It was the week which changed Paul Clark’s life.

And the afternoon which halted goal-happy Tottenham in their tracks.

The midfielder known as Tank signed from Southend and made his second-tier debut as a 19-year-old when the Seagulls fought out a 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane in November 1977.

The draw kept both sides in the thick of the promotion race.

Clark, pictured, actually went closest to scoring for Albion when his 25-yarder was saved.

But Eric Steele was the busier keeper with super stops from John Duncan, who had earlier hit the post, and would-be Albion boss Peter Taylor.

Clark said: “I signed on the Monday, had a reserve game on the Tuesday or Wednesday and was given my debut on the Saturday for what was a huge game.

“I remember it being a really tight game.

“The highlight for me was having a go from 25 yards but Barry Daines just got his hand to it.

“I was playing in midfield and just had to make sure Glenn Hoddle and Neil McNab didn’t get on the ball.

“I had to stay close to them and not let them settle.”

Almost 49,000 saw a composed, organised Albion side restrict Tottenham, who had scored 17 goals in their previous three games including a 9-0 rout of Bristol Rovers.

Then, as now, Albion were managed by a Tottenham favourite as Alan Mullery masterminded their promotion push.

As it turned out, they would have to wait one more season as Spurs pipped them to third place on goal difference.

Clark said of his move from the Fourth Division: “At the time it felt like a step along the way.

“As a kid I had the opportunity to go to Arsenal and West Ham.

“My dad remembers me telling him I’d stay at Southend, get into the team there and make my way up that way.

“Then I’d get a move to a higher division.

“Once we got promoted at Newcastle, apparently I came out and told my dad, ‘See, I told you’.

“Brighton was a club on the way up.

“I felt fortunate that, until now, that was probably the best three or four years they have had in their history.

“We were averaging over 25,000 in the second division.

“That’s why I’m amazed people are surprised to see them packing the ground out now.”

Spurs: Daines; Naylor, Holmes, Osgood, Perryman; Hddle, Pratt, McNab; Taylor, Moores, Duncan (Lee).

Albion: Steele; Cattlin, Winstanley, Lawrenson, Williams; Towner, Clark, Horton, O’Sullivan; Ward, Mellor.