Garry Nelson - why does he seem to have been forgotten?

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Who?

 

[Norman Potting]

That's a brilliant memory to drag up. I stood in the west lower and became drenched. I didn't notice how wet I was at the end. I remember the Pompey fans prematurely celebrating victory and then those two late goals lol!

I am sure that I was at that one as well - one of my bosses was a Pompey fan and stood in the South East corner and got drenched. I believe the game, weather and score may have been mentioned to him once or twice the following day!

 

[Brownstuff]

Used to be a junior seagull in those days so was a £1 to get in the North Stand plus a free programme
Me and my mates used to stand right down the front bang behind the goal so we used to be on the telly all the time for the goal highlights
The season we went up,it was nip and tuck between Gary Nelson and David Kelly of Walsall for top goalscorer, very rare for a Brighton striker to score more than 30 goals in a season
Ball always seemed to be glued to his foot
Loved the build up to the Arsenal game and his acrobatic volley against them remains one of my favourite Brighton goals

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

His book 'Left foot forward' is really good and very interesting.

 

[John Byrnes Mullet]

Nelson is up there with the greats in my book and his goal away to Brentford is still to this day the best goal I have ever seen.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Did you teach him for the business qualification that he mentions in his book?

Yes - he did an HNC in Business (day release) and then topped up with a Dilpoma in Marketing in the evenings. When I used to 'teach' him I spent most of the time trying to extract the latest team news from him. I even tried to get him to turn out for our staff team against the students. He couldn't do it, but I don't think he'd have got in our side anyway; we weren't short of left-sided attacking players.

 

[Codner's Wallop]

Nelson is up there with the greats in my book and his goal away to Brentford is still to this day the best goal I have ever seen.

Agree entirely with this. I wasn't at the Brentford game but Nelson was a really cultured striker; he was skillful, quick and a great finisher. He wasn't very physical so often got shoved about.in an era when defensive thugs were still tolerated. It makes me think that, had he been playing in the modern era, he would have walked into a Premier League team. In the 30 odd years I've been following the Albion, I'd put Nelson and Zamora MILES ahead of any other Albion strikers in terms of ability and consistency.

 

[KingKev]

A stunning goal from the left wing against Notts Cty away from memory.
30+ yards out and top left corner of the goal.
Amongst my favourite players for Albion.

Yep great day out that one. Who scored the other - Owers?

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

One of my favourite Nelson goals was at home, midweek against Pompey. It was raining so hard, the game could easily have been called off with a water logged pitch. Pompey were leading for most of the game and Martin Kuhl got sent off them. Bremner equalised in the 85th min, and then we just laid siege to their goal. Nelson scored in the 90th to make it 2-1. I remember him collecting the ball and running at goal, and you just knew that he was going to score.

yeah,certainly goes in the book of classic nights at the Goldstone that one

always thought the 2 goals were a bit closer together than that

beating Pompey in that manner,very sweet

 

[KingKev]

Yep great day out that one. Who scored the other - Owers?

Yay for my memory - yes it was Owers. We're Only 6 games left after that win and we were still just 6th! That was some second half to the season.
This was the team apparently, not so shoddy for Div 3:-
1. John Keeley
2. Gary Chivers
3. Keith Dublin
4. Alan Curbishley
5. Robert Isaac
6. Steve Gatting
7. Garry Nelson
8. Adrian Owers
9. Kevin Bremner
10. Dean Wilkins
11. Steve Penney

 

[deslynhamsmoustache1]

1987/88 - My favourite season too. I remember the Sunderland game being a great spectacle and atmosphere (think they were top at the time) when we won 3-1 or 3-2 (?). End to end stuff and they bought a massive following.

Life DID feel fantastic then - the sun seemed to shine all year, you could drink all day and not get a hangover and matchday was really special. Heck, you could even wear Espradilles, stonewash jeans and a singlet if you wished. And no-one battered an eyelid.

Young free and single and you never new what worry was. Sunderland won the league and we were second, Steve Gatting was immense that season.

 

[Bodian]

Yay for my memory - yes it was Owers. We're Only 6 games left after that win and we were still just 6th! That was some second half to the season.
This was the team apparently, not so shoddy for Div 3:-
1. John Keeley
2. Gary Chivers
3. Keith Dublin
4. Alan Curbishley
5. Robert Isaac
6. Steve Gatting
7. Garry Nelson
8. Adrian Owers
9. Kevin Bremner
10. Dean Wilkins
11. Steve Penney

Was that the season we won something like 7 out of the last 8 and drew the other? Notts County that game was the coldest I have ever been at a match - and I had two jumpers on! I think we were one down as well. I also seem to remember loads of Brighton fans going to someone else's game that year (Chester?) which was after one of ours - to cheer them on against a team quite close?

And Nelson's goal against Brentford will never be forgotten by me. But I bet if it had been recorded it wouldn't look so good - so much of it was down to the occasion, the surprise of the goal, the niggliness of the crowd beforehand and so on.

 

[durrington gull]

Loved Nelson - that season was definitely one of my favourites! Happy days as a 18yr old

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

Nelson? Lord Nelson i would say.....what a year 1988 Arsenal,Promotion..super...

 

[deslynhamsmoustache1]

Yay for my memory - yes it was Owers. We're Only 6 games left after that win and we were still just 6th! That was some second half to the season.
This was the team apparently, not so shoddy for Div 3:-
1. John Keeley
2. Gary Chivers
3. Keith Dublin
4. Alan Curbishley
5. Robert Isaac
6. Steve Gatting
7. Garry Nelson
8. Adrian Owers
9. Kevin Bremner
10. Dean Wilkins
11. Steve Penney

That really was a great side, keeley was wonderful, Bremner great in the air and Nelson just marvellous. Did we not beat Bristol Rovers the last game to win promotion? Adrian Owers? there's a blast from the past- always thought Spanish Dave Looked and played like him. Robert Isaac? only remember Robert Codner.

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

My first albion hero. I've probably never been more excited than when I was a mascot and got my picture with him!

 

[Comrade Sam]

What a star, great footballer, great bloke, great writer. Codner joined after that season and Brentford in the cup is still clear in my mind - he picked it up in our six yard box, skinned 9 of them, then curled it from the corner of their area - round the penalty spot and into the far top corner. Someone must have filmed it on their iPhone. Loved him so much I made a cartoon called Godstone Gaz and if I had any IT skills whatsoever it would be my avatar.

 

[J2 DOG]

Certainly havnt forgotten the goal he scored at Griffin park against Brentford! One of my all time fav Albion goals! I think it was a FA cup game!Sadly no recording of it!

 

[Box of Frogs]

I would love to hear him on the Albion Roar, and would also love it if the club could get him out on the pitch for a little half time interview or something. One of my absolute heroes as a young teenager!

He was at the Amex last season or the season before - He was in the BUPA Lounge for a pre-match meal and was interviewed on pitch at half time.

 

[herecomesaregular]

'87 was the first season for me - what an introduction, still fondly remember many of the players: Dublin, cool as a cucumber, Wendy never making a tackle, sublime dead balls, Doug is Evil, Bremner the archetypal Scottish terrier, Wood on the wing, and then Nelson having the goal scoring season of his life (bit of a blip it seems). We treated ourselves to good seats in the West Stand for the Arsenal game, queuing for ages) only to be foiled by Perry bloody Groves. I was disappointed by the low key reception Garry Nelson received when introduced at half time at the Amex but I guess one can blame the pies and the Harveys (and the JCLs).

edit - Might have to dig out the "Goldstone Compendium" which I transferred (badly but the original was shite quality anyway) onto dvd. Happy days.