I can't believe it but 30 years ago this weekend we travelled down to Brighton for the the second or third game of the season of our memorable promotion winning season!

An eventful weekend it was. I was a 14 year old growing up in west sussex and going to school about 10 miles from Brighton. So most of my mates were Brighton fans and would go down to the Goldstone on Saturday afternoon.

If I remember correctly it was reported on the Saturday morning that trouble had occured in Brighton on the Friday night and Chelsea fans had been locked in a subway? Couldn't see police being allowed to do that in this day and age.

The game itself, ended 2-1 to us with Kerry scoring the winner. At least one pitch invasion if I remember correctly as 6 or 7 thousand Chelsea attended the game.

The following Tuesday (bank holiday weekend) my mates trooped into school, to first front up to me about us beating them. ( the previous season i'd taken it all, with us nearly going down to div 3 and them getting to the cup final) so it was an enjoyable Tuesday morning. It was then on to our support. Now Chelsea hadn,t played Brighton for years, so none of us had seen them play each other, so to say they were taken by surprise with our following was an understatment.

They knew of Chelseas reputation but to be invaded by this huge away following and also not the amount but also that we were everywhere in the ground was something that didn't happen. Usually they'd come into school on a monday and say this team bought 800 or that team bought about 1500 or on good day that team bought 2000, but 6/7k unthinkable...."jonny neals blue and white army"

Thanks for sharing. Time really goes fast.

I remember this game well. I was in the west Stand extention. I had only moved to Brighton a couple of years before from my home city of Chichester and was really looking forward to watching a Chelsea away game so close to home. I was working at the time in a restaurant in Brighton's original Churchill square and I remember a group of local youths who called themselves the west street firm boasting they were going to the match to give Chelsea a good kicking. Of course this deluded little mob never showed up lol. O HAPPY DAYS

Yes, the subway thing is deffo correct (i have the press cuttings from the Argus) Chelsea were down on the friday, and a few of my mates went. Actually was a bit dicey as there were carloads of locals going around picking off small groups, though rumour was that they may have been pompey fans.I got an early train down on the Saturday, and yet more rumours that petrol bombs had been discovered by police and a chelsea fan had been stabbed the night before, ramped up chelseas huge following.Fighting in the home sections sporadically, then the pitch invasion sparked by a late winner,broken crossbar and damaged old bill ment national headlines again! Just another exciting awayday with the most notorious fans in England.

Edited August 24, 201312 yr by Chelseaboy

i was there friday night,,it was very tricky , chelsea fans were picked off as they went home to hotels etc,,me and 3 mates had a row with about 10 brighton ,,a mate of mine hit one with a scaffold clip and they ran under the con ference centre as we chased em we saw a box of petrol bombs ready to be used, no idea whos they were , at the other side of conf centre there were 2 men on the floor 1 had been stabbed , ,we just managed to get out the way , as police were rounding everyone up and sticking them in the subway .this was about 12 am onwards.

I was there and it was bedlam.  I reckon we had far more than 7,000.  My memory isn't perfect, but the crowd was almost 21,000 and we must have had more than a third of it.

I was there and it was bedlam.  I reckon we had far more than 7,000.  My memory isn't perfect, but the crowd was almost 21,000 and we must have had more than a third of it.

I reckon we had 9.000 there, was behind the goal to the left, it's incredible I remember where I was when I cannot remember much about where I was

in the 2000's !

_{Thanks for sharing. Love reading about these Chelsea away trips}

I went to This one,recall the Police Been backed into the very Bottom Of the pen

And into the corner with thr fencing behind them and no escape.

Also on the train back into London and iam sure it was as the train was approaching

Croydon,a chelsea fan was hanging out Of the door Window shouting and singing When

His head hit somert and he fell back into the carriage.

It was not a Nice sight as his face looked a mess .

Think he died never had it confirmed or knew his name sorry to say