The 1990/91 season stands out for many reasons.
Barry Lloyd’s men made an unlikely charge for the play-offs with an aging squad of cast-offs unwanted elsewhere. Two exhilarating FA Cup matches against First Division champions Liverpool packed out Anfield, then the Goldstone as John Byrne’s left-foot strike in front of a heaving North Stand wasn’t quite enough to progress to round five.
Bryan Wade scored four goals on his home debut against Newcastle United. Albion lost 6-1 on Oldham’s plastic pitch – and conceded four at home twice. But perhaps the most stand-out memory of that campaign was the two away shirts.
Appearing for the first time the previous season, Albion’s first choice away shirt was tiny little red and white squares. That looks nice, I hear you think, but from a distance of further than ten metres away, it looked pink. And to add to the potential further embarrassment, it was adorned with a local sponsor – NOBO. NOBO is an acronym for Notice Board.
The play-offs beckoned for Lloyd’s efficient team of old timers and after two easy victories over Millwall, Albion faced Neil Warnock’s Notts County at Wembley. Over 34,000 expectant fans from Sussex waited in anticipation to see if their heroes could get back to the top-flight after an eight-year absence.
As the players entered the hallowed turf, audible gasps could be heard from the crowd as the realisation of what the players were wearing filtered through. Now known as the ‘Chewits wrapper’ kit, the shirt had flecks of raspberry red splashed on a white background. But the worst bit was the fact that the shorts were exactly the same. A truly horrendous outfit not befitting of such an important stage.