Mansfield - Away
Season 2 (A) 16/12/00 - 0-2
An away supporters membership scheme had been introduced and already revised, effective when certain visits to distant venues were admission by ticket only. Season-ticket holders were invited to join and what could go wrong? Martin Perry said, 'we enjoy huge away support and a number of clubs will be unable to allocate sufficient space for all supporters who wish to attend. By implementing this scheme it will help to ensure at away matches, excellent standards of behaviour seen at Withdean.' This fixture was at a place where work in progress had reduced capacity but that didn't stop 850 making numbers up one end. The old ground had been revamped but swallowed less than 2000 locals, who were awaiting opening of a vacant new main stand. It was like being at a reserve game in a partly closed stadium.
Brighton lost 2-0 and to a strong mid-table home outfit. Stags strutted their stuff while Seagulls staggered around Field Mill looking for a few titbits. It was all so grizzly in the drizzle. We had chances but failed to convert them and conceded what looked like an offside goal attempt. A point would have maintained a good run in the league and extended it if headers by Zamora and Hart had crossed that goal line. They didn't, so we got zilch and heartbreak instead. A true counter attacking style hadn't yet been developed, as Albion tended to operate with Zamora as a singleton up front. Our regular passing game made for a slower build up, especially as essential attacking options such as Brooker only played approximately for the last half hour. Being a goal down into closing moments, means we had to go forward and in the ebb and flow of a match, gives the home eleven an opportunity to break. Two minutes from time, Mansfield made it an academic score-line, doubling their advantage on the day in flattering fashion. Brighton fans were realistic enough to know defeats were inevitable on the road - it was still no points gained for getting beaten by one goal, or heaven forbid even six.
Kuipers, Watson, Cullip, Wicks, Mayo, Hart (Freeman), Rogers, Carpenter, Oatway, Jones (Brooker), Zamora.
Div 3 (League 2) P 21 . W 13 D 3 L 5 . F 37 A 18 . Pt 42 Po 2

Season 1 (A) 1/2/00 - 0-1
This fixture ended up being played on a Tuesday night at beginning of wintry February. Originally it was scheduled for early December but apparently on a bitterly cold snowy day, building works at Field Mill were considered hazard enough to postpone the match. Perhaps it was a case of '99 style health and safety policy overload on their windswept icy terraces. In April of the previous year ('98/99), Brighton had also gone into Nottinghamshire and got beat. That was for an eighth time in their last ten matches and the other two were only draws. Dick Knight was seeing a potential homecoming as yet another flirtation with Conference football and decided to act quickly. He sacked on-trial manager Jeff Wood and convinced Micky Adams he was going to be a big star one-day. Our illustrious chairman then introduced Adams and the concept of a new stadium at Falmer, in a Hove Town Hall presentation. Knight had stopped the rot a second time in successive seasons to bring in someone capable of making dreams a reality. It began of course with that homecoming and an opening day fixture for '99/00 at Withdean, exceeding all expectations against Mansfield. Now we were back at their place again and found they had a strange two-sided version of a stadium too.
Rod Thomas was sent off inside five minutes and it proved to be a turning point in his career at BHA. Brian Horton had bought him from Chester for 25k, most of which was paid by fans. Thomas was tending to come on as a sub, usually to replace Aspinall or a frontrunner. Adams hadn't as yet gained enough points to field an all-out attacking side and to some extent Thomas became this part-time option. It was a pity he blew his first start in over two months, for it became nearly another three before returning to a 3pm k-o after only odd sub appearances. In approximately 40 apps, he scored just one goal - ironically on aforesaid opening day romp. Ten-man Albion clung on to hopes of a goal-less draw and certainly didn't deserve to lose. But justice can be of a very rough or tough kind in competitive football, especially for return fixtures. Even if disposable wingers can't defend, they can conceivably stand up-field and look for a fast counter - but only if they're on the park! By now Adams knew he needed firepower desperately and it wasn't to be provided by Pinnamonte either. He was poached by quids-in Brentford.
Walton, Watson, Cullip, Carr, Crosby (Pinnamonte), Mayo, Rogers (Aspinall), Oatway, Thomas, Freeman (Ramsay), Hart.
Div 3 (League 2) P 29 . W 9 D 9 L 11 . F 39 A 34 . Pt 36 Po 17

Mansfield - Home
Season 9 (H) 5/1/08 FAC3 - 1-2 ~ Revell
We got to be there in front of 5800 odd on a showery day, due to beating Cheltenham and Torquay. Mansfield had done Lewes and Harrogate. Brighton fans believed we would cruise into R4 and get a massive payout for turning up. However Wilkins was having problems with the squad. Hammond and Whing were sick or injured and Richards, Savage and O'Callaghan had gone elsewhere. Nevertheless he sent out a reserve line-up, using most of material left at his disposal. Hart and Mayo didn't figure any more and kids on loan were way short of experience. We crossed fingers and reckoned Stags in 91st position would fold anyway.
Mansfield went one up inside 10 minutes and were giving it a go. Revell equalised with a header from a Cox f-k on 23 min. In first half stoppage Town took a winning lead when B'ton defence blundered again. Rents came on for second period and later Loft replaced Fraser (62). Fans were getting frustrated as Albion failed to penetrate a resolute Stags rearguard. It was almost as if they wanted it more than us. Brighton was truly dreadful and couldn't beat a park eleven in this form. Heads would surely roll and Mr Knight went on the radio to say he was buying big in weeks to come. He took a right beating off phone-in demented and all.
Kuipers, El-Abd, Elphick, Butters (Rents), Lynch, Robinson (Elder), Fraser (Loft), Reid, Cox, Revell, Forster.

Season 2 (H) 31/3/01 - 2-0 ~ Zamora, Hart
Mention Mansfield to a Brighton fan and they will tell you a story. Twenty months after BHAFC rebirth day, that same opposition had turned up again hoping to contain our score this time and improve theirs. Circumstances were also different, we were now a proven top three side and they were still average - as ever. One other notable thing that had changed almost in a reciprocal manner was attitudes of small sections of supporters. Season 1 had tended to tail off in mid-term before some more fun in the run-in. Brighton fans were grateful to be watching Football League located in the town their club represented and were tolerant of housing and performance issues. Season 2 was heading toward a climax and some season-ticketed small minded were having a ruck because Brighton wasn't perfect by perceived standards of a new millennium future. It had taken 100 years to effectively get this far with a few steps forward and many back. That we had made it out of deep darkness and were about to b-right-on again had apparently been obscured to those failing to see the light.
Cullip, Wicks, Oatway and Freeman had incurred injury previously but Adams managed to successfully plug gaps in a small squad. A new kid Adam Virgo stepped up from reserves to debut at the back. Crosby was now recognised as a regular here, while Melton had got a few games in midfield. A transfer deadline signing Martin Thomas had joined to help there as well for the duration. Zamora scored with a lob but picked up a knock, which interrupted his run of 35 appearances and became cause for concern. Brooker hit a post before being withdrawn having gained a 34th app. Stant should have come on but a struggling Freeman did instead. New guy Thomas replaced ever-present Rogers (37 apps), which meant Virgo was doing ok. Adams didn't go with a spare keeper on the bench usually and also didn't now have a central defender available anyway, Oatway filled the spot on this day. Carr had ended up on loan to distant destinations having been stuck in stiffs like forever. Hart (36 apps) who only missed one game snatched a very late second goal. Kuipers (25 apps) made his one brilliant save per match to set a standard for fourth tier goalies ever higher.
Kuipers, Watson, Virgo, Crosby, Mayo, Hart, Rogers (Thomas), Carpenter, Melton, Brooker (Freeman), Zamora (Jones).
Div 3 (League 2) P 37 . W 23 D 5 L 9 . F 61 A 30 . Pt 74 Po 3

Season 1 (H) 7/8/99 - 6-0 ~ Freeman 3, Thomas, Newhouse 2
Dick Knight said, 'to paraphrase another momentous event celebrated last month, coming home is "one small step" on the road to our permanent stadium but "one giant leap" for Brighton & Hove Albion. Withdean is not and never will be the Goldstone. We've had to rebuild the club completely and steadily, strategically we've made headway and that expensive, painstaking process will continue. Withdean though only a temporary home has been rebuilt from scratch. All round, this club has just had the most massive makeover possibly in the history of the game. The work continues with Martin Perry leading the way to Falmer. Micky Adams said, 'Withdean is a very different type of football stadium. It is our home patch and we must turn it into a fortress. We will be looking for certain things from the players and the team as a unit.' The Football League had also been busy, introducing squad numbering, five substitutes and reverting to goal difference.
Micky Adams, who'd been in charge only a few months, had a clear out in the summer, when seventeen of the old guard left. He brought in eleven new faces including Watson, Campbell, Carr, Palmer, Rogers, Oatway, Cameron, Crosby, Wilder and local lad Freeman. Mansfield were the first div3 opposition at Withdean on a very warm, sunny afternoon in August. Town had completed their '98/99 programme just outside play-off positions. Like in a cricket match, they were now hit for six and ironically it was Albion who piled on the runs beside a six lane athletic track. Stags lost a man inside a quarter of an hour, which didn't bode well for the remainder. Freeman immediately got the ball rolling goal-ward in fine style and added a second, taking advantage of a defensive mix up. Thomas fired home a great strike and who could believe our luck? Freeman got his third from a Hart thru ball to make it a garden party in the sun. Sub Newhouse added two in the last twenty minutes from Cameron centres. What more did Withdean want? Adams said, 'lets give the lads the credit they deserve for applying themselves in the correct manner. What I am looking for from my players is the mental strength that separates good teams from bad.' And so say all of us.
Omerod, Wilder, McPherson, Crosby, Hobson, Campbell, Freeman (Newhouse), Rogers, Oatway (Armstrong), Thomas (Cameron), Hart.
Div 3 (League 2) P 1 . W 1 D 0 L 0 . F 6 A 0 . Pt 3 Po 1