Remembering Brighton’s famous FA Cup run 40 years on

It’s already been a busy season for Roberto de Zerbi and his Brighton team. The Seagulls spent October battling for points in the Premier League and Europa League, finding success in both.

It has been a rollercoaster few weeks for the club and its fans, taking them from the home comforts of Falmer Stadium to Marseille, France, and also the home of the Premier League and Champions League winners, Manchester City.

Crunch fixtures will continue to come thick and fast throughout November as the 2023-24 campaign continues to move through the gears.

Brighton have five games on their November fixture list, including a potentially explosive trip to Goodison Park to play a wounded Everton the day before Guy Fawkes Night.

Their Europa League adventure ensures trips to the Netherlands and Greece. Keep your passports at the ready.

While the Brighton faithful have been busy with their team’s quest for domestic and European domination, they may have missed the early exchanges of the FA Cup.

The qualifying rounds are complete, and the FA Cup First Round proper begins on Friday, 3rd November. Fans everywhere love the FA Cup, and you’ll find betting odds and specials available at the top sportsbooks dealing in everything from MLS betting to Euro 2024 odds.

Usual suspects dominate
While the FA Cup First Round includes hopefuls like Horsham, Solihull Moors, and Whitby Town, Brighton and Hove Albion will join the party in the later rounds.

The FA Cup is an exciting prospect for the club and fans this year, with Brighton expected to challenge, but the players currently have more pressing matters to occupy their mind.

Football fans and lovers of English football’s most famous knockout competition can get involved early, following the First Round, checking which teams made it through and making predictions. Get the best fixtures from the opening rounds live, with lovers of the beautiful game able to follow on television or the best live-streaming apps.

You can also make predictions at leading sportsbooks offering early outright betting odds on the FA Cup. The usual suspects dominate the gambling exchanges, with holders Man City the favorites to defend the trophy at Wembley in the spring.

Liverpool is the second most likely team to lift the cup, according to traders, while Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Chelsea demand respect.

Eighth most likely winners
What do traders working at the leading apps think of Brighton’s chances of winning the FA Cup in 2024? The Seagulls are as big as 150/1 to win the Premier League, but success in the FA Cup is more realistic, attracting an 18/1 price tag.

That quote makes them the eighth most likely team to win the trophy, sandwiched between Man Utd, Tottenham, Aston Villa, and West Ham. Many Brighton fans will see the value in that price.

Some sportsbooks offer each way terms of 1/2 the odds a place 1-2, meaning you’ll bank a return on your wager if The Seagulls reach the final.

If Brighton makes it to the quarter-final or semi-final stage, that could be a worthwhile gamble. The most generous bookies offer a cash-out feature, which would be interesting if Roberto’s men became realistic challengers.

If you don’t already own an online betting account, now is the perfect time to join. You can register in minutes using your mobile or desktop computer and then explore the many exciting Brighton-related markets.

Wager on the Seagulls winning the Europa League at 16/1 or for a top-four finish in the EPL at an interesting 5/1. That offer shows even the most respected firms believe Brighton has a chance of gatecrashing the party and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Seagulls’ near-miss
Brighton has never won the FA Cup, but they did come painfully close in 1983, finishing as runners-up behind Manchester United. Could the club relive their glory days and go one better 40 years after that runners-up finish?

It’s possible, and many Seagulls fans believe their team has never had a better opportunity to win the FA Cup and finish on a high. To inspire confidence in any non-believers, let’s remember that glorious run to the 83 FA Cup final.

They made the final and pushed the Red Devils hard, but Brighton’s challenge almost collapsed at the first hurdle. They needed a replay to pass Newcastle when entering the running in the Third Round.

The first encounter between the Seagulls and Magpies ended in a 1-1 draw in January 1983 before Brighton snuck through courtesy of a 1-0 win on the road just four days later. It was a stroke of luck, but Brighton built on that one-goal win to build momentum.

Next up was a home game against Man City, and Brighton showed their class, hammering the Cityzens 4-0 at the end of January, much to the delight of the home support.

That resounding win over City injected confidence into the ranks. Brighton then defeated Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to reach the Sixth Round, where a battling 1-0 win over Norwich City followed. Silencing the Canaries banked Brighton a place in the last four.

While Man Utd beat Arsenal 2-1 at Villa Park to reach the FA Cup’s deciding game, Brighton edged out Sheffield Wednesday at Highbury in another nail-biter. Those results gave fans the official line up for the 1983 final with Brighton facing Man Utd.

Brighton v Man Utd – FA Cup Final
The Seagulls and Red Devils took to the Wembley Turf on 21st May with 100,000 fans in attendance. The teams were well-matched in the stands and on the pitch.

There was nothing to separate the teams, and the final went to extra time locked at 2-2. Goals from Scotland’s Gordon Smith and Gary Stevens canceled strikes from Francis Stapleton and the great Ray Wilkins.

With penalties not an option in 1983, a replay was required to settle the score, and the teams renewed rivalries at Wembley just five days later.

It was another four-goal game, but this time United ran the show, winning 4-0. A combined 192,000 spectators watched both games, and it remains Brighton’s best effort in the FA Cup.

Will that change four decades later?