Former Albion favourite Gary O'Reilly has discovered how fame can be fleeting.

The former defender, now a radio broadcaster, television presenter and journalist, was recently asked: "Didn't you used to be Gary O'Reilly?"

He said: "The question ranks right up there with 'What do you do in the week?' when I was a professional footballer.

"I knew what the guy meant because he remembered me when I was a player. The only time I get recognised now is by insomniacs because I'm involved occasionally in a late night highlights show for Meridian TV."

But, of course, O'Reilly has replaced part of himself. O'Reilly the footballer is now O'Reilly the media man.

It is something to fill the professional void that opened up when his playing career ended on 29.2.92, a heart-breaking numerical palindrome dating when he sustained a knee injury against Southend at the Goldstone.

O'Reilly said: "I'm enjoying my work now but I preferred being a footballer. When I had to retire it was depressing. Your life had been taken away."

But he did not wallow in self-pity.

O'Reilly considered his future options as he lay in hospital, his right leg in plaster, following the injury.

One was to become a master of wine.

The 40-year-old, who knows Oz Clark, said: "I'd got interested in wine-tasting and thought if I studied the subject it might provide me with a career. I was a long way off being a master which enables you to work for the big supermarkets, but I wanted to take a wine diploma to get qualifications towards it. The people running the course insisted I sat the exam in the examination hall even though they knew I was in hospital in plaster."

But variety is the spice of life and he moved on. O'Reilly said: "The chance of working in the media came along. I had to be versatile. I interviewed the Duchess of Kent once for a cable TV company in Croydon on motor neurone disease. I thought I was being wound up when it was first put to me that I was interviewing her and I said 'Who does she play for?'

"I wrote a big feature on rugby when it was switching from amateur to professional and got a job presenting American football with Sky. I did 400 hours live. There was women's hockey and boxing to cover too.

"I've also had a spell involved with a management company looking after Scottish and English under-21 internationals. I dealt with Roberto Bettega and Juventus, and wrote a business proposal so his club and Palace could cross fertilise ideas like techniques and marketing. It was a symbiosis.

"I found I could adapt to all these things."

O'Reilly, signed by Chris Cattlin for £45,000, arrived for the first of two spells at the Goldstone in 1984 after collecting a UEFA Cup-winning medal with Tottenham.

He said: "It was a gamble and I took a cut in pay. Spurs had an embarrassment of riches as far as talent was concerned and Brighton were only a division two side.

"But Spurs were only giving me about 15 games a season and at Brighton I played regularly in a strong side. Brighton included the likes of Chris Hutchings, Jimmy Case, Eric Young, Neil Smillie, Danny Wilson, Joe Corrigan, Steve Penney, Terry Connor, Steve Gatting and Frank Worthington and apologies to anyone I've forgotten.

"Jimmy has so much experience and Danny was such a driving force who led by example. Frank Worthington? I had this cliched image of him regarding his socialising but I had that vision shattered. He was 36 but was so professional, with a desire to win. He was open with his encouragement, free with his advice and a great rock 'n' roll fan! I used to make sure he gave me a lift home from training because we both like loud rock music.

"We missed the promotion play-offs by three points in my first season and had a run to the FA Cup quarter-finals the following year.

"We had a good defence (which equalled the fewest-goals-conceded record of 34) and when we clicked up front we would win 4-0, 5-0. We played good football, through midfield, with pace, power and discipline. I learned so much. It was a brilliant time."

O'Reilly, who made 92 appearances during his first spell, left in a £40,000 switch to Crystal Palace in January 1987.

He said: "Alan Mullery, who was always very honest, said there was no pressure to leave but that if I didn't go there wouldn't be enough money to pay the wages. I went, not so the wages could be paid, but as a career move and it proved the right one.

"Palace got promotion and made it to the FA Cup final and I scored in the semis against Liverpool and the final against Manchester United and I played in the Charity Shield."

O'Reilly returned from Palace, the club many Albion fans consider rivals, in 1991.

He said: "Again I took a pay cut, but I had no worries about coming back. I wasn't concerned about any element of forgiveness although there were a few who would voice their opinion of my former club which wasn't very intelligent.

"I came in just after they had missed out in the play-offs and the team was being broken up. They sold Garry Nelson and John Byrne and Mark Beeney that season when they were relegated."

O'Reilly remembers the Goldstone as "special".

The former English schoolboy international said: "I scored my first ever league goal there against Palace and I played in front of 19,000 and 25,000 on our FA Cup run.

"I recall going back as a broadcaster for the Fans United match against Hartlepool in February 1997. I twisted Sky's arm to be there because I knew it would be a great day. It was. There were 10,000 fans from Europe as well as all over the country to show support for a club going through bad times.

"The Goldstone was special. When it was full it was vibrant, full of excitement and possibilities until the last game.

"After they pulled it down I couldn't bring myself to go to the retail park they built in its place until I had to take a bike back for my daughter Grace, who was born on a Saturday Albion beat Swansea. When the bulldozers went in it was devastating."

O'Reilly still follows Albion and witnessed their recent victory over QPR at Withdean. He said: "I'm pleased they've come back in such a strong way."

O'Reilly lives in Hove with wife Sue and daughter Grace, now eight.

He continues to dip his finger into several media pies. His latest project is to make his own television series after helping Alan Hansen with his Dream Factory documentary about youngsters for BBC after being recommended to Aunty by Paul Hayward, a Brighton-based journalist who is chief sports writer for the Daily Telegraph.

O'Reilly, who was working for Radio Five Live at the Birmingham versus Preston match at St Andrew's this week, is the antithesis of the thick-as-brick footballer, an image he believes is now outmoded.

He has charm and the gift of the gab. Intelligent and urbane, he has adjusted to life after football.

As O'Reilly waved farewell walking back down the path from The Argus reception, he perked up: "I'm heading for the hills."

Is the multi-talented former Seagull about to take up mountaineering? Mount Everest watch out.