Ten years on is the title of our souvenir supplement to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the last game at the Goldstone Ground.

Ten years on we remember the final rain-soaked day - the sadness at leaving, the vital result, swarming on to the pitch and the hope vested in new chairman Dick Knight.

The club had faced a fight for its survival on and off the pitch. Relegation from the Football League looked likely for much of that dismal season.

Ten years on, Brighton and Hove Albion are without a permanent home but the football club and its fans live in hope as another date with destiny looms.

So much rests in the hands of Ruth Kelly, the Government minister who will decide by July 9 whether Albion can build a community stadium in Falmer. Plenty of people believe Waterhall would have been a better site. But it has long been out of the running.

The stark fact is that Falmer is now the only realistic option. The campaign to win permission to build in Falmer has been long and hard and, at times, bitter.

But just as we look back today and reflect on our fond memories of an imperfect Goldstone Ground, so we must look forward with hope to Falmer, however imperfect it may be for those on both sides of the debate.

It may not have been the fans' first choice but nor is the stadium in Falmer the choice of most of those who live closest to the site.

Let us hope they will come to see and enjoy the benefits. A new stadium in Falmer should be good for villagers as well as football fans.

University students and school children will also be winners.

Albion supporters will undoubtedly mend fences. The well behaved majority have earned an enviable reputation for being true football fans and ambassadors for the club and the game.

In time the people of Falmer may grow to regard the Seagulls as good neighbours and Albion's presence as a stroke of good fortune. Admittedly, that time is some way off.

For now, and for the immediate future, the club's fate is once again uncertain.

If it is given, Government approval will mark the start of another challenging period. The club's finances may well be stretched even more once construction is under way.

Ten years on, our hopes and dreams hang in the balance. While we are right to remember our past - and proud to bring you our souvenir Goldstone supplement - what matters now is how we secure our future.

The message must go out loud and clear. Albion need the right result and it's down to one person to make sure of victory for our club and our community.

Ten years on, Ruth Kelly must say yes to Falmer.

  • Pick up your souvenir supplement today in The Argus.

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