The best Brighton photos from a record breaking 2021-22 season
The 2021-22 season was a record breaking year for Brighton – and here it is captured in all its glory through the eyes of Albion fans with these photos taken by supporters over the course of the campaign.
Brighton secured their highest ever finish in English football. They secured a record total of Premier League points.
They won the most games and scored the most goals that they have ever managed in the top flight, at the same time as losing the fewest and conceding their lowest total.
The only possible complaint there could be is that five home victories was a disappointingly low total – although in mitigation, one of those wins was a 4-0 hammering of the mighty Manchester United.
And poor results at the Amex were more than made up for by the away form, with Brighton delivering famous victories and last minute goals galore.
Following Graham Potter and his merry band of men on the road this season has been an absolute thrill. It has also led to 2021-22 being our favourite ever set of Brighton fan photos, thanks to the joy experienced all over the country.
For all the images taken by professional photographers, there is something more authentic about a blurry picture from a smartphone of Neal Maupay seconds before he bangs in a last minute equaliser at Southampton.
Nothing can capture the ecstasy of a goal against Crystal Palace better than a photo of a Brighton fan who has become stuck between two seats after celebrating a little too wildly.
A middle finger at the Manchester City team bus and a banner protesting against Newcastle United becoming a sportswashing regime for Saudi Arabia are unlikely to feature in any official accounts of the campaign.
Fan photos can even rewrite historical inaccuracies. The Brighton history books will forever claim that 30,141 were present on Boxing Day 2021 to watch the Albion beat Brentford 2-0. Pictures of swathes of unoccupied seats and a half-empty Amex correct that falsehood.
The last time we collated the best Brighton fan photos was at the end of the 2019-20 season. The final nine games were played behind closed doors because of the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the entire 2020-21 campaign bar a couple of matches with between 2,000 and 9,000 fans allowed to attend.
We wrote at the time: “These photos serve as a reminder of how important supporters are to the spectacle of live football. The sooner we can all get back into stadiums safely, the better. When that is the case, then your Albion Fan Photos will return bigger and better than ever.”
And here is the proof. Thank you to everyone who has contributed over the past nine months, either via email or Twitter. What a season – and what a collection of photos. Roll on 2021-22.
