JIMMY IS STILL TIPPING BRIGHT FANTASTIC!
United tie is a shoe-in for magic memories from Brighton final boss Melia
JIMMY MELIA has guarded those white disco shoes which took him swaying up Wembley Way 35 years ago like Cinderella’s glass slippers.
And the moment he heard Brighton had landed an FA Cup reunion with Manchester United, the manager who led the Seagulls out in the 1983 final wished he could lead them a merry dance again.
“Yes, I’ve still got them,” chirped Melia, an unlikely gigolo in his Max Wall hairstyle and rakish loafers as he took glamorous model girlfriend Val Lloyd for a spin in nightspots on Brighton’s seafront.
“As soon as I heard about the draw, my feet started tapping instinctively. After all these years, I still can’t help it.”
Melia, now 80, will tune in from 4,600 miles away in Dallas for Jose Mourinho’s date in the last dance saloon.
Tomorrow night holds the key to United’s only hope of a trophy this season – and a chance to dust down one of the great Wembley commentary box oneliners.
Melia got there first before Mirror Sport could even mention it. “And Smith must score!,” he wailed like a town crier.
Gordon Smith’s lastgasp chance to win the Cup for Brighton is frequently attributed to the wrong voice. It was, in fact, BBC Radio’s Peter Jones who called the drama as United keeper Gary Bailey smothered Smith’s date with immortality.
“Even now, whenever it comes on TV, I keep thinking Gordon is going to score, Brighton win the Cup and we all live happily ever after,” said Melia, who saw United storm the replay 4-0 (left).
“Gary Stevens had only equalised for us three minutes from the end and it would have been a sensational turnaround if Gordon’s shot had gone in. “Up until about six years ago, managers who reached the Cup final didn’t get medals, but the League Managers Association campaigned for us to be awarded them retrospectively and I flew back to collect mine at a dinner in London.
“Of all the people in the world, who should call me that day, out of the blue, but Gordon Smith.
“And when I told him where I was going, he said,
‘Aye, but it should have been a winner’s medal’.”
And for all the talk of Liverpool’s Spice Boys and their dubious fashion sense in 1996, nobody remembers Brighton taking to the skies in cream jackets and matching shoes – as modelled by Steve Gatting (right, with England cricket brother Mike).
Melia said: “We were sponsored by British Caledonian, so we thought it would be a great idea to fly to the Cup final.
“I remember flying over Wembley and seeing all the fans waving at us. We landed on a school field about half a mile away and finished the journey by coach.
“I went back to Brighton earlier this season for the home game against Stoke, and the fans gave me a tremendous reception when I was asked to go on the pitch at half-time. The stadium is fantastic, Chris Hughton has done a brilliant job and I’ll be watching the quarter-final on TV over here.
“Not many people give Brighton a chance, but nobody gave us a prayer in 1983 – and it was one of the best Cup finals.”
Melia is now technical director of Liverpool’s international academy in Texas, saying: “I’m like the quizmaster of Mastermind – I started at Liverpool so I’ll finish there. I joined the club as a 15-year-old.
“Age is just a number – I’ve been involved in football all my life, why should I give it up just because Father Time says so?”
Good old Jimmy. Still tripping the white fantastic after all these years.