Describing Brighton’s first season in the top flight since 1983 as memorable for the club’s fans would be an understatement.
Since our last stint in the big time, we have seen our home ground turned into a ‘Toys R Us’ and spent 14 years in exile, including 12 playing at an athletics stadium. The emotion in the stands at the Amex ahead of our season opener against Manchester City was understandable, given how close the club came to extinction in 1997.
Our 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in November was the first time Brighton had played Manchester United in my lifetime and this is the first occasion we have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in that time.