Absent Friends

[ManOfSussex]

To three people, two of whom actually never watched The Albion:

1: My late Mother - She was a Midlander, an NHS nurse who worked here as a midwife, served this blessed plot and loved Sussex as much as I do. She would have been proud as punch today and genuinely thrilled.
2.: My son who died before his first birthday. If he'd hated football he wouldn't have had a choice.
3. A guy up the road when I was a kid who went to The Goldstone every week - He died in 1988. He'd be happy now. He must have been born in the 1890's.

Stand or fall.

 

[BangaloreGull]

Respect to OP, great thread. My grandad missed the Amex by a year. Would have loved today.

 

[whitelion]

To my dad James a proud cockney eastender who relocated to Brighton after the war - his parents house was flattened by a German rocket whilst he was fighting them in Europe.

He didn't really have a good word for football when I used to go as a kid - he only took me once along with one of my sisters on Boxing Day 68 when we played QPR.

However we had a renaissance after both of our divorces in the 80s and reconnected over a few beers and a visit to the Goldstone. His favourite player was Sergei Gotsmanov and he went to his last match 2nd January 1993 at the Goldstone and saw us win against Pompey. I didn't go as I was preparing a meal at my partners for him as a Christmas/New Year celebration. Last time I saw him alive as I waved him goodnight full of his favourite food. Found him dead the next day (it wasn't the food ).

He would be proud to see us at the Amex in the Premier League. We went to Bournemouth Palace Liverpool Wembley Pompey for games and he absolutely loved the Albion - what a change from the dad I knew as a child - they do grow on you.

 

[World of Sport]

My sister died in 2014, she would have loved this moment.
Love you Carol, we finally done it.

 

[Claude samdamme]

RIP mum - had some looks upto the sky today. She would have loved today

 

[Uh_huh_him]

My uncle Dave.

The greatest man who ever lived

Didn't make it to Falmer.
I raise a glass to him at every game.

Dave White. RIP
Xx

 

[Yoda]

My Dad, who also never made it to the Amex to watch us rise from the flames either.
Know he'd be so proud now though.

 

[Fountainhead]

BT Bob Clark- hope you were watching RIP

 

[kevo]

RIP Paul Whelch. Lovely tributes in the programme and during the match. He should have seen this day, but fitting that his life was celebrated on such a momentus occasion for the club.

 

[Brownstuff]

Grant Pollard, my first mate I went to football with (I forgive him for being 55% yid fan)
My old man, North East Stand regular at the Goldstone, was completely against sitting down at the football so rarely went to Withdean and doubt would have gone to the Amex much
But he passed on his love of football to me, he was amazed at our football progress in the year before the Amex was completed but passed away in Feb before our first season there

 

[Roy Chuter's sister Lynne]

All the Chuter family who loved the Albion and didn't get to see this day:

Roy
Karen
and our Mum and Dad (Joy and Ken) who got us all into the Albion in the seventies...

they - and all the others who went too soon - would have absolutely loved this fantastic weekend!

xxx

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Derick Knell - regular STH at the Goldstone - surely celebrating in heaven ....

 

[SeagullTim]

We got him on the pitch

JS11

 

[Buzzer]

Can't let this thread slip away from the first page just yet.

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

Remembering David Pritchard and Keith Gumbrell, two lifelong supporters who passed away without seeing our return to the Amex and to the top flight.

 

[Surf's Up]

BT Bob Clark- hope you were watching RIP

Seconded - gone but never forgotten.

 

[Arthur]

[tweet]845372563824037889[/tweet]

I'm sure the big man was looking down yesterday and raising a glass.

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

Colin Pryer - watched the swindon playoff second leg in a pub in Newcastle. Died caving in 2005.. Thinking of you today Col.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[attila]

 

[attila]

I've no idea why the second image appeared here and I am too much of a luddite to work out how to get rid of it, sorry. (Edit: gone.)