift ended at 5.

I managed to persuade the duty manager that I had worked a 10 hour shift with only a 30 minute break, and I was finally allowed to leave at 5:30.

I remember that the atmosphere at the ground was very surreal and the football did not seem to matter. The feeling amongst our group was that the games scheduled for that evening should have been postponed.

I also remember that I arrived home in East Grinstead at around 11:00 and only having time for a quick shower, before being picked up by my mate as we were travelling overnight to spend a few days at his parents place in North Wales ahead of the Wrexham game on the Friday.

 

[carteater]

I wasn't at the game as I was only 3, but here is the programme for it from this great website full of albion programmes.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/75238685@N02/sets/72157645083468593/show

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I missed the game on account of being on holiday in Italy, staying in the town where I lived in the early 70s. Most of my evening was spent worrying about the teaboy and his girlfriend, who were holidaying in Manhattan and were victims of the effective shutdown of the NYC phone network that made any sort of communication impossible.

It turned out, of course, that, despite being less than half a mile away, the young Bracknells had managed to sleep through the whole incident, waking up to discover, in Dan's words, that "It's a bit dusty out there".

It was two days before we received news that the young people were fine.

 

[catfish]

Like previous posters I remember going to the game but can't recall any details. Even the goals. A very strange experience.

 

[Charles 'Charley' Charles]

Remember, as said above was very strange atmosphere and weird night. For some reason I recall BZ having one of his bread and butter goals disallowed from a Watto free kick. Don't think anyone wanted to be there.

 

[Napier's Knee]

I can remember watching the towers come down, I can remember being at the Withdean that evening but I have no memory of actually going to the match nor of what happened when I was there. It was actually due to NSC that I found out the towers had been attacked - I was on the site and someone just told everyone to go watch TV.

 

[Driver8]

I went to the game and worked in Mayfair in London at the time. We had only just got internet on our desktops then and watched it unfold on BBC. It was very nervy in London I recall but I still went to the footie.

 

[Lindfield by the Pond]

Yep - was there. Wasn't sure what to do - thought it was going to be called off, but didn't want to watch the news anymore, so decided to go to the game. Remember talk on the radio, whilst driving to the game, of hijacked planes targeting sporting arena's and thinking Withdean must be safe? A surreal game where the result was truly irrelevant.

 

[robinsonsgrin]

i recall being told about what was unfolding whilst teaching....but didnt comprehend the magnitude until driving home and listening to the radio.
we went to the match...just didnt have any interest - soaked and thinking there is more to life than footy...it was one of the only times i left at half time. weird evening. recall the thread in memory of robert eaton - added my own blurb. think it got printed off and taken over by some nscers if my memory serves me correctly?