The Forest match is an important milestone for Brighton FanZoner Brett Mendoza, for more than one reason.
Gully's Girls deserve your attention one last time
This weekend sees one of those rare occasions where Brighton do the traditional thing and kick off a home game at 3pm on a Saturday. It is just the fourth time it will have happened this season.
The Forest game also sees a couple of landmarks in my Brighton-supporting life. Firstly, the match will be my 800th game, a ludicrous figure which equates to 50 whole days of my life just watching Brighton. I went to my first game in 1987 on a trip with Beavers to The Goldstone Ground, and ever since then I have been hooked.
My favourite game by far was The Amex homecoming with Buckley's 98th minute winner. Honestly I don't think that moment will ever be topped in my life time.
The worst game was Carlisle away during Micky Adams' second spell in charge. We lost 3-1, the team were clueless and abject, fans started arguing amongst themselves, we were relegation fodder, and worst of all we were in Carlisle.
541 have been homes games, and 258 have been spent travelling the length and depth of the country watching us mainly be distinctly average. I wouldn't have had it any other way, though.
The main reason I still love going is that football has a great social aspect to it. I have made met many, many great people and made some great friendships.
end of an era
Speaking of friends made, the other landmark is to do with a certain group of friends. Gully's Girls to be exact. After eight glorious years, the powers that be at the club have, for whatever reason, decided it is time for them to come to an end.
Despite some strongly worded letters and a petition from the fans being sent to the club, Saturday's pre-match dance looks set to be their last, so I urge you all to have one less pie or pint and watch them in action.
They have been entertaining the crowd with their array of routines, tricks, flips, throws and fire breathing since 2004. But all good things must come to an end. As well as the dancing, they do a lot of work in the local community, going to schools and clubs, teaching cheer and promoting all good things Brighton & Hove Albion.
I do voluntary work for a charity who work closely with the Albion, that's how I first met the girls back in 2008. Over the years they have been helping me with various charity projects, helping raise thousands of pounds for amazing causes. Over that time our friendships grew, especially in the last year.
They made me an honorary Gully's Girl and have given me a whole catalogue of nicknames based on creative variations of Brett (I'm sure my other mates have dubbed me worse things).
The weekend just gone, I was honoured and lucky enough to be the only bloke invited to the Gully's Girls Christmas party. Many drinks were had, twice as much fun was had, there was even a token bit of Gangnam Style dancing in amongst it all. It was another one for the collection of the brilliantly surreal moments I've been having during 2012 - What a year!
Without wanting to sound too cheesy, I love them all, more than I love fried chicken. I just want to thank them all for being so welcoming to me, it's been a blast and you'll all be missed! XX - Blimey that sounded like a soppy love letter!
Back to the football, other than the embarrassing display during the big derby day with Palace, we are doing OK. Although that defeat hurt the fans massively, I think we are doing well this season. We are just outside the play-offs and gaining more consistency. It's a good position to be in going into the second half of the season.
On another note, Craig Mackail-Smith has now scored more league goals this season than he did the whole of last season. Luckily for the brilliant Free Kicks Foundation charity, that means they have benefited from £50 out of my pocket so far this season. I have been donating £5 to them each time he has scored.
Keep banging them in Craig, starting with Forest on Saturday!
