Brighton and Hove Albion have come a long, long way since John Jackson organised a meeting at the Seven Stars pub on Ship Street on June 24, 1901, to form the club we now adore so dearly.
They have even come a long way from the days of Kazenga LuaLua’s backflips, as Brighton closed in on the League One title in 2010–11, when a goal from the Congolese winger meant one thing: waiting for that moment when he would launch into the air and perform a celebration that never got old.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrighton and Hove Albion are one of the few clubs to defy the odds and rise from the ashes. When everything went against them, Brighton somehow kept going. Not just the club, but the city and its people. And now, they are reaping the rewards after years of hurt and fight.
Don’t worry, this isn’t another article about how smart Tony Bloom is or how Brighton’s global scouting model changed the club forever, you’ve heard enough of that. This is different. It’s your story, our story. The untold accounts of Brighton’s rise told through the eyes of those on the pitch and in the stands. This is what really happened. From the tales of survival in 1997 to the European nights in the South of France in 2023, told by people just like you and I: Brighton through and through.
It’s been almost 15 years since three generations of my family trekked down the yet-to-be-developed path from the top of Woodingdean down to Falmer Farm Shop ahead of Brighton’s first league match at the Amex Stadium.
15 years since we saw my great-grandfather’s heritage stone for the first time, back then it was down on the floor on the West Side of the Amex. These days, he’s up on the North Concourse wall, “Bert Martin 92 – A lifelong fan”.
We’d always get a hot dog before kick-off, sometimes even those sweets in the paper bag, but I always thought they tasted like soap. When Sussex by the Sea came on, we’d clap with all our might until our palms stung.
My grandad would always keep his hand on our chair to stop it flipping up, as we’d stand up so often just to see over the people in front of us while they were sitting down. And whenever the Albion scored, the seats would be ready for us to climb on to watch the celebrations.
That six-year-old fan is now a 20-year-old sport journalist, up in the press box as Brighton face Sunderland in the Premier League. Ironically, the last time the two sides faced each other was also in August 2011. The Albion hosted Sunderland in a League Cup clash that went to extra time. Brighton’s Craig Mackail-Smith scored the winner in a 1-0 victory.
Due to my age, I fall into the category of ‘newer’ Brighton fans, and therefore, I am frequently told how lucky I am to have seen my club make such an incredible rise in my lifetime.
I wanted to find out the truth behind what the old guard had been talking about. The tales from Goldstone and years of fight, to now, Premier League regulars with European experience.
How is it that within 26 years a club can go from almost being relegated out of the football league to jetting off to Marseille for a Europa League clash?
MATCH ONE: Brighton vs Doncaster Rovers – 26th April 1997
Cast your mind back to April 26th 1997, back when John Major was Prime Minister. The weather that Sunday didn’t suggest we were in the height of spring, as the rain poured over the South Coast, perfectly epitomising the funeral-like feel around the Goldstone Ground.
A 22-year-old Stuart Tuck, better known as Tucky, was sitting on the Brighton and Hove Albion team bus as it pulled up outside the stadium, which looked “a little bit sorry for itself”.
Tucky had been going to the Goldstone with his grandad since the age of four and stood alongside him in every part of the ground. 18 years later, the former Albion defender was just over an hour out from the final game at the Goldstone for his boyhood club.
“It was quite sad… people who you saw every game were outside the ground in tears. I was only 22 at the time so to see so many grown adults crying was overwhelming.”
Tucky admitted he was always a nervous player before games anyway, but to couple his usual matchday nerves with the emotion of such a big day was horrible. The only silver lining for him was that once he got into the stadium, the atmosphere was electric.
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the fans contributing to that incredible noise in the Goldstone was We Are Brighton writer Scott McCarthy. At the time, Scott was a nine–year-old lad standing behind the goal at the front of the South Stand.
“My parents first took me to the Goldstone when I was two, so it felt weird to me thinking I was never going to go back there again.”
Scott explained how his mum was part of the Supporter’s Club Committee and how Brighton’s torrid time “dominated life” for his family.
Another key eyewitness in the stands was Shaun Oaten, who had travelled down from university to see the final game in a stadium he’d been visiting since 1982. Shaun went to the game alone but was stood in the West Stand alongside over ten thousand comrades.
For Shaun being a Brighton fan all comes down to identity. He said: “I think it’s very much tied into where you come from, and your club represents your family as well.”
He described the match against Doncaster as “a dismal day”. Shaun said: “This was a place that was part of my family history. All these generations of supporters have all been to the Goldstone and one day that was the end of it.”
The first half saw Ian Baird’s day at the office end within 18 minutes as he was sent off with Doncaster’s Darren Moore. The pair engaged in a tussle that escalated into Morre throwing a punch, two Doncaster players attacking Baird, and then Baird pushing Moore in front of the dugouts.
The only notable highlight in the first half was Craig Maskell’s overhead kick attempt that skewed just wide of the post.
But in the 67th minute, the Albion had a corner over by the West Stand, just in front of Shaun.
Shaun said: “It came looping in over almost everyone. Stuart Storer’s header was cleared away, then Mark Morris hit the crossbar and you’re thinking ‘bloody typical’.
“But then it fell back to Storer and he absolutely belts it into the top corner. The roof came off. I’ve never felt like hugging a stranger as much in my life, but when that goal went in it was just unbelievable.”
Behind the goal in the South stand stood Scott: “When the ball hit the back of the net he tears off and everyone went absolutely berserk.”
On the pitch, a far more pessimistic Tucky stayed well away from the celebrations.
“I was playing left back so I’d stayed back from the corner. When I saw it had gone in I was elated but my glass was half empty that season, so I’m nowhere to be seen in that famous photo of Storer. I needed to concentrate and there was still a job to be done.”
As an academy graduate who had been at the club since the age of 12, Tucky was desperate not to make the mistake that made his side’s “near extinction even nearer”. He said: “Every minute I looked up at the Goldstone clock it felt like an hour had gone by”.
After 23 long minutes referee Mick Pierce blew for full time. Brighton 1-0 Doncaster. The Goldstone farewell ended in one of the most important victories the Albion have ever and will ever have.
As Pierce’s whistle sounded, Brighton fans flooded onto the pitch, all taking a piece of the Goldstone to remember it by. Shaun watched on as fans around him rushed onto the pitch.
Within a couple of minutes the stands had cleared and Shaun thought “why not?” and climbed over the advertising hoarding, joining the rest of the fans.
He said: “I was in a bit of a daze walking around, I was like ‘Oh my god I’m in the middle of the Goldstone here’. I got some of the turf for my grandad then went home to plant it in his garden in Woodingdean. I don’t know how long it lasted but he’d always cut it with scissors.”
After 95 years at the Goldstone, the final whistle had been blown and the journey was over. For the stadium that was, the players and fans had another immense 90 minutes ahead of them seven days later.
MATCH TWO: Hereford vs Brighton – 3rd May 1997
“Everything that went on in my life that week, there was this little pocket in the back of my brain that knew it was all coming down to Saturday at three o’clock and that filled me with fear,” said Tucky, ahead of Brighton’s final match of the season against Hereford.
Tucky stayed in a beautiful hotel in Ross-on-wye the night before the game but was unable to enjoy the luxury. He said: “We all felt the weight of numerous objects and vehicles on our back that Friday night. It was more pressure than I’d ever felt in my life, it was bigger than an FA Cup final.”
Both Brighton and Hereford sat on 46 points, but Brighton had a narrow advantage by way of goals scored. In 1997, goals scored took precedence over goal difference. The visitors required a point to maintain football league status, having failed to win a single away match all season. The stakes were truly against the Seagulls.
Embed from Getty ImagesScott didn’t arrive in Hereford until the following morning with the majority of the other Brighton fans making the trip up to the West Midlands. He was on the supporter’s club bus, where the atmosphere was like no other.
He said: “I remember it being really quiet. Normally we’d be chatting away, doing the raffle, but this time it was silent, it was really tense. And when we got inside the ground it was exactly the same.”
Eventually, the clock struck three and the game begun. Tucky remembers the first whistle, and begging the football gods for a good, early touch to settle his nerves. The game was as you’d expect from a bottom-of-the-table clash in the third division: poor quality. Tucky wasn’t afraid to admit that either.
His side went a goal down in the 21st minute as Kerry Mayo turned the ball into his own net. As the match went on, Brighton neared closer and closer to relegation. But, with 27 minutes left of the 90, Robbie Reinelt changed everything.
Scott sat behind the goal, perfectly in line with where Reinelt took the shot to equalise and save his club from relegation. The overwhelming feeling of relief sent him and the fans around him into floods of tears. He said: “I was between my mum and dad, I turned to them and burst into tears and hugged them.”
Having been to almost every Brighton game since his first 35 years ago, Scott insisted that nothing would ever compare to Brighton vs Hereford. Although there’s been games with lots on the line such as European clashes and play-off finals, there will never be anything bigger than that 1-1 draw between two sides at the bottom of the third division.
Despite remaining very level during the run in, Tucky allowed himself to get caught up in the emotion of survival at full-time. He entered the players’ lounge at full time in his full suit and tie, accompanied by a Brighton scarf handed to him by one of the 3,300 away fans.
One of the Hereford directors felt the 22-year-old’s fashion decision was in bad taste and Tucky was subsequently asked to remove the scarf. Having had nearly 30 years to reflect, Tucky said: “I was just a young lad but now I can understand his opinion. For me, it felt like we’d just won the FA Cup but for them they had just had the carpet pulled out from under their feet.”
Brighton finished the season on 47 points with 53 goals scored, whilst Hereford sat on the same points tally, but only scored 50 goals.
Although plenty more hardship was to come, it didn’t matter for Brighton. The worst days were over. It was only up from 1997.
MATCH THREE: Brighton vs Doncaster – 6th August 2011
Without a place to call home, the Albion travelled 75 miles to Gillingham for home games between 1997 and 1999. Then came Withdean, which was supposed to be a quick fix but turned into a 12-year stay. But, on a clear summer’s day in 2011, Brighton finally had somewhere to call their own.
A 10-year-old Charlie Haffenden, now a journalist in Birmingham, was collecting his train ticket at Tunbridge Wells, ahead of his trip down to the coast with his dad. Meanwhile, a group of people next to him in Chelsea shirts headed up to the capital. Charlie could hear them talking about their team signing an 18-year-old striker called Romelu Lukaku from Anderlecht.
Charlie headed to platform two whilst those guys in Chelsea tops went elsewhere. Whoever that Lukaku bloke was didn’t matter, Brighton were a matter of hours away from their first match at the Amex Stadium.
Embed from Getty Images“Little things stick with me from that day. We did a lap around the stadium before we headed inside. I remember the smell of beer on the concourse, getting a burger, watching the rondos. Everyone was bustling, I found it really exciting.
“When you walk up the steps and see the pitch open up in front of you, it feels incredible. I thought, ‘Whoa, what a place this is,’ but I was only 10, so I was quite naive to the history and everything that led up to that.”
While Charlie wasn’t born to tell the story of Brighton’s last landmark meeting with Doncaster, Scott was. He described walking up those stairs as mind-blowing.
He said: “It was just so emotional. It was the end of a 14-year journey. I cried when Sussex by the Sea came on which for a 23-year-old man was a bit embarrassing.”
As the Band of the Grenadier Guards’ song rung out around the Amex, Brighton were led out by captain Gordon Greer. He played at the back alongside teenage prospect Lewis Dunk, who was filling in for the injured Adam El-Abd.
It didn’t take long for the game to match the occasion. In just the first half, tackles were flying in, Ashley Barnes had his shot cleared off the line and Doncaster took the lead. The highlight for Scott though, was Gus Poyet’s red card.
“Gus said before the game it’s going to be an emotional day, but we must stay calm and not lose our heads, then he gets sent off after 20 minutes. It was hilarious.
“Thankfully Dunky put a horror tackle in on Billy Sharp because he was their best player. Obviously Will Buckley then comes off the bench and rescues the game. He had the one of the best debuts you could ever hope for.”
Buckley netted a brace off the bench, winning the game with a 98th minute goal to make it 2-1 Brighton.
“I just remember chaos. Jumping up and down, grabbing my dad,” said Charlie, who was sat in the West Upper.
Scott, also in the West Upper, remembers Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ ringing out around the ground at full-time. He said: “It was pure happiness. I looked around and saw the culmination of a 14-year journey.
Embed from Getty Images“Even going up the stairs now, there’s that satisfaction when you look at what we’ve done. I don’t think that little buzz will ever go away.”
After the full-time whistle, Scott didn’t rush out of the stadium to get a bus into town, as he would when Brighton were at Withdean. For the first time in years, Scott stayed and hung around for a drink with his mates in his team’s very own stadium.
Scott said: “That atmosphere was incredible. The crowd trebled overnight. I saw people from school I’d not seen in over eight years. Everyone wanted to be a part of that day.”
Charlie headed home on the train, a journey he would come to make hundreds of times in the years that followed. He saw play-off defeats, last-minute winners, penalty shoot-outs, he saw it all.
He said: “The thing with Brighton is that it’s all about those little glimmers of memories rather than one massive moment… apart from promotion of course.”
MATCH FOUR: Brighton vs Wigan – 17th April 2017
17th April 2017, the day where Brighton’s journey took the biggest leap of all time. It was a day destined for history, to be remembered forever by those lucky enough to get a seat.
Charlie was one of the 30,000 at the Amex that day and, as always, he arrived at Falmer incredibly early. He did his usual lap around the ground, before getting his burger from the concourse. Then, to finish the pre-match ritual, he headed to his seat to watch the Albion players warm up.
In front of Charlie warming up, was Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale, who despite some nerves on the way to the Amex, went into automatic mode once he arrived ahead of kick-off.
Embed from Getty Images“When I joined Brighton from Fulham, I very quickly realised Brighton was all about family. Tony Bloom wasn’t like a businessman, he was all about Brighton, so you felt like you owed him,” said Stockdale.
Brighton needed to beat Wigan to secure promotion to the top flight for the first time in 34 years. Within 37 minutes, they were on their way.
A long ball was thumped forward to Anthony Knockaert, who set the ball down to Glenn Murray. The Albion striker drilled his shot into the bottom-right corner to hand his side the advantage and score his seventh goal of the season.
“Glenn was a silent leader,” said Stockdale.
“He was narrow-minded but very much a team player. It wasn’t a bad trait, he was selfish for the good of the team. You knew he was going to take lots of shots, but then he’d get you a couple of goals. We all understood each other and just left him to it.”
Just after the hour mark, Brighton doubled their lead through local lad Solly March, who at the time was just 22 years old. Charlie was behind the goal in the South Stand where March extended Brighton’s advantage and believed his side would have to do “something pretty terrible to lose”.
He said: “Although it got a little bit tense towards the end when one of their players almost went through on goal.”
Stockdale’s most vivid memory from the match is that exact moment. He said: “It was so nerve-wracking, when he looked set to go through one-on-one, I thought ‘I’m just going to run out and kick him, I’ll have to get sent off’. Looking back, I still think it’s tactical brilliance because I knew what it meant to everyone.”
After four minutes of additional time, James Linington blew for full-time. Brighton two, Wigan one. The Seagulls were back in the big time. Premier League football awaited.
Stockdale said: “When the final whistle came that’s when it all sunk in. The relief was massive. I remember trying to figure out where my family were sat but I couldn’t see them. It turns out they were on the pitch.”
The Brighton players headed up to the press box where celebrations with Bloom commenced. Stuck in his seat, observing from a distance, was Charlie.
“I said to my dad ‘Please I want to go on.’ And he told me, ‘No, we’ll get banned from the Amex’ and for some reason I believed him and I didn’t go on. That remains one of my biggest regrets.”
Back in the press box, Stockdale tried to soak it all in amidst Knockaert’s singing. He saw plenty of tears and fans staring up with their hands on their heads. He also saw younger fans climbing onto their parent’s shoulders to see what was going on above the tunnel.
What stands out most though, nine years on, is the older faces in the sea of jubilation. “I really tried to focus on the older generations and cherish those memories the most because they were the ones who suffered at Goldstone and beyond.”
Eventually, the pitch cleared and supporters spilled out of the Amex. Most hopped on a Southern line service from Falmer to Brighton to continue the celebrations in town. Stockdale, along with a few of his teammates, joined the fans at the station.
Stockdale got on the train with his family and managed to find an empty four-seater table. Although the journey from Falmer to Brighton is only eight minutes, it got out of hand pretty quickly.
“I turned around and saw Ollie Norwood and Sam Baldock crowd surfing. It was the craziest train journey I’ve ever been on.”
Stockdale and his teammates got off the train and walked out the front of the station and down Queen’s Road, joined by over 2000 Albion supporters. One fan with a ‘Stockdale 13’ shirt on bumped into the shot-stopper and got his shirt signed with his girlfriend’s eyeliner.
Stockdale remembers the evening fondly and said: “There was this raw emotion with the fans and that’s such a key attribute that you can’t just buy.”
Looking back at his time at the Albion, he admitted: “I’ll never regret what I did in my career, but I had the chance to stay and in hindsight I made the wrong decision.
“We are a very small cog in the Brighton machine. But I am so proud to be part of the history and part of the team that set a bigger cog off. I never thought Brighton would reach the heights of Europe like they have.”
Before those European glory days though, Brighton had to declare themselves as an established Premier League outfit. To do that, survival in the 2017/18 season was imperative. Unfortunately, by the end of April 2018, the Albion were winless in seven on just 37 points. Their next match didn’t look any more promising either, it was a home clash against reigning Europa League and League Cup champions, Manchester United.
MATCH FIVE: Brighton vs Manchester United – 4th May 2018
In 2018, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United were working towards building momentum for an FA Cup final. What appeared as a straightforward away trip to newly promoted and struggling Brighton awaited on the Friday night of a bank holiday weekend.
United went into the game as clear 5/6 favourites, with the bookmakers pricing Brighton at 17/4 to pull off an unlikely win. A victory would see the Albion guarantee Premier League survival. Anything else would likely mean reliance on other teams to falter, with only visits to Manchester City and Liverpool left.
Scott said: “I had lots of beer to take the edge off. The odds were massively stacked against us, we were winless in seven and had one of the worst win totals in the league.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAffairs began at 8pm and as expected, United dominated, enjoying 68% possession. Just before the hour mark though, it was Brighton’s Pascal Gross who provided the crucial moment. The German’s header was cleared away by Marcos Rojo, but had already crossed the goal line.
“It was weird, it seemed to go on forever and ever”, said Scott. In reality, the goal was confirmed in just four seconds, thanks to Craig Pawson’s watch.
Charlie said: “I just remember waiting for ages.”
After realising the goal had been given, Charlie willed his side over the line, alongside 30,000 other Albion supporters. He said: “The Amex felt fuller that day, it meant so much more. Beating United felt like the moment we really belonged. Perhaps people take it for granted now but just being a stable Premier League team is amazing.”
“At full-time everybody was just absolutely alive. It was the final home game of the season so to beat Man United was insane”, said Scott. He wasn’t wrong, the 1-0 win was Brighton’s first over the Red Devils since November 1982.
And the goal that sealed it was over the line by a matter of millimetres. The slimmest of margins kept Chris Hughton’s team in the Premier League.
Scott added: “Looking back at that game now, I really appreciate what we’ve got, back then survival meant everything.” As Scott later reflected, that narrow victory changed everything for Brighton. They could now build and establish themselves, and establish themselves they did.
By May 2023, almost five years to the day since survival, Roberto De Zerbi’s side secured European football for the first time in their history. Nights in Athens and Amsterdam awaited, but first came Marseille.
MATCH SIX: Marseille vs Brighton – 5th October 2023
Delayed flights, ticket collection points, and 26-degree heat in October, this was entirely new territory for Brighton. For Marcus Hancocks, who has followed the Albion for over 40 years, the jeopardy began long before he even set foot in Marseille.
“I had all my EasyJet tabs open while watching the draw,” he said. “As soon as the group came out, the prices shot up. I got to checkout but was notified that the prices had increased and I had to pay almost triple what I was initially set to pay.”
Flights from London Gatwick to Marseille disappeared within minutes, forcing many fans to reroute via other French cities. That was all before tickets to the match had even gone on sale.
Even once they were secured, the uncertainty didn’t lift. Fans had to collect their tickets from a location that wasn’t revealed until closer to kick-off. The tickets came in envelopes with each fan’s name on and were perhaps the first paper tickets many Brighton supporters had seen in years.
On the morning of the game, 3000 Brighton fans were instructed to gather in Joliette Square, where they would be escorted across the city by police to the Stade Velodrome.
“My heart was racing,” Marcus said. “The amount of joy I saw in that square was absolutely incredible. We were watching our football team in another country for the first time.”
Three hours before kick-off, the away fans arrived at the Velodrome. Awaiting them were the Marseille Ultras, who had been inside the ground for over an hour to set up their drums and flags, preparing a deadly atmosphere for their visitors.
Marcus had travelled all over England to watch Brighton, even up to Anfield where the atmosphere is described as one of the best in the country. He admitted that the Marseille fans made Anfield sound pathetic. “The noise they made, it’s the loudest home support I have ever seen. It’s like nothing I’ve ever known.”
For fans like Marcus, Marseille was not just another away day, it was the latest milestone on a journey that stretched back decades. At Hereford in 1997, he stood in the home end, unable to secure an away ticket. When Reinelt equalised, he balled up his fists in his jean pockets to celebrate in silence as Brighton secured survival.
“My nerves were off the scale in Hereford. In Marseille, they were still there but in a different way. I was just happy to be there, regardless of the result.”
At half-time, Brighton trailed by two goals to nil. “The racket their fans made affected our boys a lot, I felt sure it was over,” Marcus admitted. “That was such a tough group and, in another life, it’s a Champions League draw. But my friend, who had got the train in from Nice that morning, kept telling me to have a little faith.”
In the second half, something shifted. Gross pulled a goal back early and in the 87th minute, Tariq Lamptey was fouled in the penalty area. Marcus remembered the elation he felt knowing Brighton were going to get a result.
Joao Pedro, composed as ever, netted the equaliser, and Brighton had come from behind in a hostile environment to draw 2-2.
He said: “After the days we endured in 1997 and those trips to Gillingham, that was the best reward. I know we didn’t win, but it certainly felt like it.
“Nothing seemed to matter. I was emotionally drained, had no sleep and we had to wait in the stadium for hours after the final whistle, but I didn’t care. I was there, and if that’s all we ever get, I’m more than happy.
“If you were there, you know. Three thousand of us were there and those people get it. They are the only ones who ever will.”
It is why Marcus believes that reducing Brighton’s rise to recruitment models alone is so disingenuous. He said: “We have done so much more than what anyone gives us credit for.”
Nights like Marseille cannot exist in isolation. They are built on everything that came before.
Brighton are not Premier League regulars because of their recruitment, they are here because people refused to let their club disappear. Scott said: “It’s like if your brother was an alcoholic, you don’t just give up on him. You keep fighting.”
What mattered most was not just what happened, but what it meant to those who were there and why those moments still matter now.
The Seagulls’ rise did not begin in boardrooms or with algorithms. It began with the people whose names are engraved on the heritage tile wall, those who followed Tucky and his teammates to Gillingham week after week, and the thousands who walked alongside Shaun at the protests.
Tucky said: “It’s a fairy tale isn’t it? We were one game away from losing everything. We didn’t want to let the fans down. After all, this is their club.”
Charlie, reflecting on the journey as a whole, believes those moments of struggle are what makes everything that followed so much more special.
He said: “It was worth the hardship. You need to experience the lows to appreciate the highs. It’s about community, the familiar faces, the shared experiences. The achievements feel incredible because you’ve lived the journey.”
And for the newer generation, Marcus insists we must remember this: “You’ve got to enjoy it while you can. It’s not always going to be like this. These are the good times. It has been so much worse.”
The older generation of fans fought to save Brighton and will forever be woven into the club’s fabric, while the newer fans have the privilege of inheriting the rewards. But both are now part of the same story, and both are responsible for remembering what it took to keep Brighton and Hove Albion alive.
Written by Isabelle Martin
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