Albion fans gathered to celebrate the team of 40 years ago on Friday night.

A moment in time. A cup run which lasted a few months.

It is cherished four decades later – even though they lost the replay and were relegated.

That’s the great thing about football. Events over a short period of time can be cherished forever.

Players who were at a club for three or four years can come back four decades later and be feted as heroes.

Little details from back in the 1980s can still be recalled now by fans who were there.

And even revered by supporters who retain those memories.

Someone on my table at the FA Cup anniversary dinner at the Amex on Friday wasn’t at the 1983 final for the very good reason that he was being born that day.

Which is a good reason for not being there although I’m not sure what his excuse was for missing the replay.

Eight football matches 40 years ago which had a packed hospitality area at the Amex clapping and cheering like it happened last week.

Which all leads back to something Roberto De Zerbi said on Saturday afternoon as European qualification edged closer than even he realised for his Albion team.

As he sat at the top table in the spotlight, he spoke about his team being two wins from Europe.

As we sat there facing him, with our laptops on, we could see Brentford were on their way to a win at Tottenham.

But, when he spoke about why reaching Europe would be his proudest moment, he hit on something which also applied to that Friday night with the boys in the old Brighton blue from 1983, some of whom were also cheered by the Amex crowd on Sunday.

Football is about the result. No one would have turned up at the Amex on Friday to celebrate a 1983 team who went out to Newcastle in the third round.

But it is also about leaving a memory which will be cherished.

A few months work which will be recalled for many decades.

Explaining why Europe would be his proudest achievement, De Zerbi said: “It is not only for me.

“I explain to my younger players. They can play in the future for a big, big team.

“But there is no target bigger than Europa League for Brighton at this moment.

“The most important thing I am pushing is that if we achieve Europa League with Brighton, in 20 or 30 years, if we come back here to Brighton, we will be remembered for a historical result.

“This is more important than salary, money, if you play for a big club.

“When you leave something so massive and important, it is priceless.

“Because we know perfectly that all the fans, all the club and all the people around here are dreaming.

“This is the nicest thing you can do in football.”

I recall joking about such memories with Bruno back in the Championship promotion days.

Saying that in 40 years he and his team mates would be back with grey hair (or beards) and walking sticks lapping up the applause of fans who recalled 2017 even though it was 2057.

They would be up in VIP at the amex, dining in the boardroom.

“I’d be in the North Stand,” Bruno joked.

That doesn’t feel so likely now in his case, somehow, but time is healer.

Time also enhances legends. It makes things better.

In years to come. the game against Southampton will be remembered as better than it was.

The atmosphere will be recalled as one long carnival when in fact it was quite quiet around the Amex for long periods.

It will be up there with the day Albion won promotion.

Because, when you are in the top division, reaching Europe is the closest you can get to winning promotion.

It is elevation to a new level of football.

It brings that mix of excitement but trepidation.

It’s going to be a brilliant adventure, dreams come true.

But hold on, can we cope?

Who are we going to play, what new grounds will we go to?

Many of that crowd at the Amex on Sunday probably remembered turning up in 2017 for a title celebration against Bristol City as Albion were, as now, left with three games to get one win.

Instead, it felt more like Solly March versus Wigan when Evan Ferguson thrashed a low shot under the keeper in front of the South Stand.

De Zerbi said: “Today is difficult for me because with my English I can’t express my emotion.

“I can say it is the best day in my career but not because I reach the big target because I can’t change my idea, I can’t change my confidence in myself depending on the result.

“But I lost one play-off final in Lega 3 with Foggia and I still feel pain.

“I missed out on qualification for the Europa League with Sassuolo by only two goals and I think I deserve this target.

“We deserve this target - the club, the players, me, my staff and the fans.

“They have to organise the passport to travel in Europe next year because we have to go together.”