Every one was talking about it!!!

[Deleted User X18H]

From Old ladies to Vicars from Doctors to Volks Railway Train Drivers.

On this day 26 years ago this town this whole TOWN was Albion mad

Every shop was decorated in Albion colours most buses had blue and white flags taxi's had Albion streamers

Brighton and Hove was just coiled with excitement not a Man U or Chelsea or EVEN an Arsenal shirt to be seen anywhere and certainly not Spurs

As a 14 year old boy we were even allowed to leave school early and had an Albion based assembly.


The night before the Cup Final post your memories here.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

What?? No one remembers the 20th May 1983 You couldn't turn on the telly without an Albion reference!!

 

[Stoo82]

I was one years old. My dad went to the replay.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

I was one years old.

and what are your memories did you have an Albion nappy did you sit on your potty for the first time as a tribute to Tony Grealish??

 

[Muzzman]

I was 4.

One of my very first memories was watching that game on TV and trying to pick out my Dad and 2 of my cousins in the 100,000 people that packed Wembley. Needless to say I didn't spot him.

 

[Mendoza]

I have a balck and white photo of me in my pram waving a flag in Hove Park as the team got a massive send off. No memories of it though, as I was only two

 

[Stoo82]

and what are your memories did you have an Albion nappy did you sit on your potty for the first time as a tribute to Tony Grealish??

I think i did a poo that day for every goal that went in.

 

[Muzzman]

I think i did a poo that day for every goal that went in.

Sometimes... nothing changes when watching the Albion.

 

[Bozza]

Massive excitement. Throughout the whole cup run, the excitement had gradually ratcheted up and up. The semi-final at Highbury was an immense occasion for this particular 11 year old and my first trip to Wembley was nearly upon me.

Shirt, scarf, cap, wristbands and flag - all my Albion gear was ready for me to don the following day. Train tickets were booked, I think, and our 2 tickets on the halfway line, secured through a friend of my father who was a director of (then non-league) Wimbledon had been safely stored for the following morning. And so, onto that following morning...

My father had put the tickets in the top of an old coffee pot thing. He'd not told anyone where he'd put them. He went to retrieve the tickets, lifting the lid from the pot and they weren't there. He assumed that my sister or I had found them and hidden them for 'a joke'. We hadn't. Mass panic ensued and the house was practically dismantled. Just when all hope was gone - our tickets were lost - someone picked up the lid of the coffee pot for one last time and there they were. Unknown to us, they'd got caught in the lid of the pot. When the lid was taken from the pot and placed down - the tickets had remained hidden from view.

 

[bristolseagull]

Massive excitement. Throughout the whole cup run, the excitement had gradually ratcheted up and up. The semi-final at Highbury was an immense occasion for this particular 11 year old and my first trip to Wembley was nearly upon me.

Shirt, scarf, cap, wristbands and flag - all my Albion gear was ready for me to don the following day. Train tickets were booked, I think, and our 2 tickets on the halfway line, secured through a friend of my father who was a director of (then non-league) Wimbledon had been safely stored for the following morning. And so, onto that following morning...

My father had put the tickets in the top of an old coffee pot thing. He'd not told anyone where he'd put them. He went to retrieve the tickets, lifting the lid from the pot and they weren't there. He assumed that my sister or I had found them and hidden them for 'a joke'. We hadn't. Mass panic ensued and the house was practically dismantled. Just when all hope was gone - our tickets were lost - someone picked up the lid of the coffee pot for one last time and there they were. Unknown to us, they'd got caught in the lid of the pot. When the lid was taken from the pot and placed down - the tickets had remained hidden from view.

oh dont keep us in suspense, did you make it to the game? did you? did you?

 

[severnside gull]

I had a 30th birthday party planned but managed to get a ticket for Wembley via my ex so postponed it.....until the night of the replay! Had to throw a sickie to get the day off to travel (and wished I hadn't). Great memories of the first game though. Had a great view right on the halfway line

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I was at a decent age to enjoy it.

Strange that somehow the Cup Final does not figure as high as you'd expect in peoples memories, even I had forgotten this anniversary and i don't remember the day as fondly as i do some much lesser games.

All the trains were packed. Maybe it's because i headed off to Wembley rather than pubbing that means the day hasn't stayed with me.

The match was a cracker, unusual for cup Finals at that time. Albion had just been relegated and, although Utd hadn't beaten us in the 2 league games, they were hot favs so the game really took off when the unbelievable happened and gordon Smith headed us ahead.

To be fair, we matched, and even bettered Utd for times in the game but the game took a major turn when norman Whiteside brutalised Chris Ramsey 0as utd scored?) and gerry Ryan had to come on and fill in at right back, his 1st time there.

when utd went ahead with a cracking goal, I think most thought the game was up but Albion kept going and it was a dramatic last min equaliser from garry stevens, following a corner.

Extra time was a slog on a very heavy pitch as there had been a fair amount of rain at times. then came that dramitic breakaway by Robinson, just with enough strength to pass to Smith....

....Smith did not miss. he did not wack it wildly wide or over the bar. He kept the ball low and close to the keepers feet, often the best place, but Bailey rushed out, spread himself well & blocked the shot. It's the sort of thing you see a dozen times a season, brave keeping, but because it was the 120th min of a cup final, one of our finest players is not given the credit he deserves.

As for me, I was at the back, top step, far behind the goal. It was terracing and the steps were massive. great atmosphere!

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

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If I could pause history and enjoy a moment again and again, I'd enjoy again the whole build up to the cup final up to the moment Gordon Smith put brighton one up.....

 

[Storer68]

fantastic day.

and tomorrow I shall arrive at work weering this fabulous garment! (on the right)

 

[Frutos]

I wasn't born.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Some audio files to enjoy:

The Boys In The Old Brighton Blue

The Goldstone Rap

The Goldstone Message

 

[pasty]

Cup Final Eve 1983 I was having a row with a certain Sgt Kenneth Woods at RAF Cranwell who would not let me have a days leave the next day, even though I had a ticket for the game, and another chap was prepared to cover my shift. f***ing git, I've never forgiven him.

 

[Barrow Boy]

I remember queing at the Goldstone to get our tickets and we met Jimmy Melia going into the offices, he had a quick chat with us and shook our hands, seemed like a nice guy. We travelled up to Wembley by coach and arrived about half twelve, my first impression of Wembley was what a dump it was and how it looked a lot smaller once inside than what it looked on the telly. My overidding memory was feeling the concrete terracing actually moving as we celebrated our first goal, then Chris Ramsey getting crippled by that dirty git Norman Whiteside which upset the balance of the team. The game itself seemed to go so quickly even with the extra time, but I think a lot of us felt we had blown our chances once Gordon Smith had his shot saved, and that Manure weren't going to give us another chance in the replay.
It was a great experience but I really felt that, all in all, I enjoyed the semi final at Highbury a lot more, even allowing for the fact that we won that one!

 

[Horney]

I was much more nervous for the semi-final ( couldn't bear the thought of missing out, when so close )...needed some very large stiff whiskeys close to Highbury...cue Jimmy Case.
On the morning of the Final, I got to Wembley before midday and intended to walk round the outside to smell the atmosphere. Unfortunately, there was quite a heavy shower that lasted about 45 minutes and forced most people to take shelter. Come kick off, the sun was shining and actually being there, with BHA in an FAC Final and singing " abide with me " was hard to believe.
I sat high in the stand ( £20 seat ) and was directly behind the players wives.
Excuse my chauvinism but their complete ignorance of what was going on, coupled with pretty regular screaming and catawalling, drove me mad.
When Gordon Smith put us ahead, I leapt out of my seat and found myself running down the stairway with other BHA fans ( God knows where we thought we were going ! ) As the celebrations started to die down, I suddenly realised I was disorientated and couldn't find my original seat. A steward came to the rescue and sadly I found myself back with the WAGS again.
The Whiteside foul on Ramsey was deplorable and clearly contributed to their equaliser and when Wilkins curled in that glorious second I thought our day was over. Gary Stevens had other ideas and as extra time went on, we were finishing the stronger side. As Robinson played the ball across to Smith, there was a combination of stunned silence from the United fans, collective breath holding from most BHA fans and a wall of screaming from the WAGS in front of me. To a woman, they all jumped up as Smith was shooting and all I saw was Gary Bailey going down. Momentarily, I lost sight of the ball and assumed it had gone under the keeper and in.
For a split second I started to celebrate, my arms beginning to rise and then I saw Bailey rolling over and grabbing the ball.
Cue...despair...Yes, I applauded the lads on their " lap of honour "...but in my heart of hearts I knew our chance had gone. We caught United slightly below par and we would not play any better.
On the train back to Sussex, everyone was blaming Gordon Smith but although I was gutted, I thought this was a bit harsh. He'd played well in the semi, laying on the winner and scored a very good first goal in the final.
I have replayed those dying seconds of extra-time many times and now realise that it was meant to be. That we weren't going to be allowed to dine out on that " winning " goal for years. That in the years ahead, we wouldn't be allowed to look every Man. Utd fan that we met ( and Christ have I met a few ! ) in the eye and say " we beat you in an FAC Final "
I'll never forget the build-up, the day itself and the feeling when I realised that Smith hadn't scored. As for the replay...well its almost as if it didn't happen ( too predictable, too anti-climactic )
What I prefer to remember is beating Newcastle, Man.City, Liverpool, Norwich and Sheff.Wed on route and coming within a whisker of winning the Final.

 

[Ernest]

I was on South Today and TVAM as they wanted TRUE fans like me on , some bastard got me pissed before I went on South Today