Today (if you are reading this today) is 27 years since Albion’s FA Cup Final.

If you are reading at around 5.24pm it is the exact time poor dear Gordon Smith fluffed Albion’s only chance for an entire generation to win what John Vinnicombe described as the most precious prize in sport!

There are debates on various forums as to whether it was a horrific miss by Smith, or a superb save by Gary Bailey in the United goal.

Having now reviewed the incident 749,605 times in the last 27 years (the last being two minutes ago) it is clear Gordon was not busting a lung after 119 minutes, on the energy sapping and wet Wembley turf, to catch up with the marauding Michael Robinson. As Robbo slid the ball across the penalty area, Gordon increased his pace a fraction too much and had to check his run and rearrange his feet as he shaped to shoot, but this is not the conclusion of the case for the defence. On Tuesday’s Thursday’s and Saturday’s, I believe Bailey made the save of his life. On the other days I think Gordon Smith should have buried it and the city of Brighton & Hove should have the party of the century, without a council loan in sight.

I went to the FA Cup Final last Saturday. It was good fun and it was a great game. However some of these Chelsea fans just don’t know they’re born. The ones sitting behind us moaned through most of the game. They moaned about Lampard, they moaned about Anelka. They had a big moan about Kalou (and rightly so) they moaned that Joe Cole wasn’t playing and then moaned about him when he came on as a substitute. Loads of them left just after the presentation of the cup so as not to get caught up in the Wembley Way queues. Just like the Withdean must get the bus at 4.30 brigade.

If the Albion had won the cup in 1983 all our fans would have lapped up the unique Wembley atmosphere, until the players had changed back into their suits.

The tube was the most startling part, we were in a Chelsea carriage, full of Essex boys trying to work out the quickest way back to Thorpe Bay (in Southend) you’d had thought by their morose faces they had just finished a hard day it the City. Although I know from personal experience there isn’t such a thing.

I was pleased the Albion finished the season on high, with the kind of football we were led to believe would be served up from August onwards.

It really looks like Gus is finally the manager who will build for the future and take the club to Falmer.

He doesn’t appear to have an awful lot of sentiment, which is perhaps a good thing. Sadly the likes of Adam Virgo, Dean Cox, Nicky Forster and most notably Michel Kuipers have been released.

Gone are the days of giving out contracts based on personalities, although the perennial Gary Hart has been invited back for pre season training.

Gus’s new broom could sweep the Albion back to the Championship just as Mickey Adams new faces did in 2001.

It was a strange season interrupted almost by the highlight of playing Aston Villa in the cup. Highs like beating Southampton, lows like losing to Huddersfield and bores like Orient on Boxing Day.

It’s been a funny old year in Brighton not just at the Albion. The marathon was a focal point for many including myself and the latterly the election, and of course thanks mainly to the students who won’t be here in a year or two’s time we have a Green MP.It will be interesting to see how that develops, though the Rainbow Warrior is not yet moored at the end of the Palace Pier.

But the best thing about the entire conurbation of Brighton & Hove at the moment is that, shiny almost sparkling, three quarters built stadium opposite Stanmer Park .Most definitely in the far north eastern corner of our glorious town.

If Caroline Lucas had been MP for Brighton Pavilion in 2001 or even 2002 do you seriously think the Green Party would have allowed ‘The Brighton Seagulls’ to be in the wonderful position they are in now? I think we all know the answer to that.

Well I have enjoyed my time writing this Albion blog. Thanks for the reads and most of the comments!

Maybe next season I’ll have something exciting to write about and hopefully it won’t be wasps , expensive ice cream or Station Road.