[Football] Memories of Withdean

[Taybha]

Why won’t it let me say *******?

It is rather strange considering we have this

 

[Easy 10]

I had the same seat for the entire 12 years there (South Stand, Block D, Row N, seat 100, behind the dugouts).
2-0 down to Burnley going into the last minute, Sidwell x2 = 2-2.
Bridcutt v Carlisle - "Its the stuff of dreams, its the stuff of champions". Thats up there with 'they think its all over' as far as I'm concerned.
Bobby v Halifax
The Bobby / Watson telepathy
A Friday night game v Exeter when I left early from work, got absolutely TROLLIED in town before kickoff, and had to go and be sick in the portacabin toilet, missing a goal.
My brother-in-law attempting to circumnavigate the crowd at the final whistle by jogging along the sloped grass bank behind the south stand, before slipping over and rolling several yards down the slope to lots of triumphant cries of "wheyheyyyyyy". Its the closest I have ever come to literally pissing myself laughing. I was doubled up.
Having a PAGER that buzzed to give live score updates. Before mobiles really took off, I was the most important person within a three/four row radius.
Sitting at the bar in the Long Man prior to an evening kickoff vs some noddy monkey-tennis outfit, seeing the heavens OPEN with a deluge, and thinking "....nah...f*ck it" and ordering another pint instead to catch whatever was on Sky that evening. That happened twice, if memory serves, and one of them was a JPT.

 

[Raphael Meade]

Cullip at the Cardiff play off final was my MOTM by a mile.

Faultless, had their cocky forward line in his pocket.

Remains the only player I've ever got on the back of my shirt

 

[Cpt. Spavil]

Great reading. I made it to the Goldstone once and Gillingham a handful of times, so Withdean is where my love for the club began in earnest.

Sitting in that ridiculous little stand under the clock which must have had about 20 seats max. I think I sat in all 5 home stands at one point or another. Ending up with a season ticket in Block B of the South stand for the last 2 seasons.

Watching the warm up from the running track, eating fish and chips.

Walking along the dirt track alongside the railway line back to Preston Park Station.

The dodgy tannoy, that wasn't even allowed to kick in until 2.45.

The Amex is great but I miss Withdean, its a big part of the club's history and many great memories.

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Block B was great. such a laugh.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Remains the only player I've ever got on the back of my shirt

Is that why you walk with a stoop, he was too heavy to carry?

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Easy 10 has just reminded me of some lovely Friday night sessions because we couldn't possibly play on the same day as the P&R was needed for Christmas shopping.

Always enjoyed the little victory of the rail replacement bus from Mid Sussex kindly stopping at the bottom of Tongdean Lane instead of making everyone on the bus drive past the ground before having to walk back up.



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[Munkfish]

Some memories from me:

- Giving Andy Steggle dogs abuse every time he turned up to do some local TV coverage. (But then always moaning we were in the shadow of other south coast teams when it come to highlights).
- My Brother of about 11/12 jumping all over steggle as we ran on the pitch after the Swindon game, shouting steggle is a wanker as he was trying to do a piece to camera covered in pitch invaders.
- A group of about 9/10 of us from school all sitting in H block, I have no idea why we all supported the Albion at the time but still see the majority at games at home and away. the lost generation.
- not from withdean but the era, away days being a completely different experience to home games, for a young fan at the time going away with around 1500 other Albion fans felt like being a fan of a big club rather than the withdean experience.
- A guy in a deer stalker hat shouting come on you super seagulls rim em apart at the top of his voice. years later we bumped into him at bmuff away and remain friends with him and his son to this day.
- That Leicester game!
- Bobby scoring what felt like every week and no better song to sing in my opinion. when the ball hits the net like a ****ing rocket...
- Danny Cullip bulling players left right and centre and his backwards headers, even to this day when I see Dunky do it, I refer to it as doing a Cullip.
- Feeling in it together, like it was Brighton against the world trying to get Falmer
- Being on the running track for last minute winners, as a teenager I would always head down early and wait in the hope there would be a last minute goal so we could go mental. (I was there For Sidwell and Virgos goals.
- Bob Brooker lobbing water and chewing gums onto the running track after a win.
- Brain Little being hit by a bog role in the early withdean days
- The Chelsea FA Cup youth game, when they couldn't get everyone in the ground so just asked people to stick money in a bucket.
- The Dean Wilkins youth team, i'm still to this day pissed off he got the sack and we went back for Adams part 2. its the only time I stopped going to the Albion.
- The Poyet season.

 

[Weststander]

Some memories from me:

- Giving Andy Steggle dogs abuse every time he turned up to do some local TV coverage. (But then always moaning we were in the shadow of other south coast teams when it come to highlights).
- My Brother of about 11/12 jumping all over steggle as we ran on the pitch after the Swindon game, shouting steggle is a wanker as he was trying to do a piece to camera covered in pitch invaders.
- A group of about 9/10 of us from school all sitting in H block, I have no idea why we all supported the Albion at the time but still see the majority at games at home and away. the lost generation.
- not from withdean but the era, away days being a completely different experience to home games, for a young fan at the time going away with around 1500 other Albion fans felt like being a fan of a big club rather than the withdean experience.
- A guy in a deer stalker hat shouting come on you super seagulls rim em apart at the top of his voice. years later we bumped into him at bmuff away and remain friends with him and his son to this day.
- That Leicester game!
- Bobby scoring what felt like every week and no better song to sing in my opinion. when the ball hits the net like a ****ing rocket...
- Danny Cullip bulling players left right and centre and his backwards headers, even to this day when I see Dunky do it, I refer to it as doing a Cullip.
- Feeling in it together, like it was Brighton against the world trying to get Falmer
- Being on the running track for last minute winners, as a teenager I would always head down early and wait in the hope there would be a last minute goal so we could go mental. (I was there For Sidwell and Virgos goals.
- Bob Brooker lobbing water and chewing gums onto the running track after a win.
- Brain Little being hit by a bog role in the early withdean days
- The Chelsea FA Cup youth game, when they couldn't get everyone in the ground so just asked people to stick money in a bucket.
- The Dean Wilkins youth team, i'm still to this day pissed off he got the sack and we went back for Adams part 2. its the only time I stopped going to the Albion.
- The Poyet season.

Steggle and his Stains obsession.

 

[Munkfish]

- I missed the chesterfield game, I have a vague memory of a giant brown envelope in the north stand and my Mum nicking some brown envelopes from work so me and my brother could get in on the action. How mint would that be now at the AMEX.
- Winning the big games, something we rarely ever do since moving to the AMEX.

 

[herecomesaregular]

- Gully's Girls. So committed to it yet so hilariously amateur. Always cheered me up. I still dream of the big girl at the bottom of the pyramid.
- Watching Zamora and knowing immediately he was the key/catalyst. As soon as we signed him, after the loan, I put £20 on us to be Champions. Couldn't believe Rovers let him go, it was so obvious he would be mint.
- Queuing up at the new Queens Road shop to get tickets for us, depending on what shift I was on at the call centre.
- When you mix tough times and shit surroundings with the great British sense of humour and spirit - and then you get success (and what success we had there) it won't ever be topped.

 

[The Large One]

Billy Sharp screaming in agony every time someone went near him. 'Moan, moan, moan, moan, moan, moan...'. Even the Scunthorpe bench started laughing after a while.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Have posted these before, make no apology for posting them again. A year to the day after 9/11 we had a home game at Withdean. I could look up the opponents and the score, but neither is important. The date, however, is everything. And DAMN that bit of grit in the corner of my eye

 

[Munkfish]

Have posted these before, make no apology for posting them again. A year to the day after 9/11 we had a home game at Withdean. I could look up the opponents and the score, but neither is important. The date, however, is everything. And DAMN that bit of grit in the corner of my eye

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Where did that flag go?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Where did that flag go?

Sadly, I think I can explain

 

[AmexRuislip]

I passed the Withdean entrance today, I wish I had the chance to watch the Albion play there

 

[Lower West Stander]

Biggest memory is Bridcutt's last minute goal v Carlisle.

We had season tickets in the South Stand and my then 11 year old son copped a massive strop when Carlisle equalised and wanted to go. I told him we'd walk down to the running track but we weren't leaving till the final whistle so we watched the goalmouth scramble from behind the goal and were right on the path of the ball as it went in. Since that day he has never left any game early regardless of the score.

 

[Jam The Man]

Withdean served us well. Missed just 5 games there and it will always hold largely happy memories.
Even the 1-5 dicking at home to Stoke made me laugh insanely!

Nathan Jones putting champagne over my head is right up there, but the Virgo last second goal in the play offs was pure ecstasy.

 

[Deadly Danson]

I used to sit in the SS behind the benches, the guy next to us was a retired cop didn't rate Muzza from the beginning. All friendly, I tried to persuade him otherwise. At some point in the last 18 months, he turned round to me and said "You were right all along, what a player".

Separately, you could shout out at useless players such as Hoyte and they heard you. "WAKE UP HOYTE"

They really could. Front row of the South Stand opposite the penalty box, I used to find out the lino's first name and give him personal abuse. On several occasions he turned round to find out who was calling him. Highly entertaining. I'm convinced Withdean was one of the few stadiums where fans actually made a big difference.

 

[Weststander]

They really could. Front row of the South Stand opposite the penalty box, I used to find out the lino's first name and give him personal abuse. On several occasions he turned round to find out who was calling him. Highly entertaining. I'm convinced Withdean was one of the few stadiums where fans actually made a big difference.

Despite the athletics track, definitely loads of wins, not a handicap. It was often said that away teams hated the trip, portakabins and all.

 

[timbha]

Have posted these before, make no apology for posting them again. A year to the day after 9/11 we had a home game at Withdean. I could look up the opponents and the score, but neither is important. The date, however, is everything. And DAMN that bit of grit in the corner of my eye

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We lost to Southampton at Withdean on the evening of 9/11, ie 11/9/01