Sussex sports fans have rarely had it so good.

Nor have the various bars and off licences which host post-season celebrations or sell reasonably priced bubbly.

Three of the county's professional sports team have clinched major honours in the past year.

There has been success for several non-league football teams while Haywards Heath have established national league rugby in the county.

Celebrations are becoming second nature for Albion fans.

They are set to complete a hat-trick of open top bus rides after going up in a Division Two promotion play-off.

No one is down-playing the feats of the Eighties team or forgeting the exploits of Peter Ward and company.

But has the club ever known a day like the one in Cardiff when 65,000 fans, plus a live television audience, saw Albion beat Bristol City to secure promotion?

Supporters came from far and wide, travelled in convoy, snapped up merchandise and £5 match programmes, danced to Tom Hark and paid homage to their Knights of the realm, Dick and Leon.

As for the game? It was an absolute classic. Of course it was.

Many players and fans said winning a play-off was a better way of getting promoted than finishing as champions.

A valid argument, but others would counter that celebrations are more special on your own home ground, when you can look around, remember the humdrum games and miserable defeats and contrast them with the celebrations taking place.

Such was the case last September when Sussex clinched the County Championship.

The County Ground looked fantastic on that golden late summer's afternoon when Leicestershire were put to the sword and the first title in 164 years was clinched.

In fact, they almost got as many people for that historic occasion as they did for the group games in the Twenty20.

And to think they could have clinched the title by drawing at grey and distant Old Trafford a week earlier.

Brighton Bears, too, celebrated at home after clinching their first league title for 11 years.

Their script was the same as for Sussex. Might have won it in the north west at Chester, didn't, so thrashed Leicester at home a week later and had a much better party.

Crawley Town looked to be chasing the runners-up spot in the Dr Martens premier division at one stage.

Instead, they proved money is not everything as Francis Vines led them past big-budget Weymouth to win the division convincingly.

More than 4,000 saw them beat Weymouth at Broadfield and 600 or more were at Welling to see top spot secured with a 3-0 win.

Lewes not only won Ryman division one south, they also came through three play-off games in less than a week to go up two leagues in one season.

Their magnificent rise, begun by Jimmy Quinn and continued by Steven King, has taken them into Conference south.

They are joined there by Bognor, who have gone up two leagues in successive seasons, and Eastbourne Borough, who were winning the County League just four years ago.

Burgess Hill are playing at their highest ever standard, Worthing are at their best level for years, our rugby is on a high, as are East Grinstead hockey team, we have athletes going to Athens and the county remains prominent in horse racing.

When Sky wrapped up their coverage of the play-off final, they showed a seagull flying over the Millennium Stadium as Frank Sinatra sang: "Come Fly With Me."

Right now, it seems most of Sussex sport is flying.