Doncaster - Home, Falmer Years:
C'ship 11/12 13/14, seasons 1 3 . 17/18 onwards - Prem, no meetings.
ground: Keepmoat Stad 10k . nickname: Donny . shirt: blue.
EFL record from 11/12: 24 C, 1 L1, 22 C, 13 21 L1, 3 L2 / 15 6 9 14 22 L1, 18 5 L2 @ 4/5/24.
recent relegated - '12 '14 C, '16 '22 L1 . promo - '13 L1, '17 L2.
Season7 (H) onwards - not Premier League.
Albion v Rovers (H) from 11/12 @ C: 2-1 - 1-0 - - - . . Wins = 2 D = 0 L = 0
For Away Falmer Years results and reports scroll further below.
memorable match: Season1 (H) - first day in the initial Falmer campaign. And one for the scrapbook.
Season4 onwards - not C'ship.
Season3 (H) Championship 8/2/14 - 1-0 ~ Ulloa.
Brighton fans were back at the Amex again after nearly a month's absence because of rescheduled fixtures. There previously had been four consecutive away games, one of which was an FAC4 tie at Port Vale. Bizarrely a series of three more home matches, including FAC5 against Hull would follow. Meanwhile Rovers travelling support hadn't been back here since the place opened in August '11 - see below. Capacity now was 30k, usual gates being 26k+, today it was 27,009. Of playing staff that inaugural day, Greer was still regular, LuaLua and Buckley also when fit, while CMS was on the verge of returning from long term injury and Calderon & Dunk were first reserves (Ankergren third choice keeper now) but the others had all gone. So had Gus Poyet, to Sunderland, being replaced by coach Oscar Garcia.
After continuous wet weather since well before Xmas the pitch was still in very good nick.
*** match report: Albion played their usual possession and passing game, although these days you tended to wait a while for goals to pop up. Approaching the last fifteen minutes, it seemed nil-nil would prevail. Then Ulloa notched from a Ward cross and suddenly points were in the bag (75min). Ten minutes after that goal, Rovers had a man sent off for aiming a kick - at Greer, although one or two in stands might want to as well at times. Anyway, Garcia put on his subs at intervals to show he really knew what was happening out there. His brand new signings Stephens & Rodriguez did ok too. So who exactly needed recently transferred Barnes & Bridcutt for rest of the campaign?
Kuszczak, Bruno, Greer, Upson, Ward, Stephens, Ince, Orlandi (LuaLua), March (David), Ulloa, Rodriguez (Obika).
Champ's P29 . W11 D10 L8 . F31 A25 . Pt43 Po8 . W = 37.9% L = 27.5%
Season2 - not C'ship.
Season1 (H) 6/8/11 - 2-1 ~ Buckley 2.
This was the very first fixture at the American Express Community Stadium. Coincidentally versus Donny, our last vistors to the old decrepit & defunct Goldstone Ground in April '97. The Amex was built on time in two years previously while BHA played at Withdean. We had been there for twelve seasons from 1999 in total but arrived at Falmer ready for start of the '11/12 campaign. Brighton had just been promoted as League1 title winners and were now competing in the Championship for the first time since '05/6. Chairman Tony Bloom, who funded immediate building of the Amex after permissions and paperwork were available, also gave manager Gus Poyet a few quid to bolster his squad. He spent a few million on Craig Mackail-Smith, Will Buckley and Will Hoskins to help usual suspects establish in the new division. On the day there was a 20k turnout on a cloudy afternoon but a superb atmosphere in the ground prior to k-o, with much flag waving and loud music. Best of all, the roof made it such a happy if somewhat noisy place.
*** match report: The game itself also reached an extraordinary climax. Both sides tried to play football and perhaps Rovers shaded the first half due to taking the lead from a counter attack (39min). Albion had Poyet sent to the stand for back-chatting the Ref as tension spilled off the pitch. He subbed LuaLua at start of the second period as he had already been booked. Brighton pushed forward but couldn't convert any chances offered. Twenty minutes from time Buckley came on and levelled things with a low shot inside a post (83min). Several minutes of stoppage were played following a second visitor carried off late in the day. Buckley grabbed a last gasp winner when put thru by Noone, to go one on one with Rovers goalie (96+ min). Three sides of the Amex went bananas to celebrate snatching a win from jaws of defeat. It was almost unbelievable and work of pulp fiction.
Ankergren, Calderon, Greer, Dunk, Painter, Sparrow (Buckley), Bridcutt, Dicker, LuaLua (Noone), Barnes, Mackail-Smith.
Champ's P1 . W1 D0 L0 . F2 A1 . Pt3 Po3 . W = 100% L = 0%
* * * * *
Withdean Era: 12 seasons from 1999 to 2011 -
Seasons 8 06/7, 9 07/8 League One.
Withdean era: Albion V Rovers 0-2, 1-0 . . . W = 1 D = 0 L = 1
memorable match: Season8 (H) - Brighton fans left in a much darker mood than perhaps in '97.
At end of April and start of May '22 it was 25 years since surviving as a League club.
Doncaster were our very last opponents at the old Goldstone Ground in Hove at end of 96/97 season.
see: Seasons 8-9 for club & stadium info. Also Dick Knight & Dean Wilkins.
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Doncaster - Away, Falmer Years:
C'ship 11/12 13/14, seasons 1 3 . 17/18 onwards - Prem, no meetings.
Season7 onwards - not Premier League.
Rovers v Albion (A) from 11/12 @ C: 1-1 - 1-3 - - - . . W = 1 D = 1 L = 0
For Home Falmer Years results & reports scroll further up.
memorable match: Season3 (A) - a benchmark game in a formative term under Oscar Garcia.
Season4 onwards - not C'ship.
Season3 (A) Championship 2/11/13 - W 1-3 ~ Forster-Caskey, Lita, David.
Brighton's stats to date were W3 D6 L4 and those victories were back in Aug & Sept. It was now Nov and lower reaches of the Championship table beckoned come next May if Albion did not put pedal to the metal. Oscar Garcia was concerned about one win in nine, while almost half of fixtures had been drawn. This day presented itself as an opportunity for the current eleven to step-up and take points from a club struggling to raise their game at this level again. The Seagulls team was vastly different to that fielded in season1 - see below. Injuries had occured to Bridcutt and CMS to keep them out long term, Brezovan & El-Abd were benched and the others had moved on. There was quality in the side but progress was slow to perform as a unit. On the bench, David, Calderon and new signing Lita represented strength in depth.
*** match report: Brighton had not scored in four successive away games and previously got one goal from each the opening two fixtures. Then wonder-kid JFC let fly from distance and BHA went one-up (8min). During the match as a whole, stats went fairly even H&A, although only goals count at the death. Albion were worth a halftime lead but Rovers hit back on turnaround. After the break Calderon came on for dazed Bruno and over the hour-mark David replaced Buckley. But Rovers equalised soon to a deflected punt (75min). With ten mins left Lita arrived and the proven goal-scorer grabbed the lead again in a late melee (85min). David sealed it with a peachy f-k worthy of Beckham at best (90min). Coach Nathan Jones said, 'we have probably played better and been beaten.'
Kuszczak, Bruno (Calderon), Greer, Upson, Ward, Crofts, Andrews, Forster-Caskey (Lita), Buckley (David), Barnes, Conway.
Champ's P14 . W4 D6 L4 . F15 A14 . Pt18 Po12 . W = 28.5% L = 28.5%
Season2 - not C'ship.
Season1 (A) 3/3/12 - 1-1 ~ Mackail-Smith.
Here we were playing the bottom team in the Championship and with nearly three-quarters of the season completed were pushing for a play-off place. Rovers were our first opponents at the Amex on day1, following Albion's rise from League1 at Withdean last term. Both clubs had come a long way since problems on and off field in the nineties, although Doncaster returned to hit the big time a few years before BHA. But their Keepmoat stadium was merely attracting average 9k crowds and they needed many more to hold a permanent place at second-tier standard. Brighton found cramped capacity at Withdean to be a millstone round necks during the noughties and it wasn't until Tony Bloom underwrote funding for Falmer that things finally took a turn for better. Gus Poyet increased size of first team squad during the winter and now with suspensions and injuries ceasing to cause frustration, he could pick from players in all positions. Gus probably knew who his best eleven were but as yet, hadn't gotten opportunity to play a settled side. March was gonna be busy and there was no time like the present to find out just how good Albion could be.
*** match report: The match finished as something of a disappointment. Albion took the lead as early as 20 minutes and a useful win appeared on the cards. But Seagulls didn't fly free and squandered what other chances came along to score. The pitch didn't help with the old passing game either and Doncaster mixed it up, while Ref seemed to miss a few decisions. Having said that, he spotted handball late in the day and Rovers gained a point from the spot (80m). Gus subbed in m-f fairly soon and Noone done good for half an hour or so. A double change for BHA offensive players didn't have the desired effect and there were too many below par displays overall. Albion have played better and got beat and B'ton fans left frustrated with thoughts that two points were dropped. Gus took it on the chin, although he musta wondered who the top eleven really were after this let down.
Brezovan, Reyes, Greer, El-Abd, Mattock, Navarro, Bridcutt, Razak (Noone), Buckley (Assulin), Mackail-Smith (Vokes), Barnes.
Champ's P34 . W15 D9 L10 . F40 A34 . Pt54 Po7 . W = 44.1% L = 29.4%
* * * * *
Withdean era: Seasons 8 06/7, 9 07/8 League One.
Withdean era: Rovers V Albion 1-0, 0-0 . . . W = 0 D = 1 L = 1
memorable match: Season8 (A) - lower league fare and not much between us as in days of yore.
Noughties last there - 4/12/07 (A) League One.
Our first trip to the brand new Keepmoat but on a night with no goals.
25/11/06 (A) League One.
Our final visit over all to Belle Vue, their old venue near the racecourse. It kinda ended in tears.
see: Seasons 8-9 for club & stadium info. Also Dean Wilkins.
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