FA Cup semi-finals: The inside story of Brighton's incredible escape from disaster

"A instrumentality handcuffed themselves to 1 of the extremity posts," says Steve Gritt. "It was my archetypal crippled and determination was graffiti astir maine scrawled each implicit the walls."

Brighton are successful the semi-finals of the FA Cup this play and challenging for a spot successful Europe, but the Seagulls were heading for catastrophe 27 years ago.

Eleven points from information astatine the bottommost of the Football League, the 1983 FA Cup finalists were acceptable to driblet into non-league and soon-to-be-homeless.

Brighton were successful their past play astatine their beloved Goldstone Ground aft directors decided to merchantability the venue to a retail developer, overmuch to the fury of supporters.

The precise beingness of the nine was nether menace and fans were astatine warfare with the committee - and anyone other associated with profoundly unpopular president Bill Archer and main enforcement David Bellotti.

"All I could perceive astatine the property league to denote my accomplishment were fans extracurricular shouting astir the club, shouting astir me," Gritt tells BBC Sport.

"I thought 'what connected world person I got myself into?'".

As Brighton, seventh successful the Premier League, hole to look Manchester United astatine Wembley connected Sunday - kick-off 16:30 BST - this is the communicative of their melodramatic combat for Football League endurance successful 1996-97 told by those who lived it.

"Without Steve Gritt we wouldn't beryllium wherever we are now," Nigel Summers, president of Brighton & Hove Albion Supporters Club, says.

"Had we dropped retired of the Football League, we'd person go AFC Brighton oregon thing similar that."

A Brighton instrumentality holds his caput successful his hands aft the past crippled astatine the Goldstone Ground connected 26 April 1997

'Crying my eyes out'

A retail parkland and supermarket beryllium connected the tract of the demolished Goldstone Ground with small grounds it was Brighton's historical location for 95 years.

The venue hosted shot during the 1948 Olympics while, successful 1992, aboriginal England skipper David Beckham made his Manchester United debut there aged 17.

Following the determination to merchantability the Goldstone, it was besides the country of riots and countless protests.

In April 1996, then-manager Jimmy Case remembers locking the referee and linesmen successful their room for information aft a location crippled with York City was abandoned pursuing a transportation penetration by fans who feared it would beryllium the past astatine Albion's accepted home.

Supporters, further incensed by their team's relegation to the basement division, swung from the crossbars and dragged down the posts.

"It was 2 months earlier Euro 96 and pictures successful newspapers of fans smashing up extremity posts went down similar a pb balloon," adds Summers. "I was connected the terrace crying my eyes retired due to the fact that I thought it was my past ever crippled astatine the Goldstone.

"On the pursuing Monday, the nine did a woody with the radical they'd sold the crushed to truthful we could play 1 much play there."

Despite a 12-month enactment of execution for the Goldstone, the diminution connected the transportation continued arsenic protests intensified disconnected it against Archer and Bellotti.

'Homeless, broke - the board's a joke'

Despite relegation, erstwhile Liverpool midfielder Case - an FA Cup finalist with Brighton successful 1983 - continued arsenic manager. He describes managing Albion astatine that clip arsenic an intolerable concern and says helium did not attraction erstwhile Bellotti sacked him successful December 1996.

Brighton were 9 points adrift astatine the bottommost of the Football League. By the clip Gritt - antecedently associated player-manager alongside Alan Curbishley astatine Charlton - was appointed a week later, the spread had accrued to 11 aft the Seagulls were deducted 2 points for transportation invasions.

"I was hopeless to get backmost into full-time shot aft being retired of it for 18 months," says Gritt. "I convinced Brighton I would bring stability."

However, Gritt acknowledges helium was not afloat alert of what helium was stepping into.

"I walked connected to the transportation earlier my archetypal crippled for a photograph and was met by a chorus of boos and whistles," helium says.

"Then astatine half-time a instrumentality handcuffed themselves to 1 of the extremity posts. I thought 'they've got to chopped him escaped due to the fact that we're winning and don't privation different points deduction'."

Fans poured onto the transportation to transportation disconnected pieces of turf aft the past crippled astatine the Goldstone Ground 26 years ago

Summers says: "We thought they'd appointed a manager who would bash what helium was told, a puppet. Actually, Steve Gritt had a batch much astir him."

The purpose of the protests, says Summers, was to effort to gully the Football League's attraction to "mismanagement and atrocious ownership". Supporters from dozens of rival clubs showed their solidarity by lasting alongside Brighton fans for 1 lucifer astatine the Goldstone.

"It was reported determination were 100 antithetic clubs represented," adds Summers. "It sent a connection to the Football League that we weren't giving up."

After 1 distant crippled astatine Wigan, much than 100 travelling Brighton fans marched done the Lancashire colony of Mellor, wherever Archer lived, carrying a immense banner which work "Homeless, broke - the board's a joke".

"Archer ne'er came to immoderate games portion Bellotti was advised by constabulary to enactment away," says Summers. "The ambiance was toxic. Word has it Bellotti turned up for 1 location lucifer and had to beryllium sneaked retired of the crushed successful a wheelie-bin."

Under Gritt, Brighton won 10 of their 12 location games - including a 1-0 triumph implicit Doncaster Rovers successful the past crippled astatine an emotionally charged Goldstone Ground.

That effect saw them determination disconnected the bottommost for the archetypal clip successful six months and meant Brighton required 1 constituent to enactment up connected the last time astatine chap strugglers Hereford United.

A time Robbie Reinelt volition ne'er forget.

Nigel Summers, who volition beryllium astatine Sunday's FA Cup semi-final astatine Wembley, remembers erstwhile Brighton were 30 minutes from dropping retired of the Football League

'Gritt is simply a hero'

Reinelt had joined Brighton 3 months earlier from Colchester United for £15,000.

"People said I was a fool," the erstwhile striker tells BBC Sport. "It was rather precocious successful the play and Brighton were successful existent information of dropping into non-league."

Going into the last game, Hereford and Brighton were some connected 46 points but the Seagulls had scored 3 much goals successful their 45 games astatine a clip erstwhile 'goals for' took precedence implicit extremity difference.

Gritt remembers having issues successful the build-up to Hereford - not slightest wherever to train.

"Fans had taken bits of the transportation location with them aft the last crippled astatine the Goldstone," helium says. "We inactive had to bid connected it."

On the time itself, an ain extremity by Kerry Mayo gave Hereford a 21st-minute lead. Substitute Reinelt was sent connected aboriginal successful the second-half but with fractional an hr remaining, Brighton were heading retired of the Football League.

And then, with 62 minutes connected the clock, pandemonium.

"The manager said to maine 'you've got to bash thing for us'," Reinelt recalls. "I hadn't been connected the transportation agelong erstwhile a changeable came backmost disconnected the station and I was archetypal to the rebound. Nine times retired of 10 my near ft would person skied it. On this juncture it nestled successful the backmost of the net."

It was arguably the astir important extremity successful Brighton's history. The crippled finished 1-1 and Albion, who would spell from spot to spot nether Dick Knight's reign arsenic chairman, were safe.

Goals for took precedence implicit extremity quality successful 1996-97, with Brighton ending the play with 53 - 3 much than Hereford

Gritt was sacked 9 months later, erstwhile Brighton were playing 'home' games 70 miles distant astatine Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium.

But helium is inactive fondly remembered by fans arsenic the antheral who helped saved Albion from disaster.

"Steve is simply a leader with Brighton supporters of my generation," says Summers.

"It's important to remember, particularly with the FA Cup semi-final coming up, wherever we were successful 1996 and 1997 due to the fact that we ne'er privation to acquisition that again."

Brighton fans get acceptable to invade the Goldstone Ground aft the past lucifer to beryllium played astatine Brighton's beloved erstwhile home