Goldstone Memories - 1976/77

[Spencer Vignes]

Howdy,

Just to let you know that Saturday's edition of Seagull for the visit of Norwich will be focusing on the 1976/77 season when Albion, under Alan Mullery's guidance, won promotion from the old Third Division in a blizzard of goals (we scored a ridiculous 63 at home in the league - SIXTY THREE!!!). 'Wardy' broke our all time goal scoring record for a single season, yet it was Brian Horton who carried off the Player of the Season award, a measure of what 'Nobby' meant to that side.

If names such as Steve Piper, Peter O'Sullivan, Ian Mellor and Andy Rollings mean anything to you - or if you want to brush up on your Albion history - then this is for you. Gerry Fell will also be sharing his memories in our question and answer section.

Feel free to share your own memories of the 1976/77 season, or of the men who featured in that side, on here. Incidentally, can anyone remember who was in Derby's goal the night they played us in the League Cup in front of 33,500 at the Goldstone? I'll give you a clue - he later became one of our own.

Just to recap, to mark the impending 20th anniversary of the Goldstone's demise we are remembering stand-out seasons from our time at the old place in each edition of the programme throughout this season.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the retro pieces in Seagull.

All the best,
Spencer (Albion fan, sports writer & author)
[MENTION=23620]Spencer[/MENTION]Vignes

 

[fosters headband]

Graham Moseley.

Beating Portsmouth at home 4-0 who had Steve Foster playing.

 

[studio150]

Loads but focusing on just one the home 7-2 win against York City.
At the time MOTD was only a few games with the odd lower league game thrown in. The York game was one if these resulting in this game being the main highlight game.
One of Mullery's legendary half time roastings and a 5 goal second half.
Fun times

 

[Return of the Rev]

Best ever season cup run good league form and loads of goals,great crowds and atmosphere,brilliant music scene and as 16 year olds we started going in the pubs without the big boys the globe on hove seafront was our pub of choice! Walsall game 0-0 half time 7-0 ft

 

[fosters headband]

Best ever season cup run good league form and loads of goals,great crowds and atmosphere,brilliant music scene and as 16 year olds we started going in the pubs without the big boys the globe on hove seafront was our pub of choice! Walsall game 0-0 half time 7-0 ft

That was the Ward 4 Mellor 3 game all scored in the South goal if I remember correctly

 

[Return of the Rev]

Graham Moseley.

Beating Portsmouth at home 4-0 who had Steve Foster playing.

Bosun turned up late to give the pompey in the north a bit of a start

Brighton fan tried to lump foster at the away fixture! A bit dodgy down there

 

[Hiney]

Five games between two 3rd division sides, watched by over 128,000 in total

2/10/76 H (League) 1-1 - 27,054
20/11/76 H (FA Cup) 2-2 - 29,510
23/11/76 A (FA Cup) 1-1 - 29,174
6/12/76 Neutral (FA Cup) 0-1 - 14,118
12/3/77 A (League) 1-3 - 28,677

 

[Paskman]

Five games between two 3rd division sides, watched by over 128,000 in total

2/10/76 H (League) 1-1 - 27,054
20/11/76 H (FA Cup) 2-2 - 29,510
23/11/76 A (FA Cup) 1-1 - 29,174
6/12/76 Neutral (FA Cup) 0-1 - 14,118
12/3/77 A (League) 1-3 - 28,677

It was a good thread until you reminded me of those games and the fact that we struggled to beat them even then [emoji35]

 

[Spencer Vignes]

The Palace games that season are almost worth a book to themselves......

Yep, Graham Moseley was in goal for Derby against us in the League Cup at the Goldstone, the match in which Peter Ward opened the scoring after just 37 seconds. And to think Derby had been crowned champions of England 17 months previously.

The 7-0 demolition of Walsall remains a particularly fond memory for Brian Horton as well. It was Walsall who had consigned him to football's scrapheap as a teenager, telling him he was too small. 'Nobby' went away, worked on building sites in the Midlands, changed beyond all recognition physically, got picked up by Port Vale, joined us, and within a few months was part of the Walsall demolition. You can't blame the man for enjoying that one.

 

[Spencer Vignes]

Looking back, the one thing that truly sticks in the throat about 76/77 is that having led the table for pretty much the entire season, we were then overhauled right at the death by Mansfield who won the title. Still, least it wasn't Palace (who were also promoted in third place).

 

[Goldstone1976]

Really looking forward to this edition - my first season as an Albion supporter. No season since has ever quite reached those giddy heights in terms of excitement and anticipation. In objective terms it was an utterly brilliant season with loads of stand out team and individual performances. Then overlay the emotion of falling in love with the game and the club for the very first time; I doubt any season will ever top 76/77 for me.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Really looking forward to this edition - my first season as an Albion supporter. No season since has ever quite reached those giddy heights in terms of excitement and anticipation. In objective terms it was an utterly brilliant season with loads of stand out team and individual performances. Then overlay the emotion of falling in love with the game and the club for the very first time; I doubt any season will ever top 76/77 for me.

I'm a fair bit older thank you and although 76/77 was fantastic, my favourite evere season(s) are more recent:

2000, when we were promoted as champions from a division that only a couple of years earlier looked like it would blow us out of its arse into the conference; Plymouth away when we sealed the deal was unbelievable

And the first season at the Amex. For the first three months it was a strange mix of extacy (was his REALLY ours Yes it was!) and fear (the newby 'fans' will embarrass us any minute, flounce and leave us with the hardcore 6000 rattling around in semi empty space - never happened, not remotely close).

76/77, went to the Palarse 3-1 defeat, and had fun and games after, outside, dodging a hail of stones flung by the web-toed recidivists. My, how times have changed (everwhere except West Ham....).

 

[Robinjakarta]

Ah, Brian Horton. What a captain he was! Never seen a better or more influential one. One of the best things that the first Peter Taylor did was to get him to the Goldstone. He was the engine of the team and to me just as much a legend and just as instrumental to our success as Peter Ward. And the rest of the team were damned useful too, not forgetting Alan Mullery, who managed them in a way that Taylor was unable to do. 76/77 was a fantastic season! So what did Mullery do? Went out and acquired Lawrenson after the season was over and made the team even better. Great days!

 

[fosters headband]

Ah, Brian Horton. What a captain he was! Never seen a better or more influential one. One of the best things that the first Peter Taylor did was to get him to the Goldstone. He was the engine of the team and to me just as much a legend and just as instrumental to our success as Peter Ward. And the rest of the team were damned useful too, not forgetting Alan Mullery, who managed them in a way that Taylor was unable to do. 76/77 was a fantastic season! So what did Mullery do? Went out and acquired Lawrenson after the season was over and made the team even better. Great days!

Wasn't Lawrenson part of a double deal, with Garry Williams also signing from Preston at the same time and he was another great signing.

 

[Robinjakarta]

Wasn't Lawrenson part of a double deal, with Garry Williams also signing from Preston at the same time and he was another great signing.

Yes, and yes, he was good.

 

[drew]

I'd seen about 4 games before that season, going with my mate and his parents and standing in the South Stand. My dad then decided he wanted to go and my brother, sister and myself went with him to the first game that season at home and never looked back. What a season to be your first full season. My dad's no longer with us but the rest of us are all season ticket holders.

 

[LamieRobertson]

That was the Ward 4 Mellor 3 game all scored in the South goal if I remember correctly

A rainy night and got soaked..but who cared

 

[LamieRobertson]

Wasn't Lawrenson part of a double deal, with Garry Williams also signing from Preston at the same time and he was another great signing.

Who could ever forget that goal by Williams against Forest?

 

[Spencer Vignes]

Alan Mullery was having Mark Lawrenson watched at Preston, but every time our scouts went they came back saying 'He's good, but their left-back played another blinder'. That left back was Gary Williams. We signed Mark first and Gary thought he'd missed the boat, word having reached him that we were interested. When Mullery eventually called him and said 'Will you come down and have a chat?' Gary almost hung up, believing it was someone playing a joke.

 

[Silverhatch]

Really looking forward to this edition - my first season as an Albion supporter. No season since has ever quite reached those giddy heights in terms of excitement and anticipation. In objective terms it was an utterly brilliant season with loads of stand out team and individual performances. Then overlay the emotion of falling in love with the game and the club for the very first time; I doubt any season will ever top 76/77 for me.

Feel the same. I was 16 and frequenting the Trafalgar Street pubs b4 the game (that's when you learnt to drink in proper pubs) and the North Stand during them. Knocky is fantastically exciting but Wardy in full flow really was something else.