| Brighton Hove
Albion Football Club was formed in 1901 and played in the Southern
League until 1920 when the team joined the Football League Division
Three.
The club, which then played at the Goldstone Ground, remained
in this division until the outbreak of World War II, only figuring
in the title chase in two seasons 1936/37 and 1938/39 when they
finished third.
Following the war Brighton were the team with the best record never
to win the promotion spot until the 1958/59 season when they finally
made it into Division Two, crowning the achievement with a 6-0
win over Watford.
However the club only managed to stay in the second division for
three seasons before being relegated in 1961/62, and so began the
biggest slide in the club’s history. By the end of
the following season they were down in Division Four.
But things took a turn for the better early in 1964, when England
international Bobby Smith signed for Brighton for £5,000
and at the end of that season the club won the Division Four championship.
The next decade was perhaps the most eventful time in the club's
history, with Brighton winning promotion to the second division
in 1971/72 after beating off tough competition from Notts County
and Bournemouth to go up in second place behind Aston Villa.
However the glory didn’t last long as the club, now affectionately
known as The Seagulls, was relegated back to Division Three
the following season and narrowly missed out on ending up back in
the fourth division in 1973/74.
During the 1974/75 season Brighton battled against Crystal Palace
and Millwall to win promotion back into the second division and
by the end of the decade they had won promotion again to Division
One.
They stayed in the top flight for four seasons before slipping down
to Division Two in 1983, although the team did manage to reach the
FA Cup final for the first time that year, losing 4-0 to Manchester
United in the replay.
Brighton spent most of the 80s in the second division but the dawning
of the 90s brought about more despair and heartache for the club
and its fans.
In 1991/92 The Seagulls were relegated to Division Three and fell
into financial difficulties, which lead to the famous Goldstone
Ground being sold in 1995.
For the next four years the club shared Gillingham’s ground,
meaning the fans had a long drive to a home match. Then in 1996
they were relegated to bottom division.
However, in 1999 Brighton returned to their roots and started playing
at the Withdean Stadium [map],
where they still play today.
The club’s centenary year – 2001 – was marked
with the glory of winning the third division championship followed
swiftly by the second division title a year later.
Sadly the winning streak didn’t last and the club were relegated
back to Division Two in 2003 before going back up the following
year after winning the play-off final against Bristol City. The
club now plays in the newly formed Coca Cola Championship.
The club was relegated to the Coca Cola League Division One at the end of the 2005/06 season.
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