How Terry Venables helped spark an unlikely rivalry between Crystal Palace and Brighton

Some football rivalries make perfect sense.

Celtic Park and Ibrox, Old Trafford and the Etihad, Anfield and Goodison Park - stadiums all within five miles of each other that provide the true essence of what it means to share a city with another footballing behemoth.

Only geographical location isn’t always where rivalries begin, however.

Gillingham and Swindon (120 miles apart) are mortal enemies thanks to a series of hot-headed clashes during the late 1970s in the old Division Three.

Bournemouth and Watford (110 miles apart) share a similar dislike for each other after both bitterly battled for promotion during the 2014/15 season.

Then comes Crystal Palace and Brighton. Separated by the A23 - though never use this to describe the - and now facing each other twice a season in the Premier League, the two clubs have been enemies for decades.

Things started in the mid-1970s when young managers and former England and Spurs teammates Terry Venables (Crystal Palace) and Alan Mullery (Brighton) were tasked with guiding their respective teams from Division Three to Division One.

This was achieved quickly for both clubs, though not without its fair share of animosity as the two vied for top spot while climbing the football ladder.

The most synonymous clash between the two clubs, and the one that is best remembered for sparking the rivalry into what it is known as today, occurred in a fiery FA Cup first round replay in 1977 at Stamford Bridge.

Palace won the tie 1-0, though Mullery’s antics after the full-time whistle left a sour taste on the clash. The Brighton boss swore at the travelling Eagles fans and is famously said to have walked into the Palace dressing room, thrown five pounds onto the floor and told Venables: “Your