From near oblivion to Europe - Brighton celebrate 125th anniversary in style — SkimNews
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- Brighton thrashed Arsenal 3-0 at the Amex Stadium on their 125th anniversary before a record 31,944 crowd, with Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas, and Chema Andres (header) scoring.
- Manager Fabian Hurzeler called the display 'special' against 'maybe the best team in England,' noting his side won personal duels and created chances throughout.
- The club came within 27 minutes of being voted out of the Football League in 1997, and in 1995 chairman Bill Archer sold the Goldstone Ground without consulting fans, forcing two seasons 70 miles away at Gillingham.
- Tony Bloom, a Brighton-born lifelong fan whose grandfather Harry was a former vice-chairman, became chairman in 2009 and masterminded the rise from League One, with last season's average attendance exceeding 31,000.
- Key figures credited with saving the club include former FA executive director David Davies, Deputy PM John Prescott (who overturned a rejected planning application for the Falmer stadium), and former chairman Dick Knight.
- Brighton began their second European campaign in Tromso, Norway last month in the Conference League, with sporting director Mike Cave calling it a chance at the club's 'elusive first trophy.'
- Brighton sit fifth in the Premier League four games into their 10th consecutive top-flight campaign and have beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford in five of their last six visits.
Why it matters: The 3-0 win crowns a 28-year turnaround from a club 27 minutes from extinction to one sitting fifth in the Premier League and competing in Europe, with a record 31,944 sellout validating Tony Bloom's 2009 takeover that turned fan trust into commercial reality and a squad-envied recruitment model.
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