[Albion] Spurs v Brighton 1978

[BN9 BHA]

Life’s a riot as Brighton crush Spurs

Here’s Brighton team photo in August 1977, before a momentous Second Division campaign where Alan Mullery’s attacking side proved themselves serious candidates for a second successive p…

thegoldstonewrap.com

 

[bhadiv1]

Just seen this pic online.

Anyone on here, who went to the game, tell us what happened?

I believe Brighton fans are at the top of the pic ?

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I was probably one of the people in the picture aged 15 it was. In the north west corner of the ground, we retreated there from fighting in the north stand, eventually we were allowed to climb into the main west stand for our own safety. Annoyingly from memory we were then advised to leave the stadium and were told we would be re admitted into the south stand, which didn't happen

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Presumably the thread title should be Brighton v Spurs 1978? I think this may have been the match that pushed my dad to buy a S/T in the West Stand and me and Mrs Earle went down to the South Stand, more within our budget.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Another West Stand season ticket holder here, that was a frightening match, I was 11 and it all seemed to unfold below us. Many hundreds of fans at different times fighting and running away on the pitch. Hundreds of scared kids and women scattered around the track. I wonder if Tony Bloom was there, he often sat with his Uncle and Grandad nearby. Like others, that day made me hate spurs which I do to this day. Pathetic lot of cowardly hooligans following a pathetic team. I thought the atmosphere, though horrible, was fantastic as well, especially as we piled in with goals and not fists.

 

[drew]

I was on the East Terraces and seem to remember a pitch invasion. I’ve always blamed Spurs for the fences going up. That is what is in my mind anyhow.

Not so much a pitch invasion but more people spilling onto the pitch to avoid the fighting.

 

[Javeaseagull]

Not so much a pitch invasion but more people spilling onto the pitch to avoid the fighting.

I'm sure you are right. I was there for the Millwall invasion and for some reason was in the South Stand. That was genuinely frightening when they ran towards us in Balaclavas. I'm probably confusing the two.

 

[the wanderbus]

I was on the roof , I think that’s me I’ve circled.It wasn’t the radio hut it was the cafe that backed onto the west stand. Spurs fans were using advertising boards to try to get up to us whilst we were chucking lumps of roofing felt and anything else we could get hold of at them. Those that managed to get close to pulling themselves onto the roof got a kick in the head and knocked back down. I met a lifelong friend that day on the roof, a massive Albion fan that unfortunately passed away earlier this month

 

[the wanderbus]

I was probably one of the people in the picture aged 15 it was. In the north west corner of the ground, we retreated there from fighting in the north stand, eventually we were allowed to climb into the main west stand for our own safety. Annoyingly from memory we were then advised to leave the stadium and were told we would be re admitted into the south stand, which didn't happen

That’s exactly how I remember it

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Same here, I was in the West Stand and aged 9 years. from memory the game was March and I turned 10 that summer. I was with my father and we stood just to the south side of the tunnel. I remember getting Hoddle's autograph as he came down to the front of the stand before the game; in those days the players used to come out and walk around the pitch before the game in their civvies.

Given how our paths have crossed over the years, it seems this is another one. I would have been stood fairly close to you as we always tried to get to stand by the dugout (I learned a lot of words my Dad said not to repeat at home from Mr Mullery).

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Given how our paths have crossed over the years, it seems this is another one. I would have been stood fairly close to you as we always tried to get to stand by the dugout (I learned a lot of words my Dad said not to repeat at home from Mr Mullery).

Funny how our paths have crossed so many times. I used to climb up and sit on the tunnel roof and hand my autograph book down to the players in those days; you might have seen me.

I’m trying to remember some of the names of other fans. There was a guy called John, who still goes, who literally stood behind the south dugout, and Nigel who stood on a stool and against the tunnel but at the rear. He was always the first in the ground.

 

[Sirnormangall]

I was in the North Stand that day and, as others have said, it was scary. The fighting resulted in a crush at the front of the stand as supporters tried to get away. It was frightening but fortunately there were no perimeter fences so there was an escape route on to the pitch.

 

[heathgate]

Totally outnumbered,local spurs fans brought tickets for the north and it kicked off big time.I was 15 lost my ticket outside gave the turnstile bloke a fiver and got in.

Surely you mean POTG??!!... as virtually all games were in those days,.. some exceptions of course, big cup games etc... ticket league games were very rare, I don't remember this one being ticket,.. but it was a long time ago.

 

[Invicta]

I think in 1978 we were in 2nd Division, not the first.

I was at the game and remember the frightening scenes.

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

15 year olds full of bravado walked over the bridge at Hove station where several Tottenham were waiting in shop door ways. We got chased in all directions. Ok the North Stand was taken that day. But when they tried it on a few years later they came up against a firmer response. I’ve hated Spurs ever since. How football has changed. The late 70s and early 80s were something else. My kids wouldn’t believe me if I re-lived my experiences of those times. Character building so I’m told.

 

[Bodian]

I was in the South Stand terrace thankfully as I was only 13 and went with mates to this match.

Amazing isn't it. I was 12, and I still can't understand (or believe) how my parents were quite happy for us to go to football just with similar aged mates - especially with the issues like this game being quite common around the country.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

@PILTDOWN MAN blood pressure about to go through the roof.

Oh cheats

For years we suffered f***ing fencing due to those tossers

 

[LamieRobertson]

I was in the south….full time pitch invasion and seem to remember the Tottenham fans demo,Islington the south goal in front of me

 

[LamieRobertson]

Cut their goolies off.

Correct

 

[BN9 BHA]

Amazing isn't it. I was 12, and I still can't understand (or believe) how my parents were quite happy for us to go to football just with similar aged mates - especially with the issues like this game being quite common around the country.

I think we just got on with it back then, my dad took me when I was younger but he worked shifts and wasn’t around every Saturday so I just went with mates.

 

[Paddington Gal]

Surely you mean POTG??!!... as virtually all games were in those days,.. some exceptions of course, big cup games etc... ticket league games were very rare, I don't remember this one being ticket,.. but it was a long time ago.

Definitely all ticket, as a 17/18 year old I vaguely remember the one and only time a sort of checkpoint was put up before getting near the goldstone. I remember as I approached said checkpoint bending down to retrieve my neatly folded ticket from the top of my well polished doctor martens, lo and behold the ticket wasn't there. Panic set in, how could I have lost such a valuable item. Now the problem was not getting past the checkpoint, too many people in such a short time made that bit quite easy, it was how I was going to get in the ground. Well the next thing I was following a group that didn't seem to have any tickets anyway and I followed them round the back of the south stand and we could scale that wall into the ground. Must have been about 14/15 of us got into the ground this way. To be fair to myself I did actually buy a ticket