Macclesfield - Away, Withdean Era
Season 2 (A) 11/11/00 - 0-0
Almost a year to the day since Brighton had visited Cheshire, we were back again. Macclesfield were halfway in the div3 table but well on the way to Manchester in terms of distance. Brighton was going great guns and marauding up and across Nationwide (we can't really go down) picking up points right, left and centre. Most opposition home gates had been pretty low or comparable to Withdean 'sell outs'. Nearly 1000 travelled to Moss Rose and assembled on that open terrace at the Silkman End, which always seemed a bit of a contradiction in footy terms. The old blue and white 'tented village' stand was gone and a new pitch-length all-seater was under construction. A crowd of 2600 odd was three hundred less than twelve months previously but there were almost 400 more Albion devoted inside their place. The pub out the back was going to be reduced in time too.
It turned out to be one of those defensive affairs for Brighton. With Kuipers in good form and with no sign of a replacement keeper to cover for recuperating Cartwright, it was just as well. Macc tried to whack us but our rearguard resisted being on the receiving end too often. The contest hung in balance and either outfit could have nicked a one-nil, had busy keepers dropped their guards for a second. Adams chose to go with two up front, following a return to form by scouser Steele. He had been a regular playing sub since recovering from injury and presumably wasn't down south for the benefit of his health. Brooker too hadn't completed ninety minutes for a couple of months, although actually being on the pitch for the finish of all but one fixture. That occurrence was in response to tactics for a ten-man Brighton, backs to the wall, last-stand. Jones conversely, tended to be the player subbed. Melton was on fringes of the eleven but Crosby couldn't get an appearance for love or money. Ramsay was an unused sub. Thomas didn't even make the bench and wouldn't again. Carr was still on the books but not on a first team sheet. Freeman was recovering from long-term injury like Aspinal, who also didn't play again either.
Kuipers, Watson, Cullip, Wicks, Mayo, Hart (Oatway), Rogers, Carpenter, Jones (Brooker), Steele, Zamora.
Div 3 (League 2) P 18 . W 11 D 3 L 4 . F 31 A 15 . Pt 36 Po 2

Season 1 (A) 14/11/99 - 1-1 ~ Mayo
Football fans at lower levels had become used to ups and downs between successful Conference clubs and demoted 'household' names. Change pervaded the old order of fourth tier national sides in the nineties, incorporating added impact from the Taylor report plus implementation of Premiership with its player pool. Not to mention property developers as an inflammatory issue but that's altogether another story. In typical fashion Macclesfield rose from non-league ranks to compete in div2 during '98/99. However back-to-back promotions became relegation, as lack of goal scoring but excess of conceding condemned them to div3, joining a rejuvenated BHA in this process. To date Macc had a similar record to Albion and were hoping to make play-offs should fortune so favour. There were plans to redevelop Moss Rose and build a pitch length stand to at least look like an acceptable Football League venue. An Albion travelling army of 600 descended on a small town in er, nowhere on a Sunday afternoon.
For most of a dull first half and then immediately after teatime, on the terrace perhaps expecting a more silky smooth service, stalemate prevailed. As clocks ticked past one hour the Silkmen spun in an opener and with a boot firmly in the door intended to stitch us up. Beforehand they had gotten five victories on the bounce and we were to be a sixth. Cullip was holding ex-Albion forward Barker at bay and preventing Macc's new marksman from adding to his tally. It looked like we'd be going south in defeat to lose all ends up, somewhere off the M6 well north of Shrewsbury. In the last few fixtures Mayo had been making appearances from the bench, usually to replace 'dynamo' Aspinall. Three minutes from final whistle Oatway crossed and 'super-sub' headed into the bottom corner having got forward unmarked. This point kept Seagulls in touch with those other high flyers in a southern dominated top six, while Macclesfield were on verges of a play-off position. Micky Adams said, 'we kept going for ninety minutes and I think a draw was a fair result. We might be learning a few lessons.' After all, he could afford to sport a wide grin in Cheshire fairytale land.
Walton, Watson, Cullip, Carr (Johnson), McPherson, Campbell, Thomas, Rogers, Oatway, Aspinall (Mayo), Hart (Cameron).
Div 3 (League 2) P 17 . W 7 D 5 L 5 . F 24 A 15 . Pt 26 Po 11

Macclesfield - Home, Withdean Era
Season 2 (H) 28/4/01 - 4-1 ~ Zamora 3, Watson
Brighton fans had two weeks since that incredible fixture at Plymouth to assimilate the fact that their club had gained access into division 2 next term. Micky Adams said, 'thanks to all the fans for the many kind words of congratulations since we clinched promotion. We have games in which the squad of players have got the first chance of delivering a championship for this football club since 1965 but it's not going to be plain sailing. Others have the chance to blow out candles on our possible championship cake. It's a situation that Brighton have found themselves in many times in the past and from those experiences, we know that it's not going to be an easy ride. Now we're left with this farcical situation where we play four games in a week. The Football League have steadfastly refused to extend the season for any reason. How can we possibly be expected to field full-strength teams in all four fixtures? That's not to say we won't try our best but the team is likely to vary from game to game.'
Mid-table Macclesfield arrived in city suburbs and tried to make a game of it. Brighton hadn't got to where they were today without a very strong home record and on the back of more title euphoria, started to nail 'em. Somehow more perceived pressure, due to talk of showdowns against Chesterfield and silverware for a cabinet Dick Knight was later urgently picking up from Ikea, the better this team responded. How big a part Micky Adams played in final motivation and individual man management is debateable but Brighton fans saw an exhibition approaching a peak performance. Earlier in the season Adams had eluded to Zamora's mental strength and now he was in this determined mood, fourth tier defences just couldn't cope. He hit a hat-trick to appear mature beyond a score or so years but certainly old enough to be a prime scorer. Watson flighted in a quality bender to keep his end up as a set piece specialist. The sun came out for long periods in an alternate blue and white sky over wonderful Withdean. Chesterfield lost, roles were reversing according to fate and we went top, so all was right and justified in our little world of joy.
Kuipers, Watson, Cullip, Crosby, Mayo, Hart (Jones), Rogers, Carpenter, Oatway (Steele), Brooker, Zamora (Thomas).
Div 3 (League 2) P 43 . W 27 D 7 L 9 . F 72 A 32 . Pt 88 Po 1

Season 1 21/3/00 - 5-2 ~ Ramsay 2, Freeman 2, Hart
It was all happening at end of the nineties for Macclesfield, just two years after winning the Conference title (see Exeter) they were relegated from div2. But at least they had been there and got a taste of places like Manchester, on borders of the big time. Meanwhile Brighton had twice survived a possible drop into aforesaid Conference and were travelling to Gillingham for home matches. In fact Macclesfield were our first opponents at Priestfield in August '97 and shared a 1-1 draw. The ground was decidedly more open then, before substantial redevelopment enclosed the pitch forever. One commentator referred to it as 'the compost heap at the bottom of the Garden of England.' A hostile crowd gathered but exclusively due to that civil war raging for Brighton fans in at death of this club's hated old regime. Macc's manager feared there might actually be a riot. Town went up again ten months later and Albion finished 23rd - again. BHA limped through a similar following twelve months of results, when Dick Knight arranged with Brighton & Hove Council to rent Withdean athletics stadium as a temporary home for '99/00 and beyond. Macclesfield also had designs on a new residence at Lyme Green with support from McAlpines. However local planning authorities had red carded this project in favour of another company. A director said, 'our application was based on a community use stadium. We can't build anywhere else because there isn't anywhere to do it. We felt this was too much of an opportunity for the council to miss.' He had a point too.
An unbeaten run extended to six with demolition of Macclesfield on a Tuesday night by floodlight. Micky Adams had been looking for a goal-scorer and threw Ramsay in to fill the breach caused by Zamora's return to Bristol Rovers. In his fourth start, young Ramsay struck two quality finishes, aided and abetted by regular attacker Freeman with his own brace. Ex-Horton's hero Hart also increased his tally with an equaliser before Albion eventually ran riot. At long last Adams had reverted to 442 from five at the back and why not - we were at home after all!
Walton, Watson, Cullip, Crosby, Mayo, Freeman, Rogers, Oatway, Brooker, Hart (McPhee), Ramsay.
Div 3 (League 2) P 38 . W 14 D 11 L 13 . F 58 A 43 . Pt 53 Po 12