Opinion: Oct 28, 2005

Thank you Mr Prescott!

He left it a bit late, but after a nervejangling match that stretched well into extra time, the burly left-winger came good to score the golden goal.

Falmer Friday is the biggest day in the history of Brighton and Hove Albion and a red letter day for the city.

In the euphoria of today's announcement the struggles of the last decade almost seem a distant memory.

It comes ten years after The Argus exposed a plot to sell the beloved Goldstone Ground and in that time the Seagulls have been on a rollercoaster both on and off the field.

Who can forget the misery of the two-year exile to Gillingham, the heartache of almost being relegated from the Football League or getting lashed with wind and rain week-in-week out in a glorified athletics track?

There have also been good times, like back-to-back promotions, the Bobby Zamora phenomenon and a certain trip to Cardiff in May last year.

Throughout all that the players, staff and fans have been a shining example of what can be achieved through determination, solidarity and good humour.

The club has been crippled financially by playing at a 7,000-capacity stadium yet somehow we are in the Championship.

Nobody dreamed when Falmer was identified as the city's preferred site in 1999 we would still be waiting six years later.

The planning process has been one of the most protracted in history, which has placed an added burden on club finances.

Those who fought so hard for the survival of Brighton and Hove Albion through good times and bad will rightly bask in today's verdict and they deserve this moment.

Special mention should be made of club chairman Dick Knight and chief executive Martin Perry, without whose vision, passion, drive and talent the Albion might not have lasted longer than its centenary.

They are truly local heroes.

When the partying dies down the club has to get on with the serious business of building the 22,000-seater stadium. There are still question marks about how to raise the £50 million and there is pressure to get things moving as soon as possible.

One shadow on the horizon is Falmer Parish Council's threat to challenge Mr Prescott's decision with a judicial review.

That is their legal right, but they would be far better to accept today's decision magnanimously and work with the club.

The minority had its say, but the verdict of the majority must, and will, prevail.