The facts are often disputed, but there is no doubt that the moment petrol was poured on the smouldering coals of Crystal Palace and Brighton’s fierce rivalry came on December 6, 1976.
It involves an irate Alan Mullery, then Brighton manager, flicking V-signs, a baying Palace mob and five £1 notes.
Palace and Brighton meet in the top flight for the first time in 36 years on Tuesday in a fixture where special measures have to be taken to ensure violence does not erupt at the Amex Stadium.
The story of how and why a club in south London and another on the South Coast, separated by almost 50 miles, became such fierce rivals begins in the 1970s.