Did anyone prefer it when we were in League 2?

[Del Fenner]

Still Miss the Goldstone.

So do I .

 

[Grassman]

The thing I preferred about the Withdean was you knew that all the people around you were proper fans. I'm not having a go at the JCL's as they are giving money to the club, however I dislike the 'culture' these days of seemingly relentless moaning every time we don't win a game.

True to an extent. Though I don't miss the old **** behind me who would shout "get it forward!" every other second in that final season, despite us being 3-nil up. 'Proper' fans can be just as pig-ignorant as JCL's. That said, that night against Cheaterfield was one of my Top 5 Albion experiences. There was literally no-where else on earth I would rather have been that evening.

 

[Flavor Flav]

Absolutely. Completely different ball game these days though. The new fans the club has got since the move just aren't in the same league of the ones from Withers. I tend to mainly do away games these days as some of the ****wits at the Amex mixed with the cost is too much. Saying that I do ****ing love the place.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

The football - no I don't miss it, apart from the two league winning seasons and Bobby Zamora. Cullip's header against Chesterfield will stay in my memory for a long time. However, what I do miss is being able to park in Patcham or Preston Drove and have just a short walk to the stadium - this was very convenient, especially if I was coming down in a rush from work. Now it can be a real dash to get to Lewes or a park and ride to park and get the bus or train, and I miss the Preston Brewery Tap after Saturday games. Would I go back? No thank you - memories of Burnley in 2004-2005 and Carlisle in 2005-2006 will linger just as long. I'm surprised I didn't set the Tap's radiators on fire trying to dry my coat after the latter match.

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Another thing I miss are those Tuesday night Paint Pot cup games where it was only a tenner to get in.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Not so much League 2, far too close to the Conference, a forever haunting thought, but League 1 was good.

Away days were so much friendlier too.

wasn't the A.M.S formed after the knitting gang got their knickers in a twist because it all got a bit to rufty tufty for them
regards
DR

 

[churley1]

The whole Withdean experience was a fairytale. We were absolutely "skint" and playing in a joke of a stadium, yet SOMEHOW against all odds we managed to win 4 trophies in 12 years, the most successful period in the history of the club. Our time there was magical and is what being a football fan is all about.

The Amex is a new chapter, I love it, we worked so hard to get it - but it will take more than comfy seats, big screens and fancy Championship football to surpass the enjoyment I had at Withers.

I think this is what impressed even Palace fans, getting to The Championship and actually staying there for 2 seasons at one point with what seemed a team made up of rejects from other teams, yet they managed to click at Brighton for whatever reason. Obviously going to The Withdean for other teams was generally a nightmare as it was a surreal place to play football, I don't think there's another stadium in the country which is surrounded by houses as expensive and nice as those?

Things have/had changed in the mentality of some since your move to Falmer, unfortunately for the worse which has ignited the rivalry into a different era but I suppose in some ways that's normal, at least in different ways we're now on level pegging.

 

[Grassman]

Things have/had changed in the mentality of some since your move to Falmer, unfortunately for the worse which has ignited the rivalry into a different era but I suppose in some ways that's normal, at least in different ways we're now on level pegging.

I remember on your first visit to the Withdean - when we hammered you 0-0 - a rather large mob of Albion fans who attempted to make your departure take as long as possible! That was a nice gesture, what with the fact it had taken us 2hrs to get away from Selhurst that season. So the rivalry was certainly in full swing then, just on a smaller scale - though also remember we had taken over 5,000 to your place.

 

[Hamilton]

I have some amazing memories of Withdean.

We were champions!

Took this photo after the last game and it just happened that a beam of sunlight hit [MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION] as he raised his fist in triumph.

Said it all about Withdean for me. It may have been a dump, but it was a beautiful dump. It was our dump.

(Don't miss league 2 football though)

 

[Bill Cassidy's tie up]

No but do miss the Goldstone though, the atmosphere walking to the ground, the noise in the tunnel by the bus station echoing, everyone always started singing there and it carried on as the fans passed through. Sorry old man just being nostalgic.

 

[£1.99]

I miss those happy days 45 years ago when i walked with me mates along the Old Shoreham rd from the Knoll estate to watch the Albion at the Goldstone.
Didn't have a care in the world

 

[BN9 BHA]

I know what you mean.

The best time I had as a Brighton fan was on the bus to and from Gillingham. The ground was crap, the town was crap and the football was crap. In fact it was about the worst time to be an Albion fan, but it was still so much fun doing it every week.

When I first read this I thought you were joking but I now think this is genuine, fair play to you for going to Gillingham I did it for a while and hated it.
Why was going at this time so much fun for you?

 

[Seasidesage]

The only thing league two had going for it was away when it was a bit like being Man Utd. I remember going to the Euros in 2000 and meeting some Chesterfield fans. How many will you bring to us they said. My reply was 200 if we are doing shit, 2000 if we are anywhere near the play offs. They laughed and said that was a massive top up but come the day we did have about 2k and we owned the place!!!

 

[Shoreham Beach Seagull]

It felt as if you were valued as a fan at Withdean but the stadium was awful. Despite this I miss a fair bit of it, from the squeak that the chairs made when you pulled them down to the last minute goal celebrations on the athletic track. The last season at Withdean will probably be in the top 5 in my lifetime and it was a fitting end to a stadium that put us up when we needed it most. But without the Amex we can't reach the next level in terms of becoming an established club.

 

[churley1]

I remember on your first visit to the Withdean - when we hammered you 0-0 - a rather large mob of Albion fans who attempted to make your departure take as long as possible! That was a nice gesture, what with the fact it had taken us 2hrs to get away from Selhurst that season. So the rivalry was certainly in full swing then, just on a smaller scale - though also remember we had taken over 5,000 to your place.

I remember that well, makes me shudder to think our strikers that day were Noel Whelan and Dele Adebola, we were very, very lucky to come away with a draw but not having AJ or Freedman made a huge difference. Fortunately (given that it was 0-0), I was in the home end for that match so seeing the scenes after the game and not having to take part in it was quite a relief!

The rivalry has always been there since it's creation but it's certainly evolved into a different era now, I have friends who go to The Amex which surprised me as I never knew they supported Brighton and now because they go regularly, they suddenly hate Palace without any real justification, it feels a bit naff sometimes compared to a few years ago.