#2 The Goldstone Ground
This will pull on a couple of manager's heart strings.
Opened in 1901 and used initially by Hove FC, Brighton & Hove Albion first used the ground a year later. The Goldstone Ground stood on Old Shoreham Road, Hove opposite Hove Park in quite a posh neighbourhood, posh anyway for a locale of a football club.
In 1948 the ground hosted two games as part of the Olympics and in 1958, 36,747 watched the Seagulls host Fulham - to this day Brighton's biggest ever attendance.
This will pull on a couple of manager's heart strings.
Opened in 1901 and used initially by Hove FC, Brighton & Hove Albion first used the ground a year later. The Goldstone Ground stood on Old Shoreham Road, Hove opposite Hove Park in quite a posh neighbourhood, posh anyway for a locale of a football club.
In 1948 the ground hosted two games as part of the Olympics and in 1958, 36,747 watched the Seagulls host Fulham - to this day Brighton's biggest ever attendance.
My memories of the Goldstone are good ones (I missed Charlton's 7-0 thrashing in 1983!). Like many football stadiums in the 70's and 80's - it was old and bitty. Differing levels of roofs, wrap around terraces with cow-shed type roofs at both ends with a hill like bankl of an East Terrace (the away 'end' for a while) but The Goldstone was a real football ground and to thousands of Brighton fans, it was home.
The North stand was the home end and Brighton, with a big catchment area, used to regularly top 20,000 crowds at home. Between 1979 and 1983 The Goldstone hosted top flight football under Alan Mullery. Mike Bailey replaced Mullery (who as he always did fell out with the chairman) and he got them to a credible 13th place in 1981/82. Jimmy Melia took the Seagulls to the FA Cup Final the year they got relegated. Remember Gordon Smith's miss?
Another little known fact is The Goldstone also saw David Beckham's professional debut in a League Cup game in 1992.
Like many early century built football grounds The Goldstone became too expensive to re-develop after Hillsborough. The club had racked up a lot of debt and selling the ground appeared the only way out. The then chairman, Bill Archer, aimed to profit from the sale of the lucrative development land on which the Goldstone stood and forced a sale.
The North stand was the home end and Brighton, with a big catchment area, used to regularly top 20,000 crowds at home. Between 1979 and 1983 The Goldstone hosted top flight football under Alan Mullery. Mike Bailey replaced Mullery (who as he always did fell out with the chairman) and he got them to a credible 13th place in 1981/82. Jimmy Melia took the Seagulls to the FA Cup Final the year they got relegated. Remember Gordon Smith's miss?
Another little known fact is The Goldstone also saw David Beckham's professional debut in a League Cup game in 1992.
Like many early century built football grounds The Goldstone became too expensive to re-develop after Hillsborough. The club had racked up a lot of debt and selling the ground appeared the only way out. The then chairman, Bill Archer, aimed to profit from the sale of the lucrative development land on which the Goldstone stood and forced a sale.
Brighton were then made to share 73 miles away at Gillingham, after a proposal with Portsmouth fell through and where that money went from the sale of the ground is anyone's guess.
The Goldstone was sold to private developers, the area was changed to a row of warehouse style retail shops, along with a drive-thru Burger King outlet below. Nice.
But in a nice end to this story, Brighton are ready to move (after 14 years) to a brand new stadium at Falmer in August and I've driven by a number of times and very impressive it is too.
Goldstone Ground photo gallery.
The Goldstone was sold to private developers, the area was changed to a row of warehouse style retail shops, along with a drive-thru Burger King outlet below. Nice.
But in a nice end to this story, Brighton are ready to move (after 14 years) to a brand new stadium at Falmer in August and I've driven by a number of times and very impressive it is too.
Goldstone Ground photo gallery.
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