May 3rd 1997. Where were YOU?

[portlock seagull]

At Edgar street ageing fast like everyone else that day. But what a day, memories clear as they were ydays

 

[Mackenzie]

Christ, I bet that was difficult?

I was on the crappy little side-terrace bit.

Not a great day. I couldn't really celebrate even at the final whistle. My brother and I were sat in the main Edgar Street stand, and looking around after the game I would say that there were at least 50% Brighton in those seats.....none of us giving anything away.

Horrible day. Great result. Never again.

 

[Dizzle.]

Probably asleep i would imagine.

 

[severnside gull]

in the main stand - got a bit of a kicking on the way back to the car but couldn't care less

 

[LA1972]

outside the ground (no ticket) 100 or so Brighton chasing the locals around, the Hereford "lads" must of only attacked very small groups as I only saw them run off after Brighton fans were let out and had a punch up in the cattle market

 

[newhaven seagull 85]

serving in a petrol station listening on a crappy radio and not concentrating on anything.

 

[Husty]

Somewhere in Africa, completely oblivious to the existance of Brighton and Hove Albion, does anyone know of any photos knocking around online from the match?

 

[Sir Norman Gull]

In hospital listening on the radio. I was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer at the time.What a wonderful year 1997 was for me- diagnosed with cancer - the stress of Albion's fight for survival and Tony Blair being elected!!

 

[wigman]

Went on Harty's bus from Worthing,loads of beers on the way up to Hereford.
On the way home we stopped at Newbury for a few hours.
Great day.

 

[robinsonsgrin]

away end...at front...got there v early....police had been told to 'make friends' with the albion fans so that we wouldnt want to fight them later!
most emotional day of my seagull career.
bro in law had his car booted by a hereford fan on way home..nice dent..and a scarf got pulled from out of the window .... maybe a tad insensitive....but hey...we were celebrating!!

 

[Helen Chamberlains Quim]

 

[The Large One]

I have no recollection of the drive up there (a bit worrying considering I was driving), and wasn't particularly nervous until I saw the first road sign for Hereford. In the away end at Edgar Street, I was running through every single emotion known to humanity from A-Z and back again.

My heart was ticking like a f***ed clock, my nails had regressed into my hands out of sheer terror; after Hereford scored, the match went by like Linford Christie with a bowl of chilis up his arse, and when we equalised, I counted the time down not in minutes but in geological ages.

It's hard to put into words what happened when the final whistle went, so I won't bother trying - but I experienced an emotion (or maybe it was a couple of hundred - who's counting?) that I probably haven't experienced since.

At least I remember the drive home.

 

[Stoo82]

I was at Stamner Park helping with the horse trials, I was in the Scouts. Was listening to the game on the car radio.

 

[Icy Gull]

Initially in the Main Stand but managed to slip into the Brighton end when a steward was letting a crowd of 6 or 7 other Albion fans through. Fully expected us to lose right up until RR's equaliser and even then I thought we'd bin it. My outstanding memory of the whole game was that fast big black striker bearing down on goal as everything went into slow motion and instead of the ball rippling the back of the net, Ormerod pulled off, what was for me, the most important save I've ever seen an Albion keeper make. Nerve shredding and ultimately ecstatic day. Staying up was a better emotion than the two cup finals, the playoffs and the two Championships for me.

 

[nwgull]

On the left section of the away end terrace at Edgar Street, about halfway up the steps. The terrace was awful and I had such a bad view of the goal that I only knew we'd equalised by the erruption of mental celebration (I've not seen a goal celebrated so mentally since) in front of me. I was convinced that Ian Baird had scored our goal just from the way he ran away to celebrate, I had no idea that Reinelt was even in the thick of it!

 

[nwgull]

Initially in the Main Stand but managed to slip into the Brighton end when a steward was letting a crowd of 6 or 7 other Albion fans through. Fully expected us to lose right up until RR's equaliser and even then I thought we'd bin it. My outstanding memory of the whole game was that fast big black striker bearing down on goal as everything went into slow motion and instead of the ball rippling the back of the net, Ormerod pulled off, what was for me, the most important save I've ever seen an Albion keeper make. Nerve shredding and ultimately ecstatic day. Staying up was a better emotion than the two cup finals, the playoffs and the two Championships for me.

I remember that moment well, didn't he hit it straight into Ormerod's mid-rift?

 

[daveinprague]

Was on shift at IBM in Zoetermeer just outside of The Hague, listening on the radio, with an Aston Villa fanatic who couldnt help repeating during the match, ''Ive got no idea how youre feeling right now''. Seem to manage to miss most of the important Albion moments.. was in the middle of the desert in Saudi for the Newcastle promotion match. Made BBC local radio in Brighton keep their telex link open and feed me info ..

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Standing behind the goal watching a game at Burgess Hill

 

[Icy Gull]

I remember that moment well, didn't he hit it straight into Ormerod's mid-rift?

I remember it as a pretty good save, was I wrong??

 

[Sloth loves Chunk]

Very slow journey from Brighton, cross country... Speed... Tuna baguette in Worcester... Speed... Found that 'Albion fans only' pub in Hereford... The most high-octane games of table football ever... Away end, flat bit behind the goal... Dancing with the bloke in the monkey suit... Speed... Bump into former flatmate... More speed... Utter despair when Kerry 'scored'... Wanted to cry at half-time... Sudden, unexplainable surge of optimism eminates from the Albion support just before second half kicks off... Roaring myself hoarse... Go absolutely f***ing mental when Reinelt scored, and continued to do so for at least five minutes... Ponse five cigarettes... Crush them through sheer nerves, turning palm fluorescent green... Maskell misses... Can't face pitch... Utter jubilation at final whistle... Run the gauntlet through the cattle market... Train... Need a drink... Got some ice from someone with champagne... Newport and train to Paddington... Arrange to meet Fulham mates, who had just got promoted at Cambridge in our division, in Islington... Get to London... Fulham train held at Stevenage for four hours due to fans throwing seats out of the window... Strange sight of 15 absolutely spangled Albion fans doing congas near Angel tube surrounded by bemused Gooners...

What a day. If I'd been older my ticker would never have survived that stress, or three grams of speed.