Rochdale - Home, Withdean Era
Season 12 (H) 14/8/10 - 2-2 ~ Murray, Bennett
A whole decade since we last met and now in L1 coz Dale finally got promoted from L2. Incidentally, Zamora won his first England cap at Wembley, two days before this opening home fixture and Christ, he was twenty-nine now!! Capacity at W'dean was eventually made 8850 but BHA never got near to that fig in recent years, unless it was Leeds or Southampton. But hey, Falmer was being built and what a right stad it was gonna be next year! Tony Bloom had underwritten 93+ million finances and we were very thankful to the last Labour government, B&HCC, BHA board and Falmer for all campaign people. Even Norman Baker liked us now he was part of the coalition. You couldn't make it up if you tried. Gus Poyet was latest manager, having taken over in 2009 from a string of failed bosses including Micky Adams mark2. He assembled yet another new squad and how many of those had we got since Y2k? Hart was the only one left from 1999 and we think that was the last time he scored! Yeah, it rained again and 6600 watched.
The first half was full of expectation as B'ton stroked it about. But only goals give points and it was otherwise pretty goal-less. In second period Albion attacked again and won a f-k outside the area. Bennet put it on Murray's head and he hit the bar, following up to nod home the opener (47min). Then it all kicked off as Greer saw red for violent conduct in our box. El-Abd came on to shore up defence. So Dale equalised from the spot (53m) anyway. Ten-man Seagulls flew forward and Bennett drove us into another lead with a fine swoop (67m). At the death, Rochdale equalised again when Ankergren fluffed a punch and got chipped by a purple-shirted northerner as sun shone on lucky visitors (90+). Gus had now got further selection probs and not a lot of strength in depth. Cards were racking up and this squad had a ways to go on all fronts. Back to training, including when to take chances, character building and learning rules and regs.
Ankergren, Calderon, Elphick, Greer, Painter, Bennett, Dicker, Kishishev, Smith (El-Abd), Barnes, Murray
League1 P 2 . W 1 D 1 L 0 . F 4 A 3 . Pt 4 Po 6
Season 2 (H) 19/8/00 - 2-1 ~ Zamora 2
Capacity of The Withdean had been increased to 7000. This represented an increase of nearly 1000 seats, situated at the east or railway end. Away supporters would be allocated their stand next-door to the tunnel and separated from more b&w devoted by what looked like a tennis net. On the Falmer front, opponents of the BHA planning application for a super new community stadium had leaked the Vantagepoint report in an act of vindictive spin. The club was in discussions with others who would be closely involved with the project and hey, we were talking nearly 50 million here. B&H city council had approved the site in their Local Plan draft and watch the Falmer space for updates.
Micky Adams had been busy in pre-season and brought several new faces in to bolster a skeleton squad after sacking a few previously. For a club devoid of big bucks, 100 grand for Bobby Zamora seemed like a small fortune. Dick Knight had raided his tills at the revamped Seagulls shop and found enough dosh to take a punt. Zamora got no.25 shirt because Hart already bagged no.9. New no.1 went to Michel Kuipers, while on loan keeper Mark Carwright was allocated no.19. Other signings were Paul Brooker 11, Richard Carpenter 12, Lee Steele 13, Nathan Jones 15 and Steve Melton 20. Adams wasn't just providing reinforcements he was rebuilding a potential promotion eleven.
Mr P Prosser refereed this first home fixture for '00/01 and sent off Andy Crosby and a Dale bloke early on in proceedings. Adams said, 'I fear that if two are going to be sent off for what occurred, then football will become a non-contact sport. We enjoy physical encounters particularly in the third division.' Most fans would have called it handbags. Rochdale had gone ahead, on a warm sunny afternoon in totally different conditions to last season's meeting. Zamora hadn't suffered in that sensational game and intended to accentuate the positive. He headed an equaliser, ghosting in behind defence. Then bagged a winner making use of space to drill home a left foot drive. The match was a battle but everybody could clearly see a class act in its midst.
Cartwright, Watson, Carr, Crosby, Mayo, Freeman (Rogers), Carpenter, Oatway, Brooker, Hart (Aspinal), Zamora (Ramsay).
Div 3 (League 2) P 2 . W 1 D 0 L 1 . F 2 A 3 . Pt 3 Po 11
Season 1 (H) 10/12/99 - 3-4 ~ Hart, Aspinall, Cullip
Friday December 10th 1999, a date that forever will live in the annals of infamy. For on this day we were mercifully attacked and suffered a catastrophic defeat. Not the words of a world statesman subjected to war of superpowers but a mere footy fan manning a south stand observation post and getting very wet to boot. It was all due to the pre-Xmas home game at Withdean, that couldn't take place on a Saturday coz of park-and-ride restrictions and Sweat blackout regulations. On a dark and rainy night, while local residents 'make do and mend' in preparation for an Albion-free weekend, nearly 800 less than average-gate punters stayed in the pub and enjoyed their other favourite watering hole from inside. If anybody ever tells you it really pissed hard on us this evening continuously, you'd better believe 'em and all. People found out waterproofs actually weren't and that all-weather surface made the pitch one giant puddle. Everybody then knew what needed to be added to Christmas present lists, in lieu of soggy socks and Adams also hung up an extra big stocking. Apparently, for some alternative boxes in which his defenders could practice tackling to win the ball. Mention Rochdale to a very late twentieth century Albion fan and they can remember like it was just yesterday.
Back in May, Rochdale had provided last day opposition at Gillingham but nobody recalled that 'tearful occasion' or result. Almost a year before tonight, Albion had gone to Spotland and suffered a defeat to halt a run of five away wins. People knew about this record sequence but Rochdale trips were always readily forgettable. At the Withdean, Dale went two up and on another evening would have shut up shop, as they had won five away previously. Brighton then twisted the game on its tail, for a tale of a right rally in the rain from Hart and Aspinall. Cullip came on as a super-sub for the first and only time, following suspension for a red card in a cup match. He got Albion's amazing third goal. Adams said, 'you have to give credit for turning round a deficit but should have kept going. Unfortunately they got nervous and tried to protect a lead. I wouldn't put defeat down to bad luck but rank bad defending.' Now he tells us!
Walton, Watson, Hobson (Cullip), Carr, Crosby, Campbell, Rogers, Oatway (Thomas), Apinall, Ramsay (Cameron), Hart.
Div 3 (League 2) P 20 . W 7 D 6 L 7 . F 30 A 24 . Pt 27 Po 15
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Rochdale - Away, Withdean Era
Season 12 (A) 2/4/11 - 2-2 ~ Wood, Dicker
This fixture was a tad peculiar coz we played on that particular Saturday after the day before, when plenty of fools also came out to play. Strangely enough, it was almost exactly ten years since our last visit, when we initially got promoted from league2. Funny thing was, being on the road this term had been a larf, due to replayed P-word language and plenty of goals to cheer. Gus Poyet was no idiot and introduced a brand of pukka football, which got us results during three quarters of the season to date. Now through the run-in, he wanted to match Adams first title-taking record of '01. We'd got eight straight wins in March and what would April bring? Not a joke we hoped.
Albion went off at one hundred miles an hour and might have been a couple up in opening phases. Bridcutt had to go off inside 15min, to be replaced by Noone in a more regular 442. Dale scored first when their f-k got parried by Ankergren but they followed up (22m). Brighton got back in it after Wood netted from the spot, following Murray being brought down. In the second period BHA went ahead from Dicker's header, while goalie could only help it in (51m). This contest then began to swing away from travellers, backed by noisy support along length of the pitch. Ref again awarded a penalty - but to Dale when their guy was hacked over (71m). The fixture hung in balance, so Gus subbed for Navarro to get an app on his long awaited return from injury. Later Sandaza took to the bumpy field to try and nick it but in all honesty, the home outfit finished stronger and seemed to be denied another pen for handball. Ankergren made two crucial saves to hold 'em at bay but on percentages, our forward play shoulda got us more. We were no.1 after all.
Ankergren, Calderon, Greer, Elphick, Painter, Bennett, Bridcutt (Noone), Kishishev (Navarro), Dicker, Wood (Sandaza), Murray.
League1 P 39 . W 25 D 9 L 5 . F 71 A 29 . Pt 84 Po 1
Season 2 (A) 3/4/01 - 1-1 ~ Carpenter
Micky Adams said, 'we adopted a policy at start of the season to go for quality rather than quantity in the squad. I feel that as a result of this, with the number of games coming thick and fast over the next few weeks, we may choose to use a rotational system in the final push. I don't expect any changes we do make to unsettle the team too much during the run-in. It would be folly of me not to look at the team and make changes where I can, in order to give other players more time to recover. It is a tactic we see more often than not in the Premiership on a week-to-week basis. My players may want to play in every game but I don't see why we shouldn't make full use of the squad we have got.'
This wasn't just a game of two halves but of five minutes either side of ninety. It started, went on for 45 minutes then had a break for a cuppa. It restarted and looked like going on to one of those nil-nil affairs that doesn't feel like proper football some how. Then Carpenter struck a superb free kick minutes from the end. Deep into stoppage time, the home unit matched that effort in similar circumstances. It was a choker for Brighton fans but just goes to show you can't switch off for a minute on or off the field. Spotland on a springtime Tuesday night wasn't exactly Chessington World of Adventures at any time of year and this was a second rearrangement since just before New Year's Eve. It was probably just as well because Dale had been slipping since then, when outright promotion contenders. Over 500 die-hards and 'others' assembled somewhere along Willbutts Lane, which was pay on the gate - so any old non-away member got in. Still, there were now roofs overhead and you could sit in a seat and be comfortably miserable. Looking on the bright side, Albion were in an auto promo place and clear of p-o hopefuls, plus a game in hand due to postponement of a top of the table clash with Chesterfield. That apart, our run-in was against middle order or relegation threatened clubs. Oh yes!
Kuipers, Watson, Virgo, Crosby, Mayo, Melton, Rogers, Carpenter, Jones, Brooker (Thomas), Hart (Stant).
Div 3 (League 2) P 38 . W 23 D 6 L 9 . F 62 A 31 . Pt 75 Po 3
Season 1 (A) 8/1/00 - 0-1
It was back to basics or perhaps merely being beaten again, after indulgent excesses of Xmas, New Year and third millennium entertainment. Brighton had taken 7 points from 9, accrued 8 goals and conceded 4 in slightly less than twelve days of Christmas. Now they were at Spotland playing Rochdale again, less than a month since a pre-festival fest of seven scored, on a night none could possibly forget. Micky Adams said, 'I've likened our season so far to a game of snakes and ladders. Occasionally we throw a six and get up a ladder with decent performances like those at New Year. Then we will throw a disappointing two, hit one of those big snakes and slide down. Until we roll fours, fives and sixes consistently, which is something we are capable of, we won't get to where we think we should be. Everyone in this league is capable of beating each other and we must start approaching games in the correct manner in terms of application and attitude. Otherwise there'll be far more snakes than ladders.'
The Lancashire club was one we could use as a yardstick to measure progress because they seemed to be typical fourth tier fare. In '98/99 they had, after completing 46 fixtures, ended up in the bottom group but hope forever springs eternal. At one stage this term, Dale were aspiring to a play-off spot but don't hold your breath. A tad more than 500 intrepid south coast club supporters, travelled to dim and distant Spotland. The ground had been updated over a number of years and good old Willbutts Lane terrace was going to get a makeover for the 21st century. Let's face it, a nil-nil, point apiece and we all go home happy. But life's not like that and Albion lost their first away fixture of Y2k - oh dear! Our latest big white hope for the future (well he was six feet four inches) Pinamonte limped off after an hour. Some sort of team performance had gone through motions but that's not validated if opposition go and nick it in a moment of weakness. And they duly did - again!
Walton, Watson, Cullip, Carr (Ramsay), Crosby, Mayo, Rogers, Oatway, Freeman, Hart, Pinamonte (Thomas).
Div 3 (League 2) P 25 . W 9 D 7 L 9 . F 38 A 31 . Pt 34 Po 14
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