When Gerry Fell came to my school

[Foster House]

I guess most older posters will remember the Silver Jubilee in 1977.

My school was St Lukes in Queens Park, and my mum was chiefly responsible for organising a Saturday fete.

As ever she did a fine job, and the kids in the school got to parade around the streets on decorated floats before arriving at the school for the festivities.

Gerry Fell and his wife were the invited guests. And, not that my mum was ever given to favour me, I got to sit next to him....

Does anyone remember much about him? And just by chance was any St Lukes Old Boy (famously known as SLOBS) at this event?

 

[Ringmer Seagull]

I guess most older posters will remember the Silver Jubilee in 1977.

My school was St Lukes in Queens Park, and my mum was chiefly responsible for organising a Saturday fete.

As ever she did a fine job, and the kids in the school got to parade around the streets on decorated floats before arriving at the school for the festivities.

Gerry Fell and his wife were the invited guests. And, not that my mum was ever given to favour me, I got to sit next to him....

Does anyone remember much about him? And just by chance was any St Lukes Old Boy (famously known as SLOBS) at this event?

Gerry played on the wing. I think he came to us from non league (?). Hard worker and very able. Not sure where he went after he left us.

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

I remember Jubilee year very well.

The best friends of my mum and dad were Dennis Hobden ( the first ever Labour MP in Sussex, and always told me he won by one vote) and his lovely wife Sheila, mayor and mayoress in that year, and they got to entertain the Queen at the pavillion.

Dennis used to bring the mayoral car, chauffer driven, and leave it parked outside our house in Hangleton whilst dennis and my dad enjoyed a bottle of the finest malt, on many occasions.

I hold some fantastic memories of that year, a lot to do with the Hobdens.

Edit. Just checked wiki and others and he was the Mayor in 1979, but the rest is fact, my memory is fading.........

Wiki also says that he won the Kemptown election by just seven votes, after seven recounts.

He always told me it was one, and I believe him.

God bless you Den, you made me laugh a lot as a kid. x

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Gerry played on the wing. I think he came to us from non league (?). Hard worker and very able. Not sure where he went after he left us.

Before joining Brighton in October 1974, he played as amateur for Long Eaton and was a bank clerk. He left for Southend in November 1977 as part of the deal that took Paul Clark to the Goldstone.

 

[Foster House]

I remember Jubilee year very well.

The best friends of my mum and dad were Dennis Hobden ( the first ever Labour MP in Sussex, and always told me he won by one vote) and his lovely wife Sheila, mayor and mayoress in that year, and they got to entertain the Queen at the pavillion.

Dennis used to bring the mayoral car, chauffer driven, and leave it parked outside our house in Hangleton whilst dennis and my dad enjoyed a bottle of the finest malt, on many occasions.

I hold some fantastic memories of that year, a lot to do with the Hobdens.

Edit. Just checked wiki and others and he was the Mayor in 1979, but the rest is fact, my memory is fading.........

Wiki also says that he won the Kemptown election by just seven votes, after seven recounts.

He always told me it was one, and I believe him.

God bless you Den, you made me laugh a lot as a kid. x

The 7 vote victory is in Brighton folklore. The family were Labour supporters, and I was always reminded that it was us wot won it-there were 7 in the household!

Andrew Bowden beat Hobden in 1970 and Mum changed her affiliation as she was fiends with his wife! Clearly no deep political intent in my family's blood..

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

The 7 vote victory is in Brighton folklore. My Mum was always keen to tell me how she too had been in that famous car during Hobden's campaign. The family were Labour supporters, and I was always reminded that it was us wot won it-there were 7 in the household!

Trust me, Dennis always told me it was one, but couldn't be 'offically' one.

 

[Gwylan]

Gerry Fell scored one of the best ever goals I saw as a Brighton player. I think it was against Southend he ran on to a through ball, beat a defender for pace, went past another and shot on the move from about 25m, a real screamer.

He'd never done anything like that before - and didn't do it again - but that was worth watching.

He was a hard-working player, with a bit of speed on him but never really shone in the team.

 

[Foster House]

Apparently he scored 19 goals in 79 appearences for the Albion. Good strike rate.

 

[Gblocksouthstand]

Geoff Sidebotttom came to our school in the early 70s, just after he'd been kicked in the head and sidelined for concussion; he shook everyone's hand twice because he had double vision (I think someone made that up)

 

[mune ni kamome]

I went to the same school as Dennis Hobden's kids. Westlain. I'm full of interesting facts

 

[OzMike]

He miss sold me a mortgage in the 80's.

 

[wehatepalace]

Yeah I was going to say, didnt he go on to be a financial advisor or broker or something ?

 

[Brovion]

Good player was Fell. He was a bit like Graham Winstanley in that under Mullery I don't recall him being a regular starter but when he played he never let the side down. I remember one 2-1 victory over Hull where we were a goal down and we scored two in about a minute. Fell was deputising for Wardie (I think) and got both of them (I think. Long time ago now).

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Good player was Fell. He was a bit like Graham Winstanley in that under Mullery I don't recall him being a regular starter but when he played he never let the side down. I remember one 2-1 victory over Hull where we were a goal down and we scored two in about a minute. Fell was deputising for Wardie (I think) and got both of them (I think. Long time ago now).

Just looked it up. Fell only started one Second Division match in the 1977/78 campaign, scoring the equaliser against Hull in the 2-1 win in September. Later that month, he came off the bench to score twice against Luton to secure a 3-2 victory.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

My recollections are that he was very strong and direct. Never one for dropping his shoulder and body swerves, he would simply build up pace and knock defenders out of his way..and he had a very strong shot. I remember a couple of goals in 75/76; one involved a bulldozing run from deep and the other was a powerful shot from outside the box (North Stand end) which gave us a last minute win against Wrexham.

 

[getz]

Dennis Hobden used to run the Post office canteen at North Road GPO Sorting Office in Brighton, also he was heavily involved as a union rep in the sixties.

 

[getz]

I remember that goal as if it was yesterday. Probably the best goal scored at the Goldstone that from my memory.

Gerry Fell scored one of the best ever goals I saw as a Brighton player. I think it was against Southend he ran on to a through ball, beat a defender for pace, went past another and shot on the move from about 25m, a real screamer.

He'd never done anything like that before - and didn't do it again - but that was worth watching.

He was a hard-working player, with a bit of speed on him but never really shone in the team.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

A big lad, especially as played as a winger, but not much good in the air. Strong, fast & powerfull, hard to stop when running at you but not much skill or guille.

I remember the game v Luton when he scored 2 in a 3-2 thriller and Clarkey broke the Luton player (Fuscillo's) leg.

 

[Gwylan]

I remember the game v Luton when he scored 2 in a 3-2 thriller and Clarkey broke the Luton player (Fuscillo's) leg.

You're mixing up two games: as was mentioned above, Fell was part of the deal that brought Clark to the Albion so they didn't play in the same team. Fell did score two goals when we beat Luton 3-2, I think it took us to top of the league (it was the last home game I was to see until December as I was just off to uni).

Clark broke Lil Fuccillo's leg in the following season, when we won 3-1

 

[Grassman]

Gerry Fell was for some reason my first Albion favourite player. My memory is a little jaded but I remember standing at the bottom of the chicken run watching him power down the wing in about 77. I loved the Goldstone then as a kid, especially during evening games, the green of the grass, the orange/brown track around it, the incredible smell of the place, the noise, the tiny orange glows in the South and West with people lighting up, and the fabulous kit we wore, absolutely loved it. Oh, and of course, the wooden box that I stood on....