[Football] Withdean visit

[BN41Albion]

Millets branches in Sussex must’ve sold extra thousands of waterproof trousers over the 12 seasons, each autumn/winter seemed incredibly wet.

Will never forget the biblical downpour not long before the playoff semi v Swindon. Everyone turning up absolutely drenched as the rain continued into KO. What a night that was though in the end.

Queuing for 6 hours to pick up to tickets to the final. Queue winding around the streets down to the old Queen's Road shop. Funny to think in 2004 there was no online ticket purchasing - seems ancient to queue like that.

 

[junior]

Random memory I just had. Pre-Albion, I went to watch American Football there in the mid 90's if I remember correctly!

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

The evening games were great.

In fact probably one of my favourites was when we drew with Southampton when Hammond scored, celebrated in front of the South stand, a number of whom surged towards him, only to see him quickly retreat back to the halfway line.

Some good times, and when I look at the poncho makes me appreciate what we have now even more.

 

[Hugo Rune]

150 more seats to meet the capacity requirements.

I still think working the University of Brighton to build a small stadium on some of their land at Falmer is the way forward.

The University can use it for their sports teams and the Albion for the Women’s teams.

I agree.

The University are penniless currently. The Caicedo money could be invested into this scheme.

The rugby pitch adjacent to the station is very rarely used because of drainage issues. An ideal location. The University would not able to afford to say no. Strike now Tony whilst the institution is broke.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Back to back champions BHA….. Those were the days … Of course the Tongdean Lane residents hated the fact that League football was played on their doorstep. It was only granted on a temporary basis because of the dire need to bring The Albion home.
Of course there is no comparison with today , but it was fun…..

 

[gripper stebson]

It’s still there, 840 capacity.

View attachment 165615

Can confirm its not there anymore! Just an astro turf bank.

 

[Bodian]

Random memory I just had. Pre-Albion, I went to watch American Football there in the mid 90's if I remember correctly!

The Brighton B-52s

 

[Mr Smggles]

They’d just signed Robinho - he was on the front cover of the programme but didn’t feature. They had the likes of Kompany, Sturridge and Schmeichel in the starting XI.

I remember being taken by my dad to this game and was probably the game that cemented my love for the Albion. There was a megaphone passed around one of the stands with a bloke shouting “Schmeichel, your dad thinks you’re shit”. He turned and gave us the finger when they went 2-1 up. Great memories.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Can confirm its not there anymore! Just an astro turf bank.

That’s the old south stand. The north stand and away end are still there.

 

[gripper stebson]

That’s the old south stand. The north stand and away end are still there.

I hate to be an internet pedant but its not there! I was walking past it yesterday!! It's a fake grass bank...

 

[East Staffs Gull]

Before it became an athletics stadium Withdean was home to Brighton Zoo and to a large tennis stadium. Part of the tennis stadium was incorporated into the athletics stadium as a spectator stand on the eastern end of the running track, surrounding three sides of the high jump area.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

As a ST holder at Gillingham and Withdean I don’t get the nostalgia for Withdean. I preferred Gillingham as it was a proper football ground. I save my nostalgia for the Goldstone but I get that for younger supporters that means nothing. Even more perplexing are the suggestions of the Women’s team playing there. The Women’s game currently has unprecedented levels of interest after the successful World Cup. The idea of them playing at an Athletics stadium that wouldn’t even be admitted to the higher reaches of non league is risible. Liverpool Women play at Prenton Park which has a capacity of around 16500 and FL standard facilities.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I hate to be an internet pedant but its not there! I was walking past it yesterday!! It's a fake grass bank...

View attachment 165627

You're right in that the away end is now a grass bank but the north stand is where you were standing when you took this photo.
The South stand was behind the plastic dugouts which are still there.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

As a ST holder at Gillingham and Withdean I don’t get the nostalgia for Withdean. I preferred Gillingham as it was a proper football ground. I save my nostalgia for the Goldstone but I get that for younger supporters that means nothing. Even more perplexing are the suggestions of the Women’s team playing there. The Women’s game currently has unprecedented levels of interest after the successful World Cup. The idea of them playing at an Athletics stadium that wouldn’t even be admitted to the higher reaches of non league is risible. Liverpool Women play at Prenton Park which has a capacity of around 16500 and FL standard facilities.

Gillingham was awful. The away end was the same temporary plastic seats we had at Withdean. Our money went towards paying for a new stand for the home ends.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Gillingham was awful. The away end was the same temporary plastic seats we had at Withdean. Our money went towards paying for a new stand for the home ends.

No, our money went on paying rent to another club for use of their facilities. That doesn’t come for free. What they spent it on was up to them. Our seats weren’t in the away end. We were in the Gordon Road Stand on the halfway line which was perfectly adequate for L2 football. About the same as every club at that level.

 

[stewart12]

As a ST holder at Gillingham and Withdean I don’t get the nostalgia for Withdean. I preferred Gillingham as it was a proper football ground. I save my nostalgia for the Goldstone but I get that for younger supporters that means nothing. Even more perplexing are the suggestions of the Women’s team playing there. The Women’s game currently has unprecedented levels of interest after the successful World Cup. The idea of them playing at an Athletics stadium that wouldn’t even be admitted to the higher reaches of non league is risible. Liverpool Women play at Prenton Park which has a capacity of around 16500 and FL standard facilities.

for my generation we mostly started following the club at the tail end of the Goldstone years when the team were mostly absolutely dogshit and the ground was a crumbling wreck and being 7 or 8 or whatever we weren't involved in the political aspect of those late Goldstone years as much as older fans were. The reason for Withdean nostalgia is that it was the first time that we'd seen us actually be good and there was positivity around the club. I know that it was an absolute dive and probably one of the worst grounds to have ever hosted league football but it's such a massive part of our formative years

 

[Thunder Bolt]

for my generation we mostly started following the club at the tail end of the Goldstone years when the team were mostly absolutely dogshit and the ground was a crumbling wreck and being 7 or 8 or whatever we weren't involved in the political aspect of those late Goldstone years as much as older fans were. The reason for Withdean nostalgia is that it was the first time that we'd seen us actually be good and there was positivity around the club. I know that it was an absolute dive and probably one of the worst grounds to have ever hosted league football but it's such a massive part of our formative years

We won four trophies in twelve years at Withdean.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

for my generation we mostly started following the club at the tail end of the Goldstone years when the team were mostly absolutely dogshit and the ground was a crumbling wreck and being 7 or 8 or whatever we weren't involved in the political aspect of those late Goldstone years as much as older fans were. The reason for Withdean nostalgia is that it was the first time that we'd seen us actually be good and there was positivity around the club. I know that it was an absolute dive and probably one of the worst grounds to have ever hosted league football but it's such a massive part of our formative years

Yes, I did acknowledge that in my post. When we were there though all anybody did was moan about the facilities. I have some good memories of the football but always preferred away games, when it actually felt like supporting a football league club.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Imagine

Random memory I just had. Pre-Albion, I went to watch American Football there in the mid 90's if I remember correctly!

I remember going to see Brighton B-52s vs San Francisco 49ers junior team. Total mismatch. They stopped counting when the score got to 99-0

 

[carlzeiss]

No, our money went on paying rent to another club for use of their facilities. That doesn’t come for free. What they spent it on was up to them. Our seats weren’t in the away end. We were in the Gordon Road Stand on the halfway line which was perfectly adequate for L2 football. About the same as every club at that level.

The Gordon Road stand was excellent , just a tenner and a great view .