Best memory of goldstone

[sams dad]

Who would have thought that we would have bought Bobby Smith from Spurs for £5k 6 months after he played for England at Wembley.

It is comparable to us buying Alan Shearer for £50k now unbelievable.

What a forward line we had that season-6 players scored10 or more goals and the team scored 102 in total.Happy days

 

[BensGrandad]

Couldn't we do with just one of them now, maybe a little slower than they were then but who cares about minor problems.

Bobby Smith finished up driving a tipper lorry then suffered as a result of too many cortisone injections.

Could you see any of todays top players driving a lorry when they finish.

 

[Tighe11]

I only went to the last ten at the goldstone but i have amazing memories from those games alone

The four all draw against Leyton Orient if i remeber it was a MacDonald penalty that equalised but i was only little so i may well be wrong.

Hartlepool 5 0, fans united, my first ever albion game and what a way to start.

And of course the last ever game but i believe it that had happened today it would of hit me more about how much it would affect the club.

 

[coach03]

Promotion 71/72, I think it was.

v Wolves in League Cup, lost 2-3 in 1969, V. big crowd

v Villa winning 2-1 with Willie Irvine's goal that was runner up (I think) on goal of the season and used to be run in the opening credits to MOTD

v Walsall (I think) mid week. 0-0 at half time and chucking it down. My Dad wanted to go home and I said ' Let's give it 15 minutes....'

v Man Utd at home watching from the Lego stand 2-2 I think in a cup game mid week (League Cup)

v Bolton 1-1 in promotion season when Sir Norman Gall conceded the penalty...

 

[Gwylan]

Obviously the last game and the Fans Utd game - what can top those two?

But I also remember us drawing with Rochdale and getting promoted in 1972, with my dad going wild in front of me.

I remember the ballboy heading the ball into the crowd against Man City.

Bryan Wade's 4 goals against Newcastle, the day the (1st) Gulf War started.

Seeing Peter Ward and Robin Friday on the same pitch and wondering if this was really the third division.

An England U21 international with Wardy scoring a hat-trick.

That 7-0 demolition of Walsall and got caring that I was drenched.

Seeing David Beckham make his Man U debut - didn't know the significance then of course.

Beating Liverpool once and taking them to extra time on another occasion. We're their bogey team

The huge crowds for some of the games.

The best goal I saw there: Gerry Fell going past two players and hitting a rocket of a shot. Unbelievable skill for such a journeyman player.

So many memories ....

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

My first match there, 1988 against bradford city(we lost ) was a great experience. It was awe-inspiring for me as an 8 year old, reaching the top of the EAst stand and looking down on the pristine green pitch and the thousands of people inside this sporting mecca. I remember thinking how far away the pitch was! And how 'tough' the north stand was! It was also really exciting because i felt like i had been let into the adult man's world- all that smoking and swearing and the stale stench of beer gently wafting on the autumn breeze... And of course the fences, and those spikey things on top of them to keep the marauding away fans at bay!

As for matches, the liverpool cup game in 91 was great. As was the graham mosely (?) testimonial against spurs, where gazza scored a great free-kick, was told to retake it and promptly put it in exactly the same place!
Ipswich in 91 was awesome, and the play-off game against millwall too. Although that was a little scary as i was in the east stand but surrounded by millwall fans.

There was also a great game against cardiff where we lost 5-3. That was strangely enjoyable.

Other than that, most of the highlights of the goldstone in her last couple of years come from the demonstrations and protests.

 

[The Orange Seagull]

The Man City match 'ball boy' was Keith Cuss,adult and chief ball boy and cult figure with the Albion fans.He was sacked for the famous header out-I remember the match well!I think there was a campaign to re instate him but to no avail!

 

[Northstander]

I think one thing that sticks in my mind, can't remember the year. When we had Barry Lloyd as amanager and may have been Bristol on last game of season. We got promoted I think and we stormed the pitch from the north stand.

This was days when we had fencing up, I managed to get near the front of North stand and was getting crushed!! Scary stuff!!!

God, wish we still had that place!!

 

[ILOVEBHA]

Does anyone remember standing at the north stand when we won a corner and we sung the Kurt Nogan song no no nogan and he just had the most amazing smile on his face.That was the first time we had sung that song for him and he looked really happy.

 

[Northstander]

Who remembers taking celery sticks into the North stand!!

The stand and edge of the pitch used to be scattered with sticks of celery!!

At some grounds the coppers were searching for weapons, at the Goldstone they would search you for celery sticks!!

 

[zefarelly]

loads and loads of great and awful memories

Norwich FA cup 1/4 final, loosing 4-1 to Liverpool with my cousin who was a Liverpool fan, then drawing 3-3 the following year which was much better

getting laughed at in the North stand aged about 11 against Swansea becasue my mum made me egg sandwiches and when I opened the box the wafture almost knocked everyone out

Chelsea taking the whole east terrace and totally drowning out the north stand (from the west stand)

getting pelted with lumps of east terrace by Leeds fans wearing nazi SS helmets, deep joy !

sitting down on the east terrace to watch absolutely attrocious football ( chatting to Norman Cook incidentally) there couldnt have been more than a dozen of us there.

getting drenched, 3-1 down against Bournmouth 15 minutes to go and salvaging a draw, and we should have won ! I have never felt so good being soaked and freezing cold

4-4 draw with Leyton Orient

Doncaster . . . . . nuff said

for all its faults and frailties I miss the place terribly, watching the albion has never been the same since (although we have one a few things for the forst time in my lifetime !)

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

i'm too young for the celery thing- why on earth was it done?

(btw- didn't go to that many goldstone games- but best memory was my first match vs brentford- a boring 0-0 draw)

 

[Everest]

Turning up & paying at the turnstiles. Did that really happen?

 

[Northstander]

i'm too young for the celery thing- why on earth was it done?

(btw- didn't go to that many goldstone games- but best memory was my first match vs brentford- a boring 0-0 draw)

At the time, for some reason? We were always singing "Celery!"

As it was bing sung, celery sticks would be chucked about!!!

marvellous scenes indeed!!

 

[Northstander]

What chant was it we used to sing, usually at half time *(from what I remember), it would start on the left then go to the right!!!

That always used to ake me laugh!! It used to go on for about 10 minutes!!

 

[Mick Beard BHA]

.
19) Seeing Bellotti running for his life from the directors box 60 seconds into a match 1996?

v Darlo, November (or was it December?) '96.

Classic moment, although the atmosphere at that game was dangerous. Exciting game but we lost 3-2 with a lateish goal, Jimmy's last game in charge, and i just remember leaving the ground feeling bewildered, and very, very depressed


Turned out ok in the end though eh

 

[Mick Beard BHA]

Err, just re-read my post. To be clear:

a) Definitely NOT my favourite Goldstone memory, i'm still deciding;

and

b) "Turned out ok in the end" obviously by staying up that season, and not with regards to the dear old Goldstone, RIP.

Thought i'd better establish that lest i start a riot..

 

[Northstander]

I had joined up by then and was no longer able to get to the games, in a funny way I am pleased though. Missing those depressing days means I hold just the great memories of the days I went every week!!

Although no matter where I was in the world at that time, I made sure I knew what was happening!!

 

[Woodingdean Gull]

Absolutely everything.

It’s impossible to put into words or explain to someone who has never supported a club like the Albion, what you miss about the ground that you first visited as a small boy with your Dad.

From standing at the front of the east – sitting over the wall when Adrian Thorne scored five to take us out of the closing Third Division (South) for the first time, and getting Jimmy Langley’s autograph after being in the record Goldstone crowd when we beat Fulham in that wonderful Christmas fixture,

Progressing to the North east corner – watching us losing 0-2 to Palace and then coming back level and Peter Harburn scoring the winner with the very last kick of the game, we also beat Reading 8-3 around that time.

The ups and downs of the sixties, - it always seemed to be raining?

The crush of the North stand through the seventies, and going delirious with everyone else as Wardy left big Jim Cannon sitting on his a*se before scoring,

In the North in the eighties chanting “You’re worse than Crystal Palace” as we put four into Man. City’s goal, especially as Dennis Tuert had said on tv that morning that they were already looking forward to the next round(sic), and then seeing Casey get away from the Norwich defence and put us into the semi finals.
Taking my son to the Goldstone in the West stand for the first time to see Gazza and England under 21’s play Italy under 21’s and watching the look of wonderment come on to his face as he came up the steps and saw the ground all lit up – brilliant, and I knew he was hooked.

I had to stand on the East for the York game. I thought it was our last, and as a tribute to my old Dad, who was no longer with us, I had to get back where it had started, my own son alongside me. I still can’t believe what I saw, but later I was so glad that I had!
Me and my son managing to get into the back of the North stand for “Fans United” and watching the Chelsea supporter leading a lot of the singing as we beat Hartlepool 5-0. I remember feeling so emotional that so many true football fans from all over the U.K, Europe and further afield could turn up in their ‘colours’ to support us in our hour of need. I still get a lump in my throat and a moistening of the eyes just thinking about it.
Seeing the same Chelsea supporter arrested at Gillingham after “Fans United 2”.

That final hated day, soaking wet, with my son and eldest daughter, all my kids are true seagulls, getting high with the win, getting my piece of turf after, and then the feeling of a close one passing away as we left, what seemed like, hours later, still bloody raining.

Far, far too many memories to recall, but a few shared with others, that I know, have that passion for the Albion and the Goldstone.

 

[Northstander]

I think strangely I have a bigger passion for The Goldstone than the actual club!

Weird!!