IT WAS hardly the Great Escape, though the song from that famous film rang out after Albion sealed their safety in English football’s top flight with a 1-0 win against the mighty Manchester United at the Amex.

Chants of ‘we are staying up’ were being sung out by the Albion faithful as the match neared its end, bringing to an end any lingering fears of relegation to the Championship.

In truth they were already looking safe but while it was still mathematically possible that they could go down the nerves were still there among the supporters.

Thankfully for them it was a different matter on the pitch last night as the team were as cool as a cucumber and good value against a Manchester United team that lacked spirit and energy.

Shane Goble, watching from the heights of the West Stand, was ecstatic as the full-time whistle went.

He said: “It’s not far behind the feeling against Wigan last year, when we were promoted. It’s great revenge for 1983, too, when they beat us in the FA Cup final.

"We were favourites to go down, but we have proven everyone wrong.

"I thought we were safe, but obviously it wasn’t certain.

"To do it against the second-best team in the country as well, it’s amazing.”

Argus editor Arron Hendy said: “The wonderful supporters deserved a special night and that was what they got.

"A year ago we enjoyed some momentous scenes after getting promotion and staying in the division must be seen as just as special. It has been a momentous and historic season and Chris Hughton, Paul Barber, Tony Bloom and everyone else associated with the club must be very proud.”

Third time lucky against United

ALBION fans reeled in the glory of Premier League safety tonight at the Amex as they beat Manchester United in a historic victory.

The Seagulls marked their last home game of the season with a 1-0 win against the most decorated team in the English game, securing top-flight football for another year.

Some supporters flooded the pitch to celebrate with their heroes after the landmark result.

As kick-off dawned closer, the swarms of Albion fans in their blue and white colours, from Brighton town centre to the Amex, grew greater.

The weather was fitting in the build-up, too, with the sun glistening over the stadium ahead of bank holiday weekend.

Beneath the chants of "we are staying up", there was tension as the clock ticked down, the 30,611-strong crowd in sweats as Premier League status edged closer.

That was until the final whistle, and the crowd erupted as the referee blew for full-time.

The moment did not get to fans' heads as they geared up for a match which held such huge significance to everyone involved with Albion.

Liz Costa, vice-chairwoman of Albion's Supporters' Club, has been unfazed by the opposition her side have come up against this year.

She believes her beloved Seagulls are among the top 20 clubs in the country purely on merit.

She said: "This season is a tribute to Mr Chris Hughton and the way he has kept the team going.

"We've done an awful lot better people gave us credit for and, actually, better than I thought we would do.

"We've done it with limited resources compared to the rest of the league, too.

"In some games, we've come up against teams who have one player who costs more than our entire squad.

"We are here on merit.

"I think we have been very good against a number of the big teams.

"We could do the same against Manchester United.

"For the fans at the final home game of the season, they are all there because they want to be."

Liz, though, has not been overly-impressed with the Premier League as a whole.

"It is not the most amazing league to be a part of," she said.

"They are all overpaid footballers.

"We are doing it our own way."

In true Albion style, they made fans bite their nails right down to the wire – but it was certainly worth it – and what a way to mark the night after the 21st anniversary of that magical day away at Hereford, when they nicked a draw to stay in the Football League.

You would think fans would have been tense beforehand. But not Liz, or the rest of the faithful we spoke to, however.

They were simply cherishing the moment they all, along with the club, deserve.

She said: "They are just another football team as far as I am concerned.

"There are 11 players on each side who play football.

"You cannot be afraid of them.

"We have gone into every game with no fear, and I think we have kept to that concept.

"We are all just playing the same game."

Whether Albion won, lost or drew, the feeling of the evening – and the season as a whole – will be something that will stick with the thousands of Seagulls fans.

That is from the ones chugging back beer watching from a pub to the season ticket holders who help pack the Amex every home game.

Someone who gets to games with a different kind of ticket is Thomas Smith.

The 19-year-old, a lifelong fan from Haywards Heath, moved to Newquay in Cornwall last year.

He hops on a plane to watch Albion play their home matches – and has not missed one game since his move.

Thomas, whose first Seagulls game was a 2009 League One clash against Oldham at Withdean, said: "I do it because it's my main passion and it's worth spending the money on.

"I love coming here to watch them.

"I would still be doing it if we were in the Championship."

Thomas will be on his way to Merseyside to watch Albion take on Liverpool, their second-to-last match in the Premier League.

He was at last night's game with his mother, Andrea, who has promised him a season ticket for next year.

It was a true thriller for the fans as their team overcame a side they failed to beat on two occasions this season.

Third time lucky.

How far they have come since Hereford

TONIGHT'S game against Manchester United signified just how far Albion have come in the past 21 years.

Thursday marked the 21st anniversary of the crucial away draw against Hereford at their 8,000-odd capacity Edgar Street ground.

That draw clinched Football League safety for the Seagulls and, as many say, probably saved the club from sinking into the abyss.

It was a completely different narrative under the floodlights of the 30,750-seater Amex stadium tonight, though.

Albion were playing against one of the greatest teams in modern football history for the third time this season – playing host to some of the most expensive players of all time.

A rather different setting to the last-gasp 1-1 draw in the old Fourth Division on May 3, 1997.

One fan who has tasted both of those moments, each sweet for different reasons, is Roger Alexander.

He has followed the Seagulls for the past 55 years, so has been through the ups and downs – and the rest.

Roger, 69, said: "The season has been great to watch – some of the football played in the Premier League is sensational.

"Manchester United, with their background and experience, are one of the best teams to watch.

"I was at the Hereford game with my two boys, and at the Doncaster game the week before at the Goldstone.

"It was magical."

Roger travelled from 117-mile trip from Rugby in Warwickshire to watch his side – a recurring theme among the Seagulls' faithful, with many spectators travelling from far and wide to support their team.

The memories that came with that special point at Hereford, one week after the Seagulls took to the Goldstone turf for the last time, continue to linger in the front of Albion fans' heads.

Each fan, no doubt, has their own unique memory of the day when they watched Robbie Reinelt bag the equaliser to send the hosts down a division, such as Roger spending it with his sons.

Supporter Joanne Thick felt compelled to do something to mark the magical season in some way.

So she named her child after one of Albion's favourite sons.

The 50-year-old, from Hove, said: "I named my son after Dick Knight, who was obviously the chairman at the time.

"He was born in 1997, the year we stayed up.

"I said I would do something to mark it."