Websites & Watford: Thoughts of a 66-year-old first time season ticket holder

Tony Noble has been a Brighton & Hove Albion supporter since he attended his first game at the Goldstone Ground in 1966. After a couple of seasons spent watching from right at the front of the North Stand, his family moved away from Sussex when he was 12 and Tony has been forced to watch from afar ever since.

Until the 2021-22 season that is. At the age of 66, Tony finally has his first ever Brighton season ticket. Over the course of the campaign, he is going to be sharing the experience of what it is like to suddenly be attending Albion games regularly for the first time in half a century.

Take it away, Tony…

Burnley and Watford
So, the 2021-2022 season is now off to a great start. Burnley last week was a tough team as we knew they would be and that shaky first half, well, just a minor hiccup.

Our team had real determination to fight back, and the boys did so well at Turf Moor to turn the game completely around and ensure it finished Burnley 1-2 Brighton. Up the Albion!

As the week races on towards our first home game of the season at the Amex against Watford this Saturday, I am getting excited. I say to myself: “Hang on Tony you are 66 years old now, not a child”!

Part of the excitement comes from he effort and the determination put in so we can attend games, despite all the restrictions of the previous 18 months. It has been quite amazing.

I cast my mind back on many occasions to the year of 1966. Yes, the year when England last won the World Cup. I was only 11 years old and I recall with a smile on my face now, being told by my parents that I can go to watch the Albion on my own at that age.

I was armed with a blue and white scarf and my rattle. I would jump on the number five bus and even walk sometimes from Hangleton to the Old Shoreham Road and the Goldstone Ground.

I would go through the turnstiles of the North Stand and get right down the front by the concrete wall behind the goal, ready to cheer on the team of the day.

Well, I still love it just as much now as I did then and that is 55 years later! So good luck lads this Saturday, remember, a positive mental attitude will see you all through and as we know, you never give up as a team.

It is never over till the fat lady sings they used to say! You have proved that at Burnley last weekend already.

The Albion website
I would like to know how everyone is getting on with the Seagulls website? I must admit, it has taken me a while to get to grips with the linking of the various accounts.

I thought I knew about websites and technology but it has been tough, compounded of course by a recent email sent out in error by the Albion admin team due to a tech issue.

This ended up confusing me even more! Perseverance is the key and having spent several hours in front of the computer, I figured it out eventually.

I am not complaining though as I have been able finally this season make the jump from a My Albion+ Supporter to a fully-fledged season ticket holder.

This of course also causes some confusion, as you sit and say to yourself, “Do I still need a My Albion Membership as well as being a season ticket holder?”

Bless the ticket office staff, they are all so busy on the phone. The waiting time has been over 40 minutes recently on some occasions, so I just hope it sorts itself out.

When you do get to speak to someone on the phone, they are mostly very knowledgeable folk. However, those that are not, do stand out a mile!