Greatest Games Of My Life #8 - Brighton 2-2 Blackpool, 2011.

Now you're probably thinking - "What? a 2-2 draw with Blackpool?!" Well, yes because it was my first ever game at the Amex Stadium. Brighton & Hove Albion were no longer at Withdean Stadium and had recently moved into the brand new Falmer Stadium (or Amex Stadium is the other name for sponsorship reasons).

So after a nice two week holiday in Spain, it's back home. Summers coming to an end and it's back to school soon. "Urgh!" the 11 year old me was thinking. But fear not, the excitement was still in me because today was my first time going to our new home.

After a long morning departing Spain, me and my family were back in England. My Dad came and picked me up from my Mother's house and we drove to the ground.

Now I'd seen the outside of the stadium before many times because I used to go to a leisure centre not far from the ground in Falmer. So I had been keeping an eye on it since they started construction - slowly watching it rise from the ground.

Oh yeah in case you were wondering, the 11 year old me did not go to the gym by himself to work out - that was my mum's department. Even though I wanted to be MR Cool at school and tell everyone I went to the gym, no.

Swimming it was.

Anyway...

So we rocked up, season tickets out, the search from the stewards, the long flight of stairs from ground level to the West Upper stand, the smell of pies and hot dogs, one last stop for the toilet and BANG! This would be my new second home and I was already in love with it.

It was a beautiful sunny August day and the stadium looked great. The days of Withdean were now behind us, this is a proper football ground. We're up high with an amazing view of the whole stadium.

Now this was back in 2011 so I had to do a bit of research... because I was trying to remember the goalscorers! But Craig Mackail-Smith scored a header in the first half and then Ashley Barnes netted one in the second half.

Brilliant, 2-0 up, first game, perfect da- ohhhh Blackpool!! 2-2 was the final result but to be honest, I wasn't that bothered because it was my first ever Amex experience.

I couldn't wait to go back. It was to be the first of many games there and to this day I'm still no way near done yet. It will be my second home for decades.

By Ed Ettridge