Brighton is located on the south coast of England, and together with its immediate neighbour Hove forms the city of Brighton and Hove. The ancient settlement of Brighthelmston dates from before the Domesday Book (1086), but it emerged as an important health resort during the 18th century and became a popular destination for day-trippers after the arrival of the railway in 1841. Brighton experienced rapid population growth reaching a peak of over 160,000 by 1961. Modern Brighton forms part of a conurbation stretching along the coast, with a population of around 480,000. Brighton is a popular place to visit, welcoming 8 million tourists each year. With its hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment facilities, which additionally serve a substantial business conference industry. The modern city of Brighton and Hove is also an educational centre with two universities and many English language schools.
Withdean Stadium is an athletics stadium in the Brighton suburb of Withdean. The capacity of the ground is 8,850 all seated. the stadium is a temporary home for Brighton & Hove Albion before a new stadium is built in nearby Falmer. The club's former stadium, the Goldstone Ground was sold for redevelopment in1997 by the board at the time (none of whom any longer has any involvement with the club).
Catching a train from London Bridge to Preston Park facilitated an evening jaunt after work to Sussex. Our prebooked match tickets included vouchers, which meant that the journey south of Haywards Heath was free of charge. To reach the stadium from Preston Park Station takes between ten and fifteen minutes. The walk takes you north along London Road before passing under a railway bridge, bringing you at eastern end of the ground.
On arrival I took advantage of the daylight and with the help of a friendly steward, managed to get some photographs from inside the ground. After this we adjourned to the pub adjacent to the ground. For a pub on top of a football ground (literally – Ed), the Sportsman was ver reasonably priced. I enjoyed Harvey’s Sussex bitter at £2:05 a pint. The pub also doubles as a carvery restaurant. For £3.69 I was able to enjoy, roast beef, turkey and glazzed gammon, accompanied by an abundance of vegetables, yorkshire pudding and stuffing! To be honest, this is pretty much the only facility in the vicinity of the ground and compared to the standard fare of burgers (£3:00 in the ground), the carvery represents extremely good value.
Attendance: 7264
Admission: £25:00
Programme: £3-00 (64 pages A5 size)
Fare: £7:90 Day Return from London Bridge to Haywards Heath (Goldcard Discount). The journey south of Haywards Heath was covered by the match ticket.
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