Old friends

I shot into the City last night to catch up with a good mate who has been out of work for a while and who I missed last time I was in town. We put the world to rights, talked plans and resolutions and then as we meandered around some old drinking haunts we picked up some old mates and compatriots from my London working life which I left almost 10 years ago. Hard to believe.

I keep in touch with a lot of old mates, but there is little to beat bar hopping around the City a little unexpected and bumping into old faces.

Two old mates I met are Brighton & Hove Albion season tickets holders and both will be at The Valley for the Back to The Valley celebrations on December 8th. Brighton is a befitting opponent for such a memorable moment in the history of the club, and we talked last night about the two clubs differing paths but also of the association between them. Who else remembers the Football Fans United day in 1997?

At the time Brighton were in deep financial trouble and their owners had behind fans backs agreed to sell the Goldstone Ground to developers with no plans or interest in relocating the club. The shameful asset-stripping of the south-coast club by David Bellotti and Bill Archer was one of English football’s most shameful episodes.

Home games at the Goldstone during that 1996/7 season became more and more despairing, very similar to those early ones at Selhurst Park. Likewise anarchy reigned and the boycott of a game against Mansfield Town saw an official attendance of just 1,933. Demonstrators then invaded the East Terrace and West Stand at half time, forcing Bellotti, who always attended unlike Archer, who never did, to leave.

On 8th February 1997, Albion fans called on supporters of all clubs to stand with them and show their disgust at what was happening. Word of mouth before the days of the internet made Fans United Day an outstanding success and was was a unique show of solidarity amongst football fans of many clubs including a large number from Charlton (see hat in photo). 8,412 including an estimated 600 of other team’s fans saw the Seagulls, with Steve Gritt as manager, win 5-0

I am now back at my parents on the south-coast, where incidentally Brighton’s super new stadium is only a 15-minute drive along the A27, but I will be at The Valley tomorrow, and hopefully will slip a pint in beforehand.