Brighton's Life at the top (1979–83)

In their first top-flight season a 4-0 home defeat to Arsenal set the tone for an abysmal start to life in the big time. However, an away win to European Cup holders Nottingham Forest in November inspired a remarkable recovery and Brighton finished the season well safe from relegation with a respectable 37 points.

The following season, Brighton found them in relegation trouble before an end-of-season rally with victories over Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Sunderland and Leeds United in the last four games. However Alan Mullery resigned after a dispute with the directors, and was replaced by Charlton manager Mike Bailey.

Season 1981-82 was the high point of Brighton's stay in the top flight, with the side in the top half or mid-table all season. They lost seven out of their last eight games that season but still finish a credible 13th on 52 points, their highest-ever league finish to date..

The following season saw a wildly inconsistent start, with victories over Arsenal and Manchester United mixed in with heavy defeats Mike Bailey eventually lost his job at the start of December 1982. Jimmy Melia took over as manager but was unable to turn the situation around and Brighton ended up being relegated in bottom place.

Brighton win promotion to the First Division, 1979

It was Saturday 5th May 1979 and Albion had the long trip to the North East they had missed promotion the season before, losing on goal difference to Tottenham. This time destiny was in their own hands: they had to beat Newcastle United away. The weather was weird on the day of the match. It was sunny, it rained and it snowed. They went crash, bang, wallop and were three up by half-time. Brian Horton scored the first with a header, Peter Ward the second and Gerry Ryan the third to calm Brighton nerves, but not those of the manager Alan Mullery.

Going in at half-time, Mullery was screaming and going crazy. You would have thought they were losing 3-0. Brian Horton said to him: Boss, we’re winning. Relax. Newcastle scored a goal in the second half, but it was never going to be enough. Cue the celebration.

Peter Ward was on the last train out of Newcastle heading to the south coast. So was his captain Brian Horton and the rest of a triumphant team. The Seagulls were in a mood to celebrate as they boarded the Pullman Brighton Belle carriage on a special train with 12 coaches filled with fans.

It was like a party the whole way home as the team mingled with the fans, the most amazing thing is that when they arrived in Brighton at about one o’clock in the morning and fell out of the train, there were 2,000 fans waiting at the station to meet them.

They had won promotion to the First Division on the last day of the season and they were rewarded with a trip to America.

There was one sour note, though. “When we were on the plane,” the captain announced that our fiercest rivals Crystal Palace had won the league. Palace with a game in hand beat Burnley to pip Brighton to the title by one point.

League Division 3 5th October 1976

It was a very wet and windy night at the Goldstone Ground and the Albion were entertaining Walsall in League division 3.

The score at half time was 0-0 everyone was a bit fed up with the performance of the Albion so far and standing on the open east terrace (nickname the chicken run) and being wet through did not help.

So the talk at half time was we will give it a while in the second half to see how it goes and if no improvement then it may be time to go home and dry off.

Well what a second half Peter Ward scored 4 and Ian (spider) Mellor got 3 to give the Albion a 7-0 victory.

If ever there was a game of two half’s that was it and anyone who was there that night will never forget it?

HE SHOT, he scored, it must be Peter Ward.... Peter Ward.

Peter Ward was the most popular player ever to play at the Goldstone Ground.

HE SHOT, he scored, it must be Peter Ward.... Peter Ward. The song reverberated around the Goldstone throughout the late Seventies and early Eighties as fans paid homage to Albion's greatest ever goalscorer.
Peter Ward came from an aero engine fitter with Rolls Royce to the England squad during a fantastic spell with the Seagulls. Ward's golden era at the Goldstone kicked-off in May 1975, when the late Peter Taylor signed him from Southern League Burton Albion for just £4,000 as a replacement for Fred Binney.
And who would ever forget his debut with a goal after 50 seconds of his debut in a 1-1 draw at Hereford. Ward went on to score six times in eight games as Albion missed promotion to the old Second Division in 1975-76 by a place and three points. But that was nothing to what Ward achieved in the next four incredible seasons under the Albion Manager Alan Mullery.

1976-77: The Albion are promoted as runners-up and Peter Ward leads the way with 36 goals, 32 of them in the League, to break a club record that had stood for 47 years. He was also the leading marksman in the entire Football League and earned Albion eight penalties.

1977-78: He his is the top scorer again with 17 as Albion narrowly missing out on consecutive promotions. He is third in a national poll of the most popular players in the country, behind Glen Hoddle and Steve Coppell. Also that season Ward makes a sensational entrance to the international stage for England under 21's at the Goldstone in front of an 18,000 crowd. Everyone and his dog just new he would score that night and he did just that scoring a hat-trick in a 6-0 annihilation of Norway. Ron Greenwood then selects him for the full squad a month later for a trip to Luxembourg.

1978-79: Ward tops the scoring charts once more with 13 goals to help Mullery's men win promotion to the old First Division. One of them is in the unforgettable final fixture at Newcastle, when Albion clinched their place among the elite.

1979-80: The rise in standard makes no difference to Ward. He is leading scorer yet again with 16 goals as the Seagulls consolidate in their first season in the top flight. In October 1980 Ward teamed up with Taylor and Brian Clough when he was sold to Nottingham Forest for £400,000. That was a sad day for all Albion fans.
But two seasons later with attendances falling Mike Bailey (The Chairman) brought him back to the Goldstone for a four-month loan spell before Peter Ward played and made his home in America.
In all he hit 95 goals in 227 games and his name was still synonymous with the most memorable moments in the club's history right to the end. Albion's run through to the FA Cup final in 1983 began with another victory at Newcastle, by the only goal in a third round replay by He shot, he scored, it must be Peter Ward.

League cup 1978/79

Brighton Hove Albion had another great run in the League cup that year.

In Round 2 they beat Millwall at the Goldstone 1-0 they were then drawn away to Burnley in the next round at Turf Moor but that did not stop the Albion as they won 3-1.

In round 4 they were drawn at home to Peterborough United where the Albion went through 1-0.

In the quarter finals they were drawn away the holders of the League Cup Nottingham Forest who were manage at the time by one the best ever English managers at that time Brian Clough.

Brian Clough was making Nottingham forest at that time one of the best teams in Europe if not the best.

I drove up to the City ground Nottingham with two friends on a very wet and windy day. Thousands of Albion fans made the trip but a lot of people never got to the game that night as their trains had problems getting to Nottingham.

Brighton lost the game 3-1 and so ended another good cup run Nottingham Forest went on to win the Cup again that year beating Southampton 3-2.

League Cup Round 4 1976/77

After the great win against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns Brighton entertained 1974-75 League Champions Derby County in Round 4 before an all-ticket capacity crowd of 33,500 at the Goldstone ground.

The Albion got off to a great start with (he shot he scored it must be) Peter Ward scoring after 37 seconds but Derby equalised for a 1-1 draw.

So it was up to the Baseball Ground Derby for the replay Brighton lost the replay 2-1 before a 25,880 crowd at the Baseball Ground.

So that was the end of Brighton’s great run in the league cup but it was so good while it lasted.

What was a huge memory for me on that night was the noise that the Albion fans made at half time the gentlemen on the P.A. system totally lost it as he could not concentrate on his announcements and keep telling the Albion fans to shut up which as you can imagine that only made them louder.

League Cup Round 3 1976/77

After beating Ipswich Town at the Goldstone 2-1 in the round 2 reply Brighton were drawn away in round 3 to the other Albion in the football League West Bromwich Albion and they were from division 1 just like Ipswich Town.

It was great to go to another team 2 divisions above the Albion. We went on the famous train from Brighton the Seagull Special as it was know.
Peter Ward demolished West Bromwich Albion 2-0 that night at the Hawthorns. What was really good was the West Bromwich fans applauding Brighton off the pitch at the end of the game.

To this day I still think that was one of the best ever Brighton performances.

League Cup Round 2 1976/77

After beating Southend United 3-2 on aggregate in round one of the football League cup in the season 1976/77 Brighton and Hove Albion were drawn away to Ipswich Town one of the top teams in the country at that time in round two.

We were so desperate to see the game that night but I was having problems with my car as the dynamo was not recharging the battery. So what I did was take 2 car batteries for my car so I could we could get there and back. I drove on side lights whenever I had the chance to save power in the battery and it just about worked as I got back to 50 yards from my house before the car went dead.

They drew 0-0 that night but it was well worth the trip as they won the reply 2-1.