Gary Hart was driving a forklift truck and playing for non-league Stansted when then Albion boss Brian Horton made him a Seagull a decade ago.

And that deal, which barely covered four figures, has certainly paid dividends for the club. They have been rewarded with one of the most hardworking and dedicated footballers to pull on a Brighton shirt in recent years.

In addition, having had the privilege of knowing Gary off the field, I have to say I have found him to be one of the nicest football people I have ever come into contact with.

Supporters get their chance to say thank you to the 'other' Harty this Saturday (July 26) when Charlton Athletic arrive at the Withdean Stadium for his testimonial game, 3pm kick-off.

Albion boss Micky Adams marks his Withdean return by donning the boots and playing in the Legends Match curtain-raiser, alongside such Albion luminaries as Foster, Case and Smith. Tickets are still available: contact 01273 776992.


There is a sporting school of thought which believes that Rugby League all but sold its soul to the devil/Sky TV (delete where applicable) when, in 1995, it changed from a winter into a summer sport to accommodate TV schedules.

Has the theory been strengthened this week with the news that the Super League is now expanding to 14 clubs, without relegation for a minimum of three seasons?

Where this leaves the excluded clubs, such as 1989 World club champions Widnes, and Eddie Waring's beloved Halifax, is an interesting one.

What motivation in the National League will the clubs have, and perhaps more importantly the paying spectators, in knowing that there is no prospect of promotion to the top flight?

Perhaps more significantly, within hours of the Rugby League announcement, there was speculation from a number of apparently well-informed football pundits that this might be the way forward for the higher echelons of our national game.

Rumours have been around for a number of years that the Murdoch organisation has long favoured a two-division Premiership of 20 teams in each league, with clubs having to meet a set criteria, such as ground capacity, but with no set-in-stone promotion and relegation from the Football League.

And I fully realise that a couple of years down the line, with Falmer built and a healthy fan base, the Albion might very well tick all the Murdoch boxes. But that still doesn't make it right.

However, if it means the big clubs will get richer, will they reject such proposals?

Turkeys voting for Christmas springs to mind.

My only hope is that the football authorities in this country realise that it's not just about the elite clubs and, whatever the 'Dirty Digger' and his cohorts come up with, the concept is rejected.


So, farewell to Shoot magazine, which for me, like millions of other young football fans, was a big part of my formative years.

I doubt there was a young soccer fan's bedroom wall that didn't have a Shoot poster on it in the 1970s and 80s.

One of my favourite features in the magazine was "Focus On", the weekly question and answer session with a well-known footballer of the time.

Testament to this is the fact that, although it's over 35 years ago, I still remember two of Rodney Marsh's answers from an early edition in 1973:

"What would you be if you weren't a footballer?"
"A cat burglar"

"Which person in the world would you most like to meet?"
"Adolf Hitler. Failing that, Neil Diamond."

Priceless memories . . .

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Email the Herald: richard.amey@worthingherald.co.uk