The Goldstone Ground was home to Brighton for 95 years and amongst other things of note, was the ground where David Beckham made his professional debut.
The Goldstone Ground was largely made up of terracing. Away fans were placed on one side of the ground which was a terrace that tapered off towards the stand behind the goal. The reason for this tapering was due to the road behind it curving toward the ground. Behind that goal was the only stand with just seats and it ran the whole width of the pitch.
On the opposite side to the away terrace was the main stand, which was a two-tiered structure with seats on the top tier and a terrace beneath. The seating area, however, only ran about two-thirds of the pitch’s length. This stand also contained the player’s tunnel. Behind the other goal was another terrace with a roof covering it. This terrace was linked with the terracing on either side of it.
The record attendance at the Goldstone Ground came on 27th December 1958 in a 3-0 Division Two win over Fulham. 36,747 spectators were in attendance just one day after the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage, which Fulham won 3-1.
By the time of its closure, the Goldstone Ground’s capacity was 18,203.
Poor finances and circumstances led to the club selling the freehold for the ground and they were forced to look for a ground share, finally settling on Gillingham, seventy miles away.
Luckily, the club’s fortunes reversed and they are now happily back at home in the Am-Ex Stadium
The last game to take place at the Goldstone Ground, saw the home team narrowly defeat visitors, Doncaster Rovers 1-0 on the 26th of April 1997.
The Goldstone Ground was demolished in 1997.