Withdean Capacity
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Megazone
On his last warning
You could be right. Was that the game where we scored a last minute goal which was very debatable?
Shocking that the Withdean crowds dropped to nearly a half empty stadium.
Think we'd already accepted our fate and ended up coasting to 7th with some fortunate wins against teams on the beach.
That and there was a general fatigue as the Falmer debacle continued - we'd had the highs of getting permission - then the lows of it being called back in all of which combined with Wilkins perceived dour football (I actually applauded the approach of using youth and trying to play rather than kick and rush).
turienzo's lovechild
New member
- Oct 25, 2003
- 23,964
I remember crowds being consistently pretty low in the latter Mcghee years all the way through to when Poyet joined but I may be misremembering there. I feel it was a combination of Withdean fatigue (the early excitement of moving back to 'home' had worn off and 'Falmer' still seemed so far away) and us being pretty shit for the bulk of that time
turienzo's lovechild
New member
- Oct 25, 2003
- 23,964
and I actually quite liked Dean Wilkins as manager. You could tell he cared a lot about the club and it was great seeing loads of young local boys play for the club in a decent division and holding their own. The football wasn't exactly scintillating but they at least attempted to pass the ball a bit which should be commended on such a small budget. I feel that Wilkins should have been a proper "place holder" manager. He was unlikely to have been poached, he would have been fairly content with the budget given and results would have been ok. Sacking (or however the club dressed it up as) him was a big mistake in my view.
Algernon
Well-known member
I played at Withdean in front of just under 13,000 people in the early 80s. They were stood and seated everywhere and anywhere around the (field) pitch though.
West Hoathly Seagull
Honorary Ruffian
That's why it is confusing to remember which game it was. Both teams begin with W and both games we scored 4 goals. Although one game was 4-1 and the other 4-0
Wolves was Ben Roberts' debut on loan from Charlton, after he was signed with the help of the Forty Notes Fund, unless I'm totally mistaken. Watford was a cracking game, and I thought we were in with a real shout of avoiding relegation. The atmosphere at those games was brilliant too. Then for some reason, we lost 3-0 at Gillingham, and 2-0 at home to Preston, and the momentum fizzled out. Saying that though, those were some of my favourite games at Withdean, and nothing like the dismal 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons.
London Irish
Well-known member
He was loved by the real hardcore for his loyalist clubman rep but attendances dived when he came in. Given he never managed again, I think that tells your need to know about him
Buzzer
Languidly Clinical
- Oct 1, 2006
- 26,121
Wilkins was the cheap option that confounded all the critics and expectations. Unfortunately, he was a great coach but a personality that made him terrible at playing politics so despite taking a bunch of kids and getting them to 7th, he fell out with the wrong people and this cost him his job. I took my eldest to his first game, Brighton v Blackpool in 2006 just after Wilkins had taken over. 5 youth team players and another was on the bench. We may have been a rubbish team in a ramshackle stadium in the third tier but I had so much pride in that team and that my boys' first heroes were all local lads.
We played at Shrewsbury in the JPT semi-final in December 2008 and we ended the game with 8 ex-youth team players on the pitch. How many of the 92 league teams can ever boast that, let alone lay claim to it in the last 10 years? That's an incredible achievement. His legacy continues still...he was the manager that brought Glenn Murray to Brighton. I bloody love Wendy Wilkins.
We played at Shrewsbury in the JPT semi-final in December 2008 and we ended the game with 8 ex-youth team players on the pitch. How many of the 92 league teams can ever boast that, let alone lay claim to it in the last 10 years? That's an incredible achievement. His legacy continues still...he was the manager that brought Glenn Murray to Brighton. I bloody love Wendy Wilkins.
Freddie Goodwin.
Well-known member
We had some lower gates at The Goldstone, I think the Darlington game, where Bellotti was chased away, was under 4k and we had some very low gates for midweek games at Gillingham, but's that's hardly a fair comparison.
That was B52s vs City College San Francisco - it was the biggest crowd at that point to watch a US football match in the UK. I too was there before joining them in 1987.
It was December 1985
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cnthings/34041459923 (good picture of the crowd)
Brighton B52's 0 San Franciso City College Rams 76 - Withdean Stadium, Brighton - December 1985.
This was something of a historic American Football game. I believe it was the one of, if not the very first times that an American College team had played in England.
I make no excuses for the quality of the photos I took. It was a very dull and miserable winters day.
This one is of the B52's Quarterback #10 Chaz Jasicki throwing a pass. I didn't manage to get a programme due to the fact that over 12,000 fans crowded into Withdean Stadium. I can't therefore accurately identify other players. If any ex B52's players can identify themselves please let me know.
City College didn't pull any punches and showed no mercy with a 76-0 win. On 6th October 1986 the B52's travelled to San Francisco to play the Rams again, this time at Candlestick Park (home of the 49'ers). They still lost 77-6 but at least the Jasicki brothers, Quarterback Chaz and Wide Receiver Jim, combined to score a Touchdown.
This was the return fixture at Candlestick Park
The article below is an account of the Brighton B-52s historic trip to California in October 1986 to compete in the second Budweiser Transatlantic Bowl. Their opponents were the San Francisco City College Rams, and the game was played at the San Francisco 49ners legendary home, Candlestick Park.
On Monday 6th October 1986, they took on the Rams, and although they may have lost the game 77-6 (they lost the first one at Brighton's Withdean Stadium 76-0 in December 1985), most of the British players said it was the highlight of their careers.
Quarterback Chaz Jasicki said,
"The game was tougher than anybody can realise in England ... because the standard of play and calibre of players were so different. They hit harder and run faster."
The B52s may have lost, but they came back across to the UK with plenty of pluses. They learnt new techniques from the training sessions with the 49ners and City College Rams. They experimented with "49ners" style training one day, based on what they had seen at the 49ners practice. Instead of wearing full kit, the players wore shorts, shirts and helmets and just ran through the plays, fine tuning each one. In a 49ners practice, the receiver catches the ball and runs full speed at least 30 yards while the defense, instead of trying to physically stop him, just tries to intercept or tip the ball. With this kind of training no one gets hurt, everybody, especially the receivers and running backs, gets a work out and the coaches can see where the holes are in a team's play patterns.
The B52s visited the 49ners training camp and watched a practice one afternoon. R C Owens, the 49ners administrator, guided the group and provided loads of background information about the team and players. Jerry Rice sparkled during the training session, grabbing every ball that came his way - and making it look easy. The 49ners and Rice especially, impressed the British players with their slick professionalism. After practice, some of the 49ners talked to the B52s and offered tips and advice. Tight end Russ Francis' instruction on blocking techniques proved especially helpful. Dan Parrish, ex-defensive line coach for City College, spent a lot of time with the team explaining City College strategies and how to read their plays.
The B52s training and determination came together in the second quarter when Chaz Jasicki connected with his brother Jim with a fourth down touchdown pass. Offensive lineman Russ Parker broke his leg badly and was stretched off the field during the goal-line drive. Amid cries of "Do it for Russ", the B52s scored and the team went mad!
As well as the training and the game, the players did plenty of sightseeing. Some of their visits took them to the Muir Woods redwood forest, the Inglenook vineyards in the Napa Valley, a cablecar ride. They watched the Stanford University vs. San Diego State college football game, at Stanford, which Stanford won 17-10. Several players also watched the 49ners vs. Indianapolis Colts NFL game. B52s coach Wayne Hardman was 49ners ball boy for the game!
As for the game that they had come to play, they were well beaten by an efficient City College Rams side. Their coach was a touch unkind in his post-match analysis,
"They came out with a lot of fire, but that was about all. They didn't come together as a group of men." Indeed, this unique event, played in front of a 3,000 crowd in the magnificent Candlestick Park, rather fizzled out for the Americans.
Happiest smiles on the night belonged to the Jasicki brothers, who combined to score the lone TD for the B52s, following an impressive 9 play 80-yard drive. Mark Wynnick first raced through the middle for 43 yards, followed by a 22-yard run from Gladstone Mackenzie which together accounted for most of Brighton's rushing yardage. A penalty then helped their cause further before Wynnick gained six yards and then another one, and the B52s found themselves two yards from the San Francisco goal-line on fourth down.
Instead of going for the field-goal, Chaz Jasicki passed into the far left of the endzone to find his younger brother and Brighton, by now 34-6 down in the second quarter, were jumping for joy.
"It made the whole trip worthwhile", said a delighted Jim, the only American-born player in the 49-player party.
Yet as Chaz threw the TD, one of his five completed passes out of 14 attempts on the night, the B52s offensive lineman Russell Parker was being taken to hospital with a broken leg. Brighton also lost fullback Gordon Perry early on with a badly bruised arm.
Nigel Hoyte, of the London Ravens, sacked Rams QB Tom Martinez (who finished with 154 yards passing and 2 TD's at half time). City had discipline problems, and gave up 170 yards on 16 penalties, losing 3 TD's in the process and had two players ejected!
Gladstone Mackenzie, of the Milton Keynes Bucks, ran for 34 yards on 8 carries, and Mark Wynnick, gained 61 yards from 12 carries, but their efforts were to no avail.
With their first touch of the ball, the Rams scored on Andre Alexander's 58-yard punt return to open the scoring. From the home teams first offensive drive, Pete Russell had it just as easy to score from 13 yards out. City College running backs Eric Phillips and Louis LeDay both went on to score two TD's while there was one apiece from Arthur Tautalatasi, Eric House, Howard Smith, Gary Merriweather and Kelvin Magee. Steve Albrecht kicked 9 extra points, and defensive lineman Ronald Brooks bagged a safety.
While the Brighton coach felt much of the damage was done due to his special teams not performing, City College coach George Rush hit the nail on the head when he said that the Brighton team did not play as a team. For as much as the 21 players loaned from other clubs contributed individually, the task of knitting them together proved to difficult in such a short space of time.
Coaches and players at the end of the game embraced each other and pledged to make this an annual fixture. Sadly, however, the two teams never played each other again.
Boston28
New member
- Feb 7, 2014
- 166
Well at the age of 29 may I congratulate you on being the first person to make me feel old!
I picked up my bus pass last Thursday - do I feel old? Nah I'm actually enjoying moving into my sixties and never thought I'd say that.
SK1NT
Well-known member
Wow your memory... I barely remember a thing... except i was there...
Withdean served a purpose in bringing us back to the city. Without it who knows where we'd be now?
Saladpack Seagull
Just Shut Up and Paddle
I think it was Cheltenham in the Paint Pot and the attendance including me was 1471. Of course the old memory isn't what it was but that figure of nine away fans is something you can't forget! If it WAS Boston, I concede to your sharper recollection of what now seem like some dreadfully bad fixtures!
- Thread starter
- #60
Some some interesting replies on here.
Is it true that the Withdean database had over 30,000 fans on it, and that 17 games were sold out (home stands) during the final season?
Weren't we sold out of season tickets too? Something like 4,000.
Is it true that the Withdean database had over 30,000 fans on it, and that 17 games were sold out (home stands) during the final season?
Weren't we sold out of season tickets too? Something like 4,000.