Start of the 1974-75 season, start of the Brighton v Palace rivalry
The opening fixture of the 1974-75 Division Three season proved to be a day of new beginnings at the Goldstone Ground. Peter Taylor took charge of Brighton for the first time, a new-look side took to the field wearing an all-white kit and perhaps most momentously, the first seeds of the Albion versus Crystal Palace rivalry were sewn.
To say it had been a turbulent summer for Brighton would be a bit of an understatement. Brian Clough had spent several months overhauling his squad, only to then walk out on the Albion on July 20th 1974 for the vacant job at The Leeds United.
Taylor though was not going with him. Instead, Clough’s sidekick stuck around Hove, accepting the opportunity to become a number one for the first time.
On paper, Taylor’s first game in charge could not have appeared more difficult. Palace had suffered back-to-back relegations from the top flight to the third tier, making them the biggest club in the division and the hot favourites to win promotion.
A sizable travelling contingent from Croydon made the trip to the Goldstone on Saturday 17th August 1974, full of expectation. Palace had the best team in the league and they were taking on a Brighton side who finished 19th the previous season and whose rookie manager had only been in the job for a little over three weeks.
Still, Taylor was confident. Before the season began, he declared that he felt the squad of players he had were good enough to win the title. It was a bold claim.
Palace may have brought their fare share of supporters, but there was still a massive turnout from Brighton fans. The crowd of 26,235 was the eighth biggest attendance of the day in England, bettering every Division Two and three top flight crowds.
This being the 1970s, such a large gathering brought with it violence. 85 police officers, dogs, horses and motorbikes were deployed to try and control the crowd and yet there were still 20 arrests made as fights broke out between Brighton and Palace fans across the Goldstone in a sign of the rivalry to come.
Taylor knew that Brighton could not match Palace for skill or ability. He also knew that if the Albion were to fulfil his predictions of promotion winners, then they would have to do it by being fitter and harder working than any other side in the division as they were not the most talented.
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. That was the mantra. And against Palace, it worked as Brighton were completely outplayed and yet found a way to win 1-0.
It was arguably the biggest upset in the history of the Brighton v Palace rivalry until Paul McShane headed home in another famous 1-0 victory 31 years later.
Flamboyant Palace boss Malcolm Allison said afterwards, “I cannot remember Brighton having a chance. The goal was not a chance, but they kept battling away, and I give Brighton’s front players full marks for fighting against the odds.”
Taylor agreed and reserved special praise for Peter Grummitt in the Albion goal. “Peter Grummitt kept us in the game. He never mishandled, or put a foot wrong, and inspired the back-four.”
“Under the amount of pressure to which we were subjected, it was a tremendous show of character on our part. We were outplayed for long spells, but I saw nobody hide.”
“We played, and beat, the best side in the Third Division, make no mistake about that. That is why we have such good prospects. All we are lacking is know-how.”
Palace were nearly as wasteful as 2020 Brighton & Hove Albion. Mick Hill, Alan Whittle and Don Rogers were all guilty of easy misses. Palace did manage to put the ball in the back of the net in the 37th minute, only for for the goal to be controversially ruled out.
Whittle headed against the bar with the loose ball falling to Mel Blyth who fired home. Initially, there appeared to be little wrong with the goal but eagle eyed officiating adjudged Whittle to have been offside in the build up and so Blyth’s effort was chalked off. “There was no way that goal could have been offside, no way,” said Allison in disbelief.
Brighton’s winner came from Ian Mellor, one of five players making the Albion debuts. Allison was right in that it was a goal out of nothing, the rangy Mellor endearing himself instantly to the Goldstone faithful with a left foot flash leaving Paul Hammond in the Palace goal with no chance.
The victory represented the Albion’s first on the opening day for a decade. A 3-1 win over Barrow on Saturday 22nd August 1964 had been the last time Brighton kicked off a campaign with two points, Bobby Smith scoring twice on his debut.
That 1964-65 season ended with Brighton unbeaten at home and lifting the Division Four title. It is little wonder that victory over Palace raised expectations of a similarly successful campaign.
Unfortunately, it did not work out that way. In fact, beating Palace was probably the highlight of the 1974-75 season. Brighton ended up finishing 19th again, four points clear of the relegation zone. Palace hardly lived up to expectations either in fifth.
The crowd trouble at the Goldstone that day left Brighton with a dislike of Palace; Palace meanwhile felt a simmering resentment at the embarrassment they had been caused by the Albion. From top tier to third tier and losing on the opening day of the season inside of two years is some fall from grace.
A season later and Palace’s chants of “Eagles! Eagles!” at the Goldstone were countered for the first time by the response of “Seagulls! Seagulls!” by home fans. Brighton won that game too, 2-0 thanks to a Sammy Morgan brace.
When Taylor then resigned in the summer of 1976 and Allison was sacked due to his off-the-field antics which included getting himself photographed in the team bath with porn star Fiona Richmond, it paved the way for Alan Mullery to take over at the Goldstone and his great rival Terry Venables to assume control at Selhurst Park.
Many people say that it was the hatred between Mullery and Venables spilling over which created the rivalry between Brighton and Palace. And whilst those two did the equivalent of pouring hundreds of litres of petrol to ignite the fire, the sparks started to fly when Mellor scored, Allison whinged, there was violence on the terraces and Taylor got off the mark with a famous three points.
Things between Brighton and Crystal Palace would never be the same again after that August day in 1974.
