1999-00: Adams lays the foundations for Brighton’s title winning seasons

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the Brighton & Hove Albion side that would go onto lift back-to-back Division Three and Division Two titles in 2001 and 2002. In fact, it took Micky Adams a whole year to pull together the players he needed to turn Brighton into a force to be reckoned with in the lower leagues – and 1999-00 was the season in which he did it.

It’s a campaign that often gets remembered for two significant events. The opening day was of course unforgettable. After two years in exile at Gillingham, the Albion returned to Brighton and their ‘temporary’ home of Withdean Stadium.

The sun shone and 5,882 people crammed into the makeshift stands to watch the Seagulls come home. You couldn’t write a better script than a 6-0 victory over Mansfield Town with Brighton fan and new hometown hero Darren Freeman scoring a hat-trick on his debut.

Fast forward six months from that August hammering of the Stags and a wiry 19-year-old striker arrived on loan from Bristol Rovers.

Bobby Zamora’s temporary six game switch was the other defining moment of the campaign as Adams stumbled – almost by accident – across the man who would fire Brighton through the divisions over the next two seasons.

So impressive were Zamora’s six goals during his brief time in an Albion shirt that Dick Knight found £100,000 to bring him in permanently that summer. The rest, as they say, is history.

But the 1999-00 season was about far more than Mansfield and Zamora. It was the season in which Adams laid the foundations for all the success that was to come over the next five or so years.

The spine of a side who would win three promotions – many of the players also played in the Division Two playoff final success as well as the two title winning campaigns – arrived at Brighton in the 1999-00 season.

It also provides a reminder of the importance of patience. Adams’ job looked like it was on the line on a couple of occasions over the course of the campaign thanks to some inconsistent performances and some frustrating results.

Dick Knight kept the faith in his manager though. Who knows how differently things might have turned out if Kight had got an itchy finger and listened to those among the Withdean faithful who felt Adams wasn’t delivering?

Inconsistencies were of course to be expected. You don’t rebuild an entire team in one summer – as Adams did in the summer of 1999 – and have it gel in a matter of months.

It takes time to create team spirit, camaraderie and an understanding of how best to utilise the talents within a squad. Even more so when you’re constantly adding new faces in a bid to improve, as Adams did to his Brighton side throughout the 1999-00 season. It was revolution followed very quickly by evolution.

17 new players arrived at Withdean over the course of the campaign, 11 of them in the summer. The likes of Paul Rogers, Charlie Oatway, Paul Watson, Andy Crosby and Freeman would go onto play big roles in Brighton’s success. Zamora, Danny Cullip, Paul Brooker and Warren Aspinall would join them at various points in the campaign.

Future Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder would probably have been a success too had he not returned to the north with Halifax Town three months in.

Some of Adams’ signings didn’t work out. Dave Cameron (Scottish striker as opposed to referendum-calling Prime Minister) was released after being described as “useless, full stop” by Adams’ assistant Alan Cork in a post-match interview following a 2-0 defeat at Hull City in February.

Left back Jamie Campbell’s Brighton career came to an equally glamorous end when he was sent off after just 25 minutes away at Swansea City in December.

The Albion lost 2-0 that day as well. Campbell’s stupidity couldn’t have come at a worse time as a flu-ravaged squad had a hard enough task against the eventual Division Three champions without having to play for over an hour with 10 men.

So short on fit personnel were Brighton that day at the Vetch Field that teenagers Shaun Wilkinson and Chris McPhee both made their Albion debuts.

There were some signings who you have probably forgotten about completely. Aidan Newhouse scored twice in the Mansfield out but never again.

Darren Carr and Ryan Palmer were two centre backs at contrasting ends of the age and experience spectrum but both managed to make little to no impression.

Martin Ling had a brief spell at Withdean in the final few months of the season but didn’t do enough to secure a permanent contract.

And then there was Lorenzo Pinamonte, the Italian striker who Adams wanted to sign permanently after a decent loan spell around the turn of the year.

Brentford were also impressed with his form during his month at Withdean and swooped in to steal Pinamonte from under the Albion’s nose, signing him for a £75,000 fee from Bristol City.

Had Brentford not been interested, Pinamonte would have become a Brighton player and there would have been no need for Adams to go shopping in Bristol Rovers’ reserves for a replacement. Funny how these things work out.

Brighton topped the table after two games of the 1999-00 Division Three season, following up that stunning win over Mansfield on the opening day with an equally impressive 2-1 win at the previous campaign’s beaten playoff finalists, Leyton Orient.

The Albion never, ever beat their ‘rivals’ Orient around this time – let alone at Brisbane Road – and so victory in east London delivered by Paul Rogers and Andy Crosby goals provided a real reason for optimism about what the season ahead might hold.

Torquay United became the first visitors to win a league game at Withdean in the Albion’s next outing, but not even that could dampen enthusiasm.

Brighton were completely dominant over the Gulls and it was only a stunning individual display by Neville Southall – well into his 40’s both in age and stone – that prevented another big Albion win. Instead, Torquay escaped with a 1-0 success.

The inconsistency which would go onto be a theme of the campaign followed that defeat to Torquay. Brighton contrived to lose 3-2 at home to bottom of the table Chester City, the same afternoon that Cullip made his debut and we experienced watching football through a poncho as Withdean was hit by rain for the first time.

Promotion winners Peterborough United were hammered 3-0 in the FA Cup. Another wet Withdean experience saw Rochdale win 4-3 at the Theatre of the Trees two weeks before Christmas – the first occasion that calls for Adams’ head were heard.

Christmas then brought four points off the top two. Leaders Barnet were held to a 1-1 draw on Boxing Day thanks to Watson’s 81st minute equaliser.

Eventual runners up Rotherham United were beaten 3-1 at Millmoor two days later, probably the best result and performance of the season with Freeman, Watson and Rogers netting.

Freeman scored the first English professional goal of the Millennium when Exeter City were defeated 4-2 at Withdean on Monday 3rd January 2000.

Pinamonte struck twice on that day, the performance that convinced Adams that the Italian stallion was the man to lead Brighton’s attack on a more permanent basis.

Results over Christmas and New Year made it appear as though the Albion had turned a corner. A return of two points and just one goal scored from the next six games shattered those illusions.

Brighton lost 1-0 at Rochdale, 1-0 at home to Orient, drew 0-0 at Torquay, 1-1 at home to Darlington, lost 1-0 at Mansfield and then were beaten 2-0 in that Hull game which saw Cork lose the plot in his dealings with the press afterwards.

Understandably, that run heaped even more pressure on Adams and mutiny was in the air among supporters. Adams responded by signing Zamora on loan and the new man marked his debut with the Brighton goal in a 1-1 draw against Plymouth Argyle.

Brooker followed Zamora through the door a week later and although the Albion lost 1-0 at Northampton Town, it was another display of goalkeeping excellence that denied them all three points. For Southall earlier in the season for Torquay, see the younger and considerably lighter Keith Welch in goal for the Cobblers.

That defeat at Sixfields was the last time that Brighton lost in the 1999-00 season. A 14 game unbeaten run was started with a 7-1 win away at Chester City, Zamora really announcing himself with a hat-trick at the Deva Stadium. Brooker grabbed his first Brighton goal with Keith McPherson, Freeman and Rogers all getting involved in the rout.

There were impressive victories over Halifax Town, Southend United, Lincoln City and Macclesfield Town and Barnet. Zamora notched both in the 2-1 Halifax victory before returning to Bristol Rovers after the Southend win.

His place in the starting lineup was taken by young Scott Ramsay, who looked like he could fill the void when scoring two of Brighton’s five against Macclesfield Town. Sadly, they turned out to be Ramsay’s only professional goals.

Neither of the three clubs who ended the 1999-00 season as promotion winners could find a way to beat Brighton in the final two months. Swansea, Rotherham and Peterborough were all held to draws at Withdean and the season was concluded with victories away at Shrewsbury Town and home to Carlisle United.

The Albion ended the campaign in 11th spot, their highest finishing position since relegation into the bottom tier in 1996.

Given the manner in which Brighton started the 1999-00 season and the investment that Adams had received to overhaul the squad, that probably looked like a disappointment to outsiders – especially as much less fancied teams who had spent less money such as Barnet, Darlington and Hartlepool all made the top six while the Albion were left five points adrift.

Anyone who watched the Albion though would have taken a different view. Something just seemed to click for Adams and this group of players in February 2000.

It might have been Zamora’s arrival. It might have been Brooker’s. Or it might have been that Adams was under so much pressure and so close to losing his job after two points out of 18 that the players decided to stand up, be counted and prove everyone wrong.

Whatever it was that happened, that 14 game unbeaten run provided the platform for the Albion to go on and lift the Division Three title the following season. The good times were coming, and 1999-00 was the underrated season that started the ball rolling.