Peter Ward, the Brighton & Hove Albion striker, was on the last train out of Newcastle, heading to the south coast. So were his captain, Brian Horton, and the rest of a triumphant team. The Seagulls were in a mood to celebrate as they boarded the Pullman Brighton Belle carriage on a special train with 12 coaches filled with fans. They had won promotion to the First Division on the last day of the season.

“It was like a party the whole way home as we mingled with the fans,” recalls Ward. Defender Gary Williams was also at the party. “The most amazing thing,” he says, “is that when we arrived in Brighton at about one o’clock in the morning and fell out of the train, there were 2,000 fans waiting at the station to meet us.”

It had been a long trip for Albion, who had missed promotion the season before, losing on goal difference to Tottenham. This time destiny was in their own hands: they had to beat Newcastle United away.

“We were up there four or five days before the match and got acclimatised to their weather,” Ward jokes. “We played golf one day and trained every day. It was the way our manager, Alan Mullery, kept the players together.

“The weather was weird on the day of the match. It was sunny, it rained and it snowed. We went crash, bang, wallop and were three up by half-time.” Horton scored the first with a header, Ward the second and Gerry Ryan the third to calm Brighton nerves, but not those of the manager.

“Going in at half-time, Mullery was screaming and going crazy. You would have thought we were losing 3-0. Brian Horton said to him: ‘Boss, we’re winning. Relax’.” Newcastle scored a goal in the second half, but it was never going to be enough. Cue the celebration. They were rewarded with a trip to America.

There was one sour note, though. “When we were on the plane,” says Williams, “the captain announced that our fiercest rivals, Crystal Palace, had won the league.” Palace, with a game in hand, beat Burnley to pip Brighton to the title by one point.

Ward was later sold to Nottingham Forest. He returned on loan to help Albion to the 1983 FA Cup final against Manchester United. “The final was nerve-racking,” says goalkeeper Graham Moseley. “You wanted everyone to play well and not get beaten 6-0. Fortunately, we did well and nearly beat United.” Gordon Smith almost scored the winner but the match finished 2-2 and United won the replay 4-0.

One player missing was the on-loan Ward. “Before the sixth round, I told [manager] Brian Clough at Forest that Brighton wanted to keep me until the end of the season. Cloughie said: ‘Son, I have never been to a cup final and neither will you’.” Recalled north, Ward never got his chance.

1 Giles Stille Ahard-working midfielder who made only 27 league appearances in five seasons because of injury. Became a manager in Sweden, where he coaches.

2 Teddy Maybank A striker who scored 16 goals in two seasons, he works in construction and has appeared on TV shows Blind Date and The Weakest Link, which he won.

3 Malcolm Poskett The much-travelled forward spent two seasons with Brighton. He finished his career in Carlisle, where he makes a living selling cars.

4 Gary Williams He enjoyed five years at the Goldstone ground in defence. He had a television company and now works for a family-run catering business in Brighton.

5 Mike Kerslake An England youth full-back who failed to out of league football.

6 Gerry Ryan A goal-scoring winger who spent seven winters at the Albion. Ryan won 18 caps for the Republic of Ireland. He is landlord of the Witch Inn in Lindfield.

7 Steve Foster A defender who had two spells at the club and played nearly 300 league games for them. He won three England caps and was a member of the 1982 World Cup squad. make the Brighton first team and dropped. Works in insurance and was part of a consortium that recently bid for Luton Town.

8 Andy Rollings A six-year tenure at the Goldstone ground was the highlight of the central defender’s career. He runs the Chalet Cafe in Preston Park, Brighton.

9 Graham Moseley A goalkeeper who spent nine years at Brighton but missed the match at Newcastle after putting his hand through a window on holiday in Jersey. He sold caravans and owns properties in Brighton. He is a delivery driver in Chepstow.

10 Eric Steele This England schoolboy goalkeeper played for seven league clubs and was at Brighton for two years. He is goalkeeping coach at Manchester City.

11 Martin Chivers On the last legs of a career that brought him 24 England caps and success at Tottenham, the striker played in five league games for Brighton. He is a matchday host at Spurs.

12 Mark Lawrenson Signed from Preston for £100,000, he played a crucial role in central defence in his four-year stay. Sold to Liverpool for £900,000, he had great success at Anfield. He won 38 caps for the Republic of Ireland and is a pundit with the BBC.

13 John Gregory A midfielder, he spent two seasons with Brighton and won six England caps. He has managed Aston Villa, Derby and QPR, where he was dismissed last October.

14 Paul Clark An England youth defender signed from Southend, he had four seasons with the Seagulls. Clark managed Southend to promotion and commentates on Essex radio.

15 Peter Sayer A Wales winger who spent two seasons at Brighton is bar manager of the Preston golf club.

16 Brian Horton A determined midfielder, he finished his playing career at Hull, where he became manager. He was also in charge at Manchester City, Brighton and Port Vale. He has returned to Hull City as assistant manager.

17 Peter O’Sullivan A Brighton stalwart, the winger played in 435 league matches in 11 years and won three caps for Wales. He works for a Brighton plant-hire company.

18 Peter Ward Prolific striker for the Albion with 79 goals in 178 league outings in first of two spells. He lives in Tampa Bay, Florida, where he coaches youth football.

ESPN Classic, Sky channel 442, will show the 1983 FA Cup final between Brighton and Man Utd at 9pm today