# 1996–97 Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. season

During the 1996–97 English football season, Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division.

## Season summary

In the 1996–97 season, Jimmy Case was sacked after a terrible start that saw Brighton stuck at the bottom of the league by a considerable margin — they seemed certain to be relegated from the Football League just 14 years after they had almost won the FA Cup. The club's directors appointed a relative unknown in Steve Gritt, the former joint manager of Charlton Athletic, in hope of performing a miracle survival.
Brighton's league form steadily improved under Gritt, although their improving chances of survival were put under further threat on 9 December by a two-point deduction from the Football League imposed as punishment for a pitch invasion by fans who were protesting against the sale of the Goldstone Ground in a league game against Lincoln City on 1 October 1996. The club later appealed against the points deduction but their appeal was rejected.
The last game at The Goldstone was held on 26 April 1997, in which Brighton beat Doncaster Rovers 1–0. The result lifted Brighton off the bottom of Division Three and meant that a draw or win in their visit to Hereford United the following weekend would prevent relegation to the Conference and preserve their Football League status. Brighton went on to draw the game 1–1 and secure survival, as well as ending Hereford's 25-year stay in the Football League – thus avoiding becoming the first former members of the top flight or the first major cup finalists to be relegated to the Conference.
The sale of the Goldstone Ground went through in 1997 and this led to Brighton having to play some 70 miles (110 km) away at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 20 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 53 | 66 | −13 | 51 | |
| 21 | Torquay United | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 50 | |
| 22 | Exeter City | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 48 | 73 | −25 | 48 | |
| 23 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 53 | 70 | −17 | 47 | |
| 24 | Hereford United (R) | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 47 | Relegation to Football Conference |
* ↑ Brighton & Hove Albion had two points deducted for failure to control spectators.

## Results

Brighton & Hove Albion's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Third Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 17 August 1996 | Chester City | H | 2–1 | 5,263 | Baird, Parris |
| 24 August 1996 | Cardiff City | A | 0–1 | 3,463 | |
| 27 August 1996 | Barnet | A | 0–3 | 2,513 | |
| 31 August 1996 | Scunthorpe United | H | 1–1 | 4,365 | Baird |
| 7 September 1996 | Scarborough | H | 3–2 | 4,008 | Storer, Maskell (2) |
| 10 September 1996 | Colchester United | A | 0–2 | 2,540 | |
| 14 September 1996 | Exeter City | A | 1–2 | 2,886 | McDonald |
| 21 September 1996 | Torquay United | H | 2–2 | 4,889 | Baird, Minton |
| 28 September 1996 | Northampton Town | A | 0–3 | 4,402 | |
| 1 October 1996 | Lincoln City | H | 1–3 | 4,411 | Smith |
| 5 October 1996 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0–1 | 3,744 | |
| 12 October 1996 | Cambridge United | H | 1–2 | 4,564 | Storer |
| 15 October 1996 | Hereford United | H | 0–1 | 3,444 | |
| 19 October 1996 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–3 | 1,787 | |
| 26 October 1996 | Fulham | H | 0–0 | 8,387 | |
| 29 October 1996 | Rochdale | A | 0–3 | 1,913 | |
| 2 November 1996 | Hartlepool United | A | 3–2 | 1,683 | Mundee (pen), Minton, Morris |
| 9 November 1996 | Mansfield Town | H | 1–1 | 1,933 | Mundee (pen) |
| 19 November 1996 | Swansea City | A | 0–1 | 2,692 | |
| 23 November 1996 | Carlisle United | H | 1–3 | 4,155 | Baird |
| 30 November 1996 | Fulham | A | 0–2 | 8,279 | |
| 3 December 1996 | Darlington | H | 2–3 | 2,709 | Maskell, Baird |
| 14 December 1996 | Hull City | H | 3–0 | 3,762 | McDonald, Storer, Maskell |
| 22 December 1996 | Leyton Orient | A | 0–2 | 7,944 | |
| 26 December 1996 | Colchester United | H | 1–1 | 4,830 | Mundee (pen) |
| 28 December 1996 | Scarborough | A | 1–1 | 2,252 | Storer |
| 1 January 1997 | Torquay United | A | 1–2 | 2,588 | Andrews |
| 18 January 1997 | Lincoln City | A | 1–2 | 3,056 | Storer |
| 25 January 1997 | Rochdale | H | 3–0 | 4,468 | Maskell (2), Baird |
| 1 February 1997 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–1 | 2,456 | Mundee |
| 8 February 1997 | Hartlepool United | H | 5–0 | 8,412 | Baird, Maskell (3), Hobson |
| 11 February 1997 | Exeter City | H | 1–0 | 5,835 | Baird |
| 15 February 1997 | Carlisle United | A | 1–2 | 5,465 | Maskell |
| 22 February 1997 | Swansea City | H | 3–2 | 6,645 | Baird (2), Maskell |
| 1 March 1997 | Darlington | A | 0–2 | 2,998 | |
| 4 March 1997 | Northampton Town | H | 2–1 | 4,943 | Reinelt, Peake |
| 8 March 1997 | Leyton Orient | H | 4–4 | 9,298 | Maskell (2), Baird, McDonald (pen) |
| 15 March 1997 | Hull City | A | 0–3 | 3,373 | |
| 22 March 1997 | Cardiff City | H | 2–0 | 9,293 | McDonald (pen), Baird |
| 29 March 1997 | Chester City | A | 1–2 | 3,613 | Minton |
| 1 April 1997 | Barnet | H | 1–0 | 9,525 | Baird |
| 5 April 1997 | Scunthorpe United | A | 0–1 | 2,925 | |
| 12 April 1997 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–0 | 8,703 | Maskell |
| 19 April 1997 | Cambridge United | A | 1–1 | 6,032 | Reinelt |
| 26 April 1997 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–0 | 11,341 | Storer |
| 3 May 1997 | Hereford United | A | 1–1 | 8,350 | Reinelt |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Sudbury Town | A | 0–0 | 3,112 | |
| R1R | 26 November 1996 | Sudbury Town | H | 1–1 (lost 3–4 on pens) | 3,902 | Maskell |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 21 August 1996 | Birmingham City | H | 0–1 | 5,132 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 4 September 1996 | Birmingham City | A | 0–2 (lost 0–3 on agg) | 20,050 | |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR1 | 17 December 1996 | Fulham | H | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | 1,384 | Maskell, McDonald (pen), Virgo |
| SR2 | 14 January 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–1 | 1,295 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Mark Ormerod |
| — | GK | ENG | Nicky Rust |
| — | DF | SCO | Derek Allan |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Hobson |
| — | DF | ENG | John Humphrey |
| — | DF | ENG | Ross Johnson |
| — | DF | ENG | Kerry Mayo |
| — | DF | ENG | Kevin McGarrigle |
| — | DF | ENG | Mark Morris |
| — | DF | ENG | Ashley Neal (on loan from Liverpool) |
| — | DF | ENG | Peter Smith |
| — | DF | ENG | Stuart Tuck |
| — | MF | ENG | Mark Fox |
| — | MF | ENG | Dave Martin (on loan from Northampton Town) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | SCO | Paul McDonald |
| — | MF | ENG | Jeff Minton |
| — | MF | ENG | Denny Mundee |
| — | MF | ENG | George Parris |
| — | MF | ENG | Jason Peake |
| — | MF | ENG | Stuart Storer |
| — | MF | ENG | James Virgo |
| — | MF | ENG | Christer Warren (on loan from Southampton) |
| — | FW | NGA | David Adekola |
| — | FW | ENG | Phil Andrews |
| — | FW | ENG | Ian Baird |
| — | FW | ENG | Simon Fox |
| — | FW | ENG | Craig Maskell |
| — | FW | ENG | Robbie Reinelt |