Did you go to the 1983 cup final/replay?

[Nobby Nomates]

I went to both. For the final I was in the lower tier of the albion end, which was full of Manure. Having Blue hair it wasn't the place to be. I went mad when we took the lead and got punched in my 16 year old face for my trouble by some brave soul of about 30 (age and stone!)

Fair play to the manure fans, they rounded on him and looked after me for the rest of the match. I still think Smith's miss at the end probably saved my life.....

 

[Withdean and I]

Only watched the first match on TV...glued to it...15 years old...then queued up with Dad for tickets for the replay...got them!!!...queued for ages and Dad bought an extra ticket and flogged it to someone at the back of the queue to save them waiting another 6 hours.

Got bus up from Lewes...magical...got photos...remember fight kicking off in front of us.

Remember Manure fan mooning at us against his coach window as we were leaving Wembley...

A night to remember even though we lost.

 

[jazzy]

Also went to both.

 

[bhaexpress]

Sadly yes I did, even got into a fight with some Cripple Paralysis fans at East Croydon which resulted in me getting a cut eye and one of them being turned into a enuch and another was 'tragially' hit with a moving train door.

Wasn't all bad !

 

[brighton rock]

smith must score

 

[Beach Hut]

I did train and a laugh the Saturday and coach boy for the replay.

Guess which one was more of a laugh ?

 

[perseus]

The lower tier was only lightly inhabited for the first match. The Albion fans transferred to the upper tier, until was impossible even to move. I was on the outside but where it was less crowded.

In the second match it was more comfortable, with Albion fans in both tiers.

For the first match, I got caught in a rain storm and had to go into a bar for too many beers.

It was better in some respects for the second match as more people I knew could get tickets.

 

[perseus]

Did the helicopter land on the pitch? I never knew as because of the rain storm I arrived late, about one or two o'clock.

Trouble free mostly apart from one skirmish when a Manchester United fan was knocked unconscious and because of the crowds he needed medical treatment and the United fans wanted to make room to see what was going on.

 

[cheeseroll]

did both, for the first got my tickets through the east kent works football league so it wansnt surprising that is was for a manure tier (as all the outside tickets will usually eventually get to the "bigger teams"). As i was going in a manure fan with a ticket for the albion tier wanted to swap so it worked out well. for the second there were a lot more albion and the bar was full of us, the first 20 mins were all albion until....

 

[Blackadder]

Went to both.

My mate turned around to me in the replay and said "I think we are going to murder them!" That was just before we conceded our first of four goals. Mind you we were playing well up to that stage.

FA Cup final. remember getting off the coach in the Car park. There were a load of Man U fans under the bridge/wembley way?
They were the fans without tickets! We were met with a resounding "Your going down with the City" (we were both relegated that season).

And Jimmy Case's wonder free kick in the semis.

Marvellous scenes. Apart from that Jimmy Melia was a crap manager who sacrificed out status in the the top league for cup glory!

 

[Brovion]

I went to both. The rain spoilt the first day a bit and I knew we'd lose the replay as you don't get two bites at the cherry.

Like someone else said I actually preferred the semi against Sheff Wed. Brilliant day and the atmosphere in Brighton that evening was incredible. All the pubs were full of singing Brighton fans, there was no trouble and no bouncers to moan "can't come in here wearing colors".

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I went to both.

I was talking to a new customer the other day and he said I suppose you follow the "Seagulls". He said I saw them once, I think it was at Wembley in a cup final.


Bloomin typical.


First game, went to a pub somewhere near North Wembley, as we were going into a pub packed with MU hooligans, someone shouted "10 pints and 10 coffins". Nice. At the replay I almost got into a fight with a MU fan from Portsmouth.

But both great days indeed.

 

[Dave the OAP]

both games

has a bit of a dust up down wembley way with a mouthy MU twat.

great days

 

[Sully's Moustache]

Went to the final, missed the replay. No, the helicopter didn't land on the pitch. It hovered over the stadium for a few minutes before landing somewhere outside.

Again, the semi at Highbury remains the highlight for me, mainly cos we won I guess and that meant Wembley here we come. I think the crossbar's still shuddering from Jimmy Case's freekick!

Do you remember having to produce Stoke City ticket stubs to get vouchers entitling you to buy semi final and final tickets? Glory days!

 

[albiongirl]

I didn,t go but watched the match on the telly!!!

 

[jeremy beadles hand]

Can't remember it as I was 3 years old but was present.

 

[Jambo Seagull]

Went to both. The first game was fantastic. The second a complete letdown. I still think Robinson should have shot himself instead of passing to Smith. Missed the semi due to illness, but went to the Man City, Norwich & Liverpool games. For me the highlight was Anfield. One of my top five football experiences and the best involving the Albion. Phenomenal.

I remember the foam hands well. Is it true there were still a load of them at the play-off game at Wembley in '91?

Whatever happened to British Caledonian? "We'll take more care of you, fly the flag, fly the flag"


Great days.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I missed it as I was only 6 at the time and my mother didn't regard football as a suitable pastime for a small girl back then.

I remember the play off final in 1991 clearly though. I'd been on a school trip in the south of France and had a 24 hour coach trip home, arriving back in Sussex at 9am on the morning of the game. Then went straight up to Wembley on the train. It's all a bit of a blur after that, but I remember we just didn't play well enough on the day.

I cried buckets at the end, especially when the players did a lap of honour. My most vivid memory (apart from the pink Chewit wrapper kit we wore) is of the crowd singing "we're proud of you" to the team as they walked past.

I didn't cry quite as much as Wendy Wilkins though.

 

[Sully's Moustache]

I still think Robinson should have shot himself

OK, it was a disappointment not to win, but shooting himself would have been a bit drastic!

 

[perseus]

I remember thinking who we would like to play in the third round. Newcastle was the first choice. A medium Division Two team with a big reputation. It was 1-1 and the visitors had the edge by a fraction; not worth a goal though.

Apparently, in the replay it was close as well, with Peter Ward making the difference. In important matches we have the edge over Newcastle, even when Gazza was playing for them.

Other supporters remember the coach being bombarded with bottles and rocks as it went through Toxteth after the Liverpool game.

The recession had already hit by 1983, and I could not afford the away games then.