It was not exactly Beatlemania when Albion touched down to conquer the USA.

But word about the Seagulls is spreading – and one enthusiast made sure they got a noisy welcome.

New York-based fan Andy Bajana belted out Sussex By The Sea as members of the travelling party walked through arrivals at Newark airport late on Tuesday evening.

And so kicked off Albion’s stay in the States for the Premier League Summer Series.

Andy said: “I think the players and staff were completely shocked to see even one fan waiting to greet them.

 

“They also took an extra hour to de-board plane so I’d like to think we gave them a refreshing welcome to what must have been a rough flight.

“I was very boisterous and gave them the entire airport’s attention, which I’m not sure if they liked or disliked!”

It was about midnight local time, so 5am BST, as the final members of the Albion party went through.

Andy said: “They thanked us for showing up.”

Their welcome was shared with other Albion fans via social media.

The trio included Andy’s Ecuadorean mate Patricio, who was hoping to see one of his compatriots.

Andy’s girlfriend, now “a Brighton fan by association” due to watching games on TV, was also there.

He added: “There could have been more at JFK, which is where the rest of the team landed.

“I was the only supporter that’s actually seen them play live in person.”

And so the word is being spread.

Albion ambassador Glenn Murray and current players Kaoru Mitoma, Adam Webster and Solly March were among a group who went to see Major League Baseball outfit the New York Mets in action on Wednesday night.

The days when that would have meant a trip to Shea Stadium – a venue which might have appealed to music enthusiast Murray – are long gone.

But it was a special trip for keen cricketers March and Webster as well as Mitoma, from baseball-mad Japan.

There are several fan and media events planned for the ten days or so but clearly the main focus will be games against Chelsea, Brentford and Newcastle.

Paul Dorsey, who really fell in love with Albion when the heartbreak of play-off defeat in 2013 struck a chord, will get to all three friendlies from his Baltimore home.

He is a founder and driving force behind the Stateside Seagulls, a group which has grown from very little in 2016 to currently more than 700 signed-up members.

Paul has fond memories of his one trip to the Amex, to see Crystal Palace beaten 3-1 just before Christmas in 2018, and has also seen them play at Blackburn.

He sees this trip to the States as hugely worthwhile for the club, especially just ahead of their European debut.

He told The Argus: “It’s crazy. It still doesn’t feel real.

“I can’t believe the Albion are playing games in the US.

“The numbers we have coming to events around the games are mind-boggling.

“Really since promotion it has been exponential growth.

“We had about a dozen members and 75 followers on Twitter when we won promotion.

“Since we are able to watch all the games here on TV and the team has been doing so well, that has helped grow the club here in the US.

“The Summer Series is only going to grow that.”

Paul can see Albion’s profile increasing year on year.

He said: “When we started it was mostly expats. There were a few Americans, like me, who found the club by chance or studied at the University of Sussex or something like that.

“Now it is definitely a lot more diverse in terms of people who started following the team because they caught the games on TV.

“I can’t remember exactly how Brighton first caught my eye.

“My first love in sports in baseball and our team here in Baltimore are historically the underdogs.

“I think I’m naturally drawn to the underdog.”

Fans from Pittsburgh will get to Philadelphia early for the game and it is clearly a big weekend for the Philadelphia Seagulls.

Stateside Seagulls have an event outside the stadium on Saturday and will also be in downtown Atlanta before the Brentford game.

Paul said: “It is going to be really cool to get together and not just be behind a Twitter account and also have the interaction here with the Albion in our own backyard.

“The trip is just another part of growing the Albion as a global force, especially with players like Mitoma and Caicedo and Estupinan gaining that Ecuadorean and Japanese support. “The growth we have had here in the States is something Brighton can tap into for a potential market.”

Andy said: “I began supporting Brighton after a messy break-up with a Crystal Palace fan.

“People who used to make fun of me for supporting Brighton now ask me what time they play.

“It’s amazing to see how far this club and myself have come, and I hope we can inspire other people to always strive to be the best version of themselves.”