Storer the scorer saved Brighton in their sliding doors moment
When Stuart Storer thinks of April 1997 and the Goldstone Ground’s last game, he sees euphoria. ‘After the final whistle, five or six lads were carrying the old, big clock on their shoulders and one very big fan was digging up the centre spot,’ he says.
In Storer’s view, Brighton and hove Albion’s support was ‘dismantling, nicely’ the old stadium. It was closing after 96 years. Storer felt it was an appropriate end.
‘I remember in an interview,’ he says, ‘someone calling it an “act of violence”. I said, “hang on a minute, some of these fans have been coming here for 40 years, why shouldn’t they take a memento?” There was nothing nasty about it at all.’
Storer had just scored one of the most important goals in Brighton’s history.
It was the only one of a tough game against Doncaster Rovers, in which Ian Baird and Darren Moore were sent off for fighting. Crucially, victory moved Brighton up one place in the table.
That it was from bottom of nationwide Football League Division 3 to second-bottom — or from 92nd to 91st — shows Brighton’s plight.
It may seem inconceivable today in their shiny new stadium hosting Premier League games — the home to the FA Cup semifinalists — but 22 years ago Brighton were on the brink of relegation to non-League football and great uncertainty.
‘Before Christmas we were massively adrift,’ Storer recalls. Liam Brady, who signed me, had resigned as manager. Jimmy Case, who followed Liam, had gone — he’d been soaking up pressure from all angles.
‘Our away form was terrible, we’d had a points deduction and you looked at the table and just thought, “no way out”.’ Brighton were in turmoil. Supporters were furious at Bill Archer’s and David Bellotti’s running of the club. There were protests, pitch invasions and boycotts.
In the Brady era, there was a transfer embargo as well. When it was lifted in 1996, fans helped fund the purchase of a player from exeter — Stuart Storer.
‘I was unaware of these tensions then,’ Storer says. ‘I was in an untenable situation at exeter because they were going into administration. I had to get out. It was from the frying pan into the fire.
‘The ground itself had one stand closed due to safety concerns. I think the fans just wanted to buy a player, any player, and they chipped in.’
having been a 16-year-old debutant at Mansfield, bought by Ron Saunders at Birmingham City, then by howard Kendall at everton, Alan Ball at exeter and Brady at Brighton, Storer had his share of glittering admirers. But he was now 28 and the Goldstone was on its way out.
he had signed the season before, when Brighton were in the division above. It appeared another devastating relegation was unfolding. Then local businessman Dick Knight successfully usurped Archer and Bellotti and installed Steve Gritt as manager. ‘It was a big weight lifted,’ Storer says.
Knight and Gritt gave Brighton belief. The team were terrible away but at the Goldstone Ground they were to win nine of their last 10 games.
‘I remember we beat hartlepool 5-0 and that was a fans’ day. There was a great crowd and atmosphere. But every time we won at home, we’d lose away. And we were well behind, so it was out of our hands.’
But hereford United were also dropping and, with two games to go, three points separated the two at the bottom. And the last game of the season was: hereford v Brighton.
Brighton first had to beat Doncaster, then hope hereford lost at Orient, otherwise the last day of the Goldstone would also be its worst.
‘On the way to the ground, I saw hordes in blue and white, like they were paying homage. By 1.30pm the place was already half full.’
The quality of football was not high, according to Storer. It was 0-0 at half-time. Then, with 23 minutes left, Brighton won a corner. The ball pinged around the Doncaster box, once off the bar and eventually fell to Storer six yards out. ‘ normally I skied those. But I didn’t this time.’
Brighton won. hereford lost. The Goldstone Ground could bid a happy farewell.
The next Saturday Brighton drew at hereford and that was enough to stay in the Football League on goals scored.
Considering where Brighton and hereford are now, it was, says Storer, a ‘sliding doors moment’.
Storer, 52, is now manager of Bedworth United. he says the significance of the 1997 goal has grown on him over time and that modern Brighton, club and fans, treat him ‘fantastically’.
The day a while ago, when he was mobbed by Brighton supporters at a service station in Kent, reinforced what he did at the Goldstone Ground. ‘It’s quite humbling, really,’ he says.