[Albion] Any other 1983 'plastics' out there?

[driddles]

In 1983 I was 16 years old and visiting from Canada to see family in Worthing with my mum.

It was the time of the Brighton Man U cup final. Cup fever had definitely gripped Worthing and I was caught up in it hook, line and sinker. Although we also had family in Manchester everyone I was around were pulling for Brighton. That trip made me a Brighton Hove Albion supporter for life.

I still watch the commemorative DVD of the 83 FA Cup I got from this site every now and then.

So, anyone else become a lifelong supporter that year?

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

83 was my first game. Norwich quarter finals of the FA Cup. 1 - 0 and I was hooked.


Edit. Never got to Wembley for the final though..

 

[ozzygull]

Me 1983 band wagon jumper, 11 years old.

Wembley, Wembley we’re the famous Brighton and Hove Albion and we’re going to Wembley.

Was the first football song I sung.

Zero interest in football before then.

 

[Southern Scouse]

I was 21, and I went to both games.
I remember at the first game being just above the goal and looking round thinking, where the bloody hell have all these Brighton fans come from?
Apart from the 1974 Cup final it was one of the great events of my life...

 

[AmexRuislip]

Non plastic here, all I remember is that I had to make sure I kept my tickets from previous FA Cup games to qualify to eventually go to final.
Something to do with a voucher system?
I may be wrong.

 

[darkwolf666]

I was 21, and I went to both games.
I remember at the first game being just above the goal and looking round thinking, where the bloody hell have all these Brighton fans come from?
Apart from the 1974 Cup final it was one of the great events of my life...

I remember getting my dad to take a photo of the scoreboard at half time, when we were 1 up, saying we might never see this again

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Non plastic here, all I remember is that I had to make sure I kept my tickets from previous FA Cup games to qualify to eventually go to final.
Something to do with a voucher system?
I may be wrong.

Pretty much spot on!

 

[Nottseagull]

That trip made me a Brighton Hove Albion supporter for life.

That's akin to me stating I support the 'Toronto Maple Leaves'. Have you actually been to a Brighton Hove Albion match?

 

[Knocky's Nose]

I was 16 years old... everyone I was around were pulling for Brighton...

Normal teenage behaviour...

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Non plastic here, all I remember is that I had to make sure I kept my tickets from previous FA Cup games to qualify to eventually go to final.
Something to do with a voucher system?
I may be wrong.

After we had won at Liverpool in the fifth round, the club gave out vouchers at the next match, at home to Stoke, that guaranteed you an FA Cup final ticket if we got there. The attendance, despite such a magnificent result in the previous game, was under 15,000. I remember complaints from self-styled 'life-long supporters' who weren't able to get tickets for the final. It was tragic how so many life-long supporters hadn't managed to get to the Stoke game ...

 

[LlcoolJ]

That's akin to me stating I support the 'Toronto Maple Leaves'. Have you actually been to a Brighton Hove Albion match?

Harsh and unnecessary.

 

[driddles]

That's akin to me stating I support the 'Toronto Maple Leaves'. Have you actually been to a Brighton Hove Albion match?

Uh, yes. And I've bought merch from this site back in the dark days to help with rallies, sent flowers to Prescott etc.. What does it matter?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Harsh and unnecessary.

He's being a bit of a dick on another thread about ex-pats as well. He seems to think he's some super fan.

 

[Yes Chef]

I think my Albion support was defined during the 83 Cup run. I was a 7 year old in sunny Eastbourne and whilst my Dad supported BHA and I loved football, I hadn't committed as such to a team. I was a primary school glory hunter!

 

[sully]

I was 21, and I went to both games.
I remember at the first game being just above the goal and looking round thinking, where the bloody hell have all these Brighton fans come from?
...

Really?

I remember looking round thinking “why are there so many united fans in our end?”

 

[Sussex Nomad]

That's akin to me stating I support the 'Toronto Maple Leaves'. Have you actually been to a Brighton Hove Albion match?

Harsh and unnecessary.

Indeed, it's Leafs not Leaves.

 

[el punal]

Me 1983 band wagon jumper, 11 years old.

Wembley, Wembley we’re the famous Brighton and Hove Albion and we’re going to Wembley.

Was the first football song I sung.

Zero interest in football before then.

A couple of other songs doing the rounds at that time :

When the Fozz steps up

To lift the F.A. Cup,

We’ll be there, we’ll be there!

(Repeat endlessly! To the tune of the Quarter Master’s Store)

And another one :

We’re Jimmy Melia’s blue and white army,

We’re all going to Wem-ber-ley,

And we’ll really shake ‘em up,

When we win the F.A. Cup,

‘Cos Brighton are the greatest football team!

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

I was in Birkenhead at the time following my parents split (dad stayed in Worthing, we went to hell) because of the proximity to Liverpool most of the kids were Liverpool or Everton...I was non committed at the time although had been to the Goldstone a few times before the divorce.

When we got to the final 99% of my schoolmates were suddenly pro Albion as they ALL hated Man Utd.

Because the whole school knew me as “the posh kid from Brighton” I was propelled to almost superhuman stature. The whole school wanted to be my mate...what else could I do but become an Albion superfan? Best decision I ever made btw.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Of that 83 Cup Final run I remember getting on the coach at 5.30am from outside The Gratwicke in Littlehampton to go to Anfield for the game after getting back from a Brighton night out at 2.30am !!
Everyone said the four of us were wasting our time going up there etc but we had done every game in the cup run that year so we had to go.
The Semi Final at Highbury was epic and that Jimmy Case goal in front of us will never be forgotten and Nigel Erskine on the pitch with Michael Robinson was a sight to see.
As for the final we got the train up from LA with a load of Cockney reds who we used to drink with in town,had loads of banter and we were in Shakes in Victoria at 10.30am.
We decided to stay sober as we wanted to enjoy the occasion etc so had a few more in The Stage Door then onto the ground.
We were stuck on the Tube for 45 mins and then couldn't believe how many Man Utd fans were below us in the stand
As for the replay we hired a mini bus and were shitfaced before we left Littlehampton as we knew our chance had gone,one of the lads didn't even get into the ground as he was unconscious in the minibus and I remember getting chased out of a pub full of Arsenal fans after the game somewhere.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

That's akin to me stating I support the 'Toronto Maple Leaves'. Have you actually been to a Brighton Hove Albion match?

Unfair! I've decided my Scottish team is Ross County for far more tenuous reasons than that. We stayed on a campsite next to their ground a couple of years ago, and got caught up in the crowd..... both of them..... afterwards.