‘Cheeky’ Brighton shock top flight Leicester in the 1930-31 FA Cup

Throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, Brighton & Hove Albion were a Division Three South side who developed a reputation for giant killings in the FA Cup with one of their most famous successes coming against Leicester City in the third round of the competition in the 1930-31 season.

The Foxes had one of the best teams in their history at that point in time, until the title winners of 2016 came along anyway. They had finished as top flight runners up behind Sheffield Wednesday two seasons earlier and could call upon a dangerous front four, three of whom were full England internationals.

Ernie Hine, Hughie Adcock and Len Barry all pulled on the Three Lions shirt but they were only the supporting cast. Leicester’s main man at the time was Arthur Chandler, a bona fide legend who scored 273 goals in 12 years at Filbert Street and remains the Foxes’ record scorer to this day.

Brighton though were no slouches themselves, finishing in the top five of the Football League’s Southern Section six times in the previous 10 seasons in the days when only the champions were promoted and the idea of playoffs were still some 60 years away.

A fourth placed finish four months after the trip to Leicester made it seven top five placing in 11 years. Whilst Charlie Webb could never quite find a way to get his side into that coveted first place which would mean entry to the promised land of Division Two football, the Albion instead head to make do with proving they could compete at a higher level on their day with a string of shock results in the FA Cup.

The previous season, Brighton eliminated top flight opponents Grimsby Town via a replay at Blundell Park and Portsmouth at Fratton Park before crashing out 3-0 to a hat-trick from the great Hughie Gallacher away at Newcastle United.

That run to the fifth round meant that the Albion were exempt to the third round of the competition in 1930-31. When the draw threw up Leicester away on Saturday 10th January 1931, it looked as tough a game as the trip to Newcastle. Even the most optimistic of Brighton supporters would have struggled to justify using a 1xbet code on an away win.

Still, four special trains packed with Brighton fans made the trip to Leicester in hope of another FA Cup giant killing. The weather was atrocious and the travelling hoards did not arrive at Filbert Street until 10 minutes after the game had kicked off due to a freezing fog that had enveloped the entire country.

There must be something about Leicester versus Brighton matches that brings on mist. Over 70 years later and the sides would meet at Withdean Stadium in December 2002 for a match played in such fog that the Leicester fans at the east end of Withdean were unaware that Brian Deane had scored the only goal of the game at the west end because visibility was so bad.

The Foxes supporters only realised they were 1-0 ahead when they spotted that Brighton were taking kick off. Plenty of home fans at the opposite ends of the North and South Stands could not see Leicester had scored either.

As far as 80% of those in attendance at the Theatre of Trees that evening were concerned, the game finished 0-0 as the majority of them had missed the goal.

That same fate of not witnessing a goal befell the Brighton contingent at Leicester in 1931. Their late entrance to Filbert Street meant that they missed the Albion make a bad start to proceedings, going 1-0 behind inside of five minutes to an Arthur Lochhead goal.

Brighton struggled to cope in the first half on a surface which was devoid of grass and rock solid thanks to a heavy frost. The second half was a different story however and within eight minutes of the restart, the Albion had scored twice to turn the game completely on its head.

Potter Smith was the Brighton hero, netting both the goals. His first arrived five minutes after the interval and was described as “one of the cheekiest goals ever scored.”

A wasteful pass across the box looked to be heading harmlessly out of play, or at least that is what Leicester goalkeeper Jack Beby thought.

Beby was quite content to slowly make his way from one side of the his goal to the other, anticipating a goal kick even with Smith chasing down the ball. Beby certainly did not expect Smith to reach the ball and then backheel it into the empty net from a tight angle and with such bravado.

Webb described Smith’s finish as having “the casual air of an international playing in a practice game.” It was the most sublime of the 57 goals Smith scored in his 319 games for the club.

He would go onto become club captain in 1935 and such was his affinity with the Albion that his ashes were scattered over the Goldstone when he died in 1978.

Leicester seemed shell shocked by the start that Brighton had made to the second half and the visitors took full advantage to press for a second. It arrived just three minutes later when George Nicol headed down to Smith who fired past Beby to make it 2-1 to the Albion.

The Foxes tired far more quickly that their lower division visitors and it was surprisingly comfortable for the Albion from that point on. Stan Webb in the Brighton goal was rarely troubled and upon the full time whistle, there was an almighty chorus of Sussex by the Sea and some serious celebrations.

One Albion fan was even said to have “risked a night in gaol by dancing ring-a-ring of roses around a traffic policeman.” One to try when we finally get to witness a home win at the Amex in person…

The party continued long into the evening and, as used to be the case after great away successes, a huge crowd turned out at Brighton Station at midnight to greet the FA Cup giant killers upon their return home from Leicester.

In typical Albion style, the fun was short lived. The fourth round draw threw up Watford away, the fifth time in seven seasons that the sides had been drawn together in the FA Cup.

It was a winnable tie against fellow Division Three South opponents. Brighton though looked jaded at Vicarage Road, perhaps because they were so weary at having to face the Hornets again and again and again in the competition, and it was Watford who won 2-0 to book a fifth round trip to Birmingham City.