5 September 1910 - A Bright Day For Brighton & Hove

On 5 September 1910, Brighton & Hove Albion won their first and only national silverware, beating Aston Villa 1-0 in the Charity Shield.

England's Football Association began the Charity Shield in 1908 as a competition between the previous season's Football League and Southern League champions. For the first two years, the Football League claimed the honors. In 1910, Brighton and Hove Albion took up the Southern League standard against defending Football League champions Aston Villa.

The teams met at Stamford Bridge in London, where a crowd of 13,000 assembled to watch them engage in a defensive stalemate. With 18 minutes left in the match, Albion inside left Charlie Webb scored the match's only goal, giving his side the 1-0 win. While Brighton & Hove would go on to win four more lower division titles and advance to the 1983 FA Cup Final, the Charity Shield win remains their only national title.

In 1913, the Charity Shield format changed to amateurs against professionals, leaving Albion as the only Southern League team to win it. The format changed again over the years, so that the competition - now known as the Community Shield - currently pits the Football League winners against the FA Cup holders.

21 August 1901 - Brighton & Hove Take Flight

On 21 August 1901, Brighton and Hove Albion were founded. Nicknamed "the Seagulls," they have spent the majority of their existence in England's lower divisions, but with some flashes of success.

They first joined the Southern League, where they emerged as champions in the 1909-10 season. That qualified them for the 1910 Charity Shield against Football League champions Aston Villa, with Albion winning 1-0 thanks to goal from their inside-left, Charlie Webb (Webb played there from 1909 to 1915, then took over as manager from 1919 to 1947).

Albion joined the Football League for the 1920-21 season, starting in Division Three (South). They won promotion to the Second Division in 1958, but dropped back down in 1962, then fell into the Fourth Division one year later. After two seasons, they returned to Division Three and started a climb that led them to the top flight in 1979 under manager Alan Mullery.

Mullery left in 1981, but Albion continued to rise. They reached the 1983 FA Cup Final, where they took Manchester United to a replay before losing 4-0.

After four seasons in the top flight, Brighton and Hove dropped back down and have spent the interim working for a return. Under current manager Gus Poyet, they reached the Championship in 2011 and finished the season in a comfortable tenth place out of twenty-four teams.

5 September 1910 - A Bright Day For Brighton & Hove

On 5 September 1910, Brighton & Hove Albion won their first and only national silverware, beating Aston Villa 1-0 in the Charity Shield.

England's Football Association began the Charity Shield in 1908 as a competition between the previous season's Football League and Southern League champions. For the first two years, the Football League claimed the honors. In 1910, Brighton and Hove Albion took up the Southern League standard against defending Football League champions Aston Villa.

The teams met at Stamford Bridge in London, where a crowd of 13,000 assembled to watch them engage in a defensive stalemate. With 18 minutes left in the match, Albion inside left Charlie Webb scored the match's only goal, giving his side the 1-0 win. While Brighton & Hove would go on to win four more lower division titles and advance to the 1983 FA Cup Final, the Charity Shield win remains their only national title.

In 1913, the Charity Shield format changed to amateurs against professionals, leaving Albion as the only Southern League team to win it. The format changed again over the years, so that the competition - now known as the Community Shield - currently pits the Football League winners against the FA Cup holders.