It is an FA Cup closing often lowered to 4 phrases by the lexicon of soccer. ‘And Smith must score…’ the commentary of Peter Jones seconds earlier than Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey saved from Gordon Smith late in additional time to pressure a replay.

Those 4 phrases served as shorthand for the time Brighton practically received the Cup, grew to become the title of a fanzine because the membership plunged into disaster, and had been later tailored for Smith’s auto-biography. ‘Gordon’s nonetheless eating out on it,’ quips former team-mate Gary Stevens. ‘It’s made him a fortune.’

Yet there was a lot else to the 1983 Cup closing. Helicopter rides, cream-coloured footwear, unshaven gamers in headbands and High Court appearances. A tasty Wembley aim, an early flush of Captain Marvel, record-breakers and leg breakers.

At the center of all of it, ringmasters Ron Atkinson and Jimmy Melia, two Liverpudlians who got here alive within the highlight, though Brighton’s Melia circus solid even Big Ron into the shade at instances.

‘Jimmy was a high-energy guy,’ says Stevens. ‘He spent more time in Brighton’s nightclubs than the gamers. He had a pleasant younger girlfriend, dressed a bit youthful than he was and favored to be out in town.’

Melia had been Brighton’s chief scout till summoned to take caretaker management when Mike Bailey was sacked in mid-season, and took the job completely because the FA Cup run unfolded as if their identify could be on the trophy.

‘We were lucky against Newcastle in the third round,’ Melia, 85, tells Mail Sport from his house in Dallas. ‘The referee disallowed a goal. We got away with it. Then we beat Manchester City 4-0 and drew Liverpool away.

‘One of the press guys said there was more chance of my hair growing back than us winning at Liverpool. When we won I called him up and said, “I think my hair’s beginning to develop”.’

His gamers made a Cup closing document, The Boys within the Old Brighton Blue and went on Top of the Pops, solely to overlook the ultimate minimize of the present, and Smith remembers a ‘sizeable reduction’ lacking from the bonus pot, taken to cowl prices of cleansing and reupholstering the suede inside of a elevate on the recording studios.

Melia’s affect got here by way of within the cream jackets, cream footwear with black slacks chosen for the gamers to put on. ‘A bunch of waiters,’ in keeping with full again Chris Ramsey, now QPR’s head of teaching. The supervisor appeared for the pre-match meal in his regular darkish swimsuit. ‘Jimmy was wearing his own gear,’ says Smith. ‘He stated, “I’m wearing the same as I have in each round, this is my lucky gear”.

‘We didn’t just like the gear he’d bought us. Jimmy Case left the resort and went to a store to purchase different garments. I by no means wore the outfit once more. I gave it to my dad. He by no means wore it both.’

Brighton’s gamers had their very own superstitions. Captain Steve Foster had vowed to not shave whereas on the Cup run. Ultimately, although, his luck was out when a yellow card in a league sport towards Notts County meant a two-match ban and he knew he would miss the ultimate.

‘Someone came up with the idea at half-time that if I got a second yellow, I’d solely get a one-match suspension,’ remembers Foster. ‘I committed 14 fouls in the second half.

‘I couldn’t punch anybody as a result of a straight purple would have been the identical, lacking the ultimate. I wanted to get a second yellow. After eight fouls, I realised I used to be getting nowhere. I caught the ball and gave it to the referee. He simply stated, “I’m not sending you off”. He clocked what I used to be attempting to do.’

Plan B was no extra profitable. Chairman Mike Bamber took the FA to the High Court however Brighton could be with out their captain on the large day. Tony Grealish led the crew out, carrying Foster’s trademark headband. ‘Bless him, Tony,’ says Foster.

They stayed on the Selsdon Park Hotel, Croydon, and regardless of warnings of thunderstorms made a 16-minute flight to Wembley in a helicopter equipped by shirt sponsors British Caledonian and utilized by Pope John Paul II on his go to to the UK the earlier 12 months.

‘The people of Brighton said if it’s adequate for the Pope it’s adequate for Jimmy Melia,’ deadpanned the Seagulls boss throughout a dwell in-flight interview with the BBC’s Alan Parry.

‘It was so funny, Ron Atkinson was on the phone,’ says Melia. ‘He’s saying, “That helicopter, you’ve got lightning going on you, you know”. He was attempting to scare us. I stated, “Don’t worry Ron we’ll be there on time”. It was an important concept. We missed all of the site visitors.’

Brighton, already relegated and extremely unfancied, scored first. Gary Howlett’s cross was expertly headed in by Smith, who titled his guide And Smith Did Score. ‘I remember seeing the scoreboard at half-time, ‘Manchester United 0 Brighton 1, Smith’ and considering, “at least I’m going to be remembered for today”. Turns out I used to be. But not for that aim.’

Stevens thinks the match turned when Norman Whiteside went over the ball on Ramsey. ‘It changed the game,’ he says. Ramsey tried to proceed, and will barely transfer when Frank Stapleton beat him to a tap-in on the again publish seconds later.

‘You could put your foot in, in those days,’ recalled Ramsey. ‘I’d been despatched off a few instances that season and had some derogatory letters about not getting despatched off and letting the crew down at Wembley. I made a decision to go Queensberry Rules and Norman’s executed me. Years later, I noticed him and requested him to signal one thing and he wrote, “I knew you’d go high so I went higher”.

‘I should’ve gone straight off however it’s the sport of a lifetime and that’s after they scored, I couldn’t get tucked in on the again publish.’

Stapleton, a scorer for Arsenal towards United 4 years earlier, change into the primary participant to attain for 2 totally different golf equipment in two totally different FA Cup finals. Ramsey limped off. Brighton’s legendary equipment man Glen Wilson threw him over his shoulder and carried him down the tunnel, within the type of a fireman’s elevate.

‘You’d be within the protecting boot now and blue-lighted to hospital for scans,’ laughs Ramsey.

‘I had some crutches and a bit of ice, and went out for the night.’

Ray Wilkins gave United the lead, and what a aim it was, curled together with his left foot into the far nook.

It is the abiding reminiscence of the sport and of Wilkins, who died 5 years in the past, for his shut buddy and former England room-mate Bryan Robson. ‘Ray set off to celebrate with such a big smile on his face. Once he jumped the second advertising hoarding I thought, “Forget it, I’m not working after him”. If they’d opened the gates he’d have stored working.’

Up within the stands, Ray’s brother Dean was standing on his seat, bouncing in celebration, unaware he could be a Brighton participant inside two months. He went on to make greater than 300 appearances for them and stays the final Brighton participant to attain at Wembley. His aim was a comfort in a play-off closing in 1991.

‘As quickly as Ray chopped it on to his left foot, I knew what he was going to do,’ says Dean. ‘He was so two-footed. He cherished that goal. It’s such a disgrace it wasn’t the winner.’

For quarter-hour, it appeared like being decisive. Enter Stevens within the 87th minute. ‘I hadn’t been going up for corners however I appeared on the bench,’ he says. ‘And there was Melia, his assistant George Aitken and Steve Foster all waving me up so I decided to go.

‘Jimmy Case pulled the corner to Tony Grealish who tried to claim he picked me out with a pass but he scuffed his shot. My first touch was good and I hit it with everything. A brilliant finish.’ Of course, Brighton virtually received it within the closing seconds of additional time. Michael Robinson burst clear and squared to Smith, alone in entrance of aim.

‘And Smith Must Score…’ implored Jones on BBC radio. The Scot drove his shot arduous and low. Bailey saved together with his legs. Then the ultimate whistle blew.

‘I didn’t assume for a minute he was going to cross,’ shrugs Smith. ‘I thought he was going to shoot. He’d taken the successful aim off my left foot within the semi-final towards Sheffield Wednesday. I used to be solely getting in for the rebound.’

He jokes in regards to the save, too. ‘Gary says he’s aggravated he doesn’t get credit score. So am I, Gary. So am I.’ But he accepts the blame. ‘I know I should’ve scored. I nonetheless take full duty.’

The replay on Thursday night time was extra simple. ‘We went bang at it,’ says Atkinson. Brighton arrived on a bus with Foster again however Ramsey was injured and carried out effectively for 25 minutes till United scored two in 5 minutes. The first by Robson, the second by Whiteside who, at 18 years and 18 days grew to become the youngest participant to attain in an FA Cup closing.

The document nonetheless stands. Those two objectives had been arrange by Alan Davies, a 21-year-old winger who solely made 10 appearances for United however began each the Wembley video games towards Brighton as accidents dominated out Steve Coppell and Laurie Cunningham, signed on mortgage from Real Madrid as cowl.

The tragic postscript is that inside 9 years each Cunningham and Davies had been useless. Cunningham was killed in a automobile accident in 1989. Davies took his personal life in February 1992, aged 30 and a participant at Swansea.

As Brighton plan a fortieth anniversary reunion, they’re painfully conscious it will likely be with out Robinson, who died three years in the past on the age of 61, or Grealish, who died 10 years in the past on Sunday at 56.

Robson dominated the replay, scoring his second earlier than half-time as United’s followers sang, ‘Stevie Foster, Stevie Foster, what a difference you have made’. Foster responded with the ‘up yours’ salute.

Robson then received a penalty within the second half transformed by Arnold Muhren. Had he taken it, Robson might need claimed the primary FA Cup closing hat-trick since Stan Mortensen in 1953 however United’s captain was glad with what could be the primary of his three FA Cup winner’s medals.

‘People ask if I regret not taking it but I don’t,’ he tells Mail Sport. ‘I’d have had no qualms about it. Ray Wilkins threw the ball to me however we’d determined Arnold would take penalties. He by no means missed in coaching. It was solely afterwards I realised he’d by no means taken one in a sport for us or for Ipswich.’

United had their first trophy since 1977 and Stevens received the BBC’s Man of the Match vote. ‘Ron Atkinson presented it in the TV interview room and said it was an “absolute joke” because Bryan Robson should have won it,’ says Stevens. ‘Typical Big Ron, throwing a bucket of water on my fire.’

When Atkinson had accomplished his media duties, he nonetheless had the FA Cup in his arms however his crew had left to catch a prepare.

‘We had a police outrider with us,’ says 84-year-old Atkinson. ‘He said, “Hop on” so I jumped on the back with the Cup and he rode me to the station, driving through the crowds in the car parks and straight on to the platform.’