20 Questions: Brighton & Hove Albion

The remarkable rise of the Seagulls, through the eyes of Dogma editor James William

Apr 29, 2025

Tuesday 29 April 2025

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

NEXT HOME GAME: Play-off semi-final in May

NEXT AWAY GAME: Wycombe Wanderers – Saturday 3 May, 3pm

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Brighton supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Tuesday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

County’s last trip to Brighton was in 2009, in front of 5,270 fans at a crappy athletics stadium in the middle of nowhere. Three days ago, the Seagulls beat West Ham United at home in front of 31,499 to continue their push for another season in Europe. The Seagulls have soared over the last decade and a half. James William, editor of Dogma, FSA Fanzine of the Year in 2023, gives his take on the incredible Sussex story.

Tickets are now on sale for my 3rd Desmond’s Comedy Club night at The Fingerpost on Friday 30 May. £15 per person. 7.30pm start. The first two have been great nights full of laughter – come along and see for yourself! Drop me a message and I’ll get you booked in.

We’ve got the hilarious Freddy Quinne opening the show. Co-host of the popular Dead Men Talking podcast (as well as being a regular on the global smash hit Have A Word), Freddy’s an award-winning comedian who regularly performs at many of the biggest and best comedy clubs in the country where he performs his shamelessly opinionated no-holds barred stand up. He’s known for his frank approach and often brutal punchlines, covering everything from topical news to universal truths.

Today’s edition is sponsored by SW Appliances. A big thank you to Steve.

Thanks also to The Dog Shop who sponsor our Brighton & Hove Albion content on the website.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 253.75 miles

Total steps so far: 418,084

Total raised so far: £2,302

Total completed streets so far: 474 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

Russell Slade is held aloft by the Brighton fans on the final day of the 2008-09 season, after beating County 1-0 to stay in League One (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

Brighton currently play in the Premier League, which is the top tier of English football. What’s that like as a division?

An impenetrable greed pit where the wealthy dominate and you feel like an uninvited guest at someone else’s party. It’s been fun at times due to our rapid rise and year-on-year progress. But generally it’s an anti-competition, where the sum hope is finishing 6th. Bring on the European Super League and leave the rest of us to get on with it.

Describe a typical matchday for yourself in Brighton.

Home and away, we travel in numbers. Pubs, trains, food, friends, drinks and more drinks. Pretty typical.

Who are your club’s biggest rivals?

They play in south london in red and blue. They’re in a constant state of identity crisis: for a period they’re the Glaziers, then they’re really into Eagles, then they think they’re Lech Poznan. Sometimes they want to play football, sometimes they want to employ hoof-ball managers. Either way, I won’t be typing out their name.

What’s your best memory following Brighton?

It’s hard to choose one. Winning the Third Division in 2000-01 is a particularly good one for me. I was the right age and was captivated by how good we were. For most it would probably be the European tour last season where our club went to European giants Roma, AEK Athens, Marseille and Ajax. Thousands of us had days-long parties in each of those places and I don’t think the experience will ever be beaten. There’ll only ever be one “first time”.

What’s your worst memory following Brighton?

Right now it feels like a few Saturdays ago.

If Brighton & Hove Albion was a TV show, which one would it be?

Like one of those Amazon football documentaries but with an actual story and less of a sportswashing PR exercise.

What’s your ground called, and how would you describe it for someone who’s never visited before?

The American Express Stadium, or as the real heads refer to it, “Falmer”. The culmination of our decades-long fight to save the club and restore it to the levels we’re at now. I still, after 14 years, walk in and think “I can’t believe my team play here” after groundsharing 70 miles away and playing in a beautiful but ramshackle converted athletics stadium.

What’s your thoughts on Stockport County?

Pleased to see them doing well in League One. In 2008-09 we did the “great escape” and survived relegation from the same league thanks to Russell Slade, Lloyd Owusu, Nicky Forster Gary Hart and a 1-0 win at the Withdean against County on the last day of the season. In many ways that survival was the beginning of our recent rise through the leagues. We won League One two seasons later and haven’t looked back.

Have you ever visited the town of Stockport before?

I haven’t, sadly. Hopefully we’ll see you in the cup sometime soon.

What colours do you play in, and what’s the best ever kit Brighton have had?

Blue and white. My favourite was the 1999 Skint shirt. Absolute belter.

If Brighton were playing in the next FA Cup final, who’d be at Wembley as your celebrity fan?

Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim. Proper Albion and a thoroughly brilliant man who played a big part in keeping the club afloat in the 2000s.

What’s the most interesting fact about Brighton & Hove Albion we might not know?

Thanks to Dan Tester’s brilliant book Brighton & Hove Albion On This Day we know that D10S himself, Diego Armando Maradona, once thought about buying the club.

Who’s your all time Brighton hero?

I was ten years old in 2000 when we loaned a skinny kid from Bristol Rovers. What he turned out to be was the most elegant and incisive of strikers. Gliding around on pitches that looked like ploughed fields, chipping the ball over Fourth Division brutes, and nutmegging whoever he wanted. Scoring goals of fun in an effortless and elegant way. Robert Lester Zamora.

What sort of attendances do you get, and how would you describe Brighton’s fanbase?

30,000 (ish) for home games and whatever we can squeeze in away – we always sell out. We’re a club of Sussex rather than Brighton and the fanbase reflect a really broad catchment area. We’ve all been through a lot and we’re hardened and reflective on who we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going.

What’s your manager like?

A younger German/American guy who our data and analysis algorithm identified as worth a punt. He has ambition aplenty and wants to transform us into a winning machine. Whether he’s actually able to is the question that needs answering.

What’s your owner like?

Tony Bloom. A local boy done good, with serious cheddar. He’s bankrolled the building of the stadium and training ground and instigated a revolutionary approach to recruitment, which is the envy of the world. We’re blessed to have an actual fan and actual billionaire at the helm.

What’s it like for a night out in Brighton?

Gotta be up there, no?! We’re quite famous for our nightlife so I don’t think most readers will need us to tell you much more. We’re a small city (more of a town) that punches well above its weight – same can be said for the football club.

What’s the best thing about being a Brighton fan?

We’re the only team that’s really “seen it all”. We’ve been everywhere in professional football and there’s no other story like ours.

What’s the worst thing about being a Brighton fan?

Queuing for the train at Falmer in the rain.

What are your hopes for the rest of this season?

Sneak into some kind of European football. Unlikely and probably not deserved, but I’d love some games to look forward to next season rather than another season of boring grounds we’ve been to dozens of times, due to the Premier League being such a closed shop.

➡️ Enjoyed today’s article? Click here for all of the other ‘20 Questions’ features we’ve published.

The SW Appliances sale is still on

I don’t want to be accused of slander by a man with significantly more money than me, but I reckon Jeff Bezos has never set foot inside Edgeley Park. On that basis alone, don’t buy your kitchen appliances on Amazon. Get them from SW Appliancesinstead, a business owned by County fan Steve Gibbons.

Whether you visit Steve’s showroom on Castle Street, or purchase online, SW Appliances have hundreds of products in stock. You won’t get a personal service from Bezos if you buy a kettle off him, but you will if you do business with Steve. He’s the appliance version of a train spotter and what he doesn’t know about appliances simply isn’t worth knowing. (That’s not an insult by the way, it’s on his website.)

And now’s the time to order that new appliance you need, as Steve’s offering some great discounts in his latest sale.

1) Electrolux KGS6424W 60cm Gas Hob White – £119.99£94.99

2) Zanussi ZWF91483WR 9KG 1400 RPM Freestanding Washing Machine – £349.99£299.99

3) Beko CFG1552W Frost Free 55cm Fridge Freezer Frost Free – £329.99 £299.99

4) Zanussi ZBB28441SV 70/30 Integrated Fridge Freezer – £499.99 £399.99

5) Zanussi ZCI66050BA 60cm Electric Cooker with Double Oven Induction Black – £649.99 £549.99

The showroom is open from 9am till 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am till 4pm on a Saturday (closing at 2pm if the Hatters are at home).

➡️ Visit swappliances.co.uk for further details.

Photo(s) of the day

Edgeley Park, Stockport

We’re off to Wycombe on Saturday for the final game of the regular season. Here’s a few snaps from the game at our place back in November.

A few words from The Dog Shop

Welcome to The Dog Shop, a family-run business where your dog’s health and happiness come first.

Based in East Preston, West Sussex, we are passionate about providing top-quality raw food, natural treats, and essential canine care products.

As a family-run business, we take pride in offering a personal, friendly service and expert advice. We believe in feeding dogs the way nature intended, which is why we stock only the best raw food brands and natural treats, free from unnecessary additives or fillers.

Whether they are big or small we’re here to support you in giving your dog a healthy, balanced diet that helps them thrive.

Additionally our in-house grooming salon is run by experienced, self-employed groomers who treat every dog with the care and patience they deserve. From full grooms to nail trims, your pup is in safe hands.

More than just a shop, we’re a community of dog lovers committed to ethical and responsible pet care. Whether you're looking for high-quality nutrition, expert grooming, or just a friendly chat about your four-legged friend, we’re here to help.

➡️ For further details, please visit thedogshopltd.co.uk.

Random snippets from old County programmes

#39 - County v Harrogate, 26 April 2014

In his final programme notes of 2013-14, Alan Lord paid tribute to Phil Jevons, as well as the long-suffering County fans.

Today will be the last in the career of Phil Jevons and I would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution to this team. Phil has been very instrumental in everything we’ve tried to do this season. He has been one of the biggest influences I’ve ever seen in a club both in terms of what he has done on the pitch and also what he has done in the dressing room.

His 12 months at the club have been remarkable. To score the number of goals he has and to have had the influence on the team has been spectacular.

After today we will let the players have a couple of days recovery and then in the middle of next week we will start to have conversations about next year and our plans will kick in. We will be bringing in the players and discussing their futures.

We have already been able to tie down some of the young players for next season but there are still lots of discussions to take place.

I’ve been a part of this club for nearly 15 years in a variety of capacities and so I have good appreciation of what the fans mean at Stockport County. Even still, I have been taken aback by the level of support you have given the team this season. I would like to thank you for backing us game after game in your numbers and I am grateful for all your support. We will be trying to repay that today with a win.