Jimmy Case joined Brighton from Liverpool in August 1981 as a £450,000 makeweight when Mark Lawrenson went the other way and he played a large part in the success achieved at the Goldstone Ground in the early 1980s.
With Brighton, Jimmy scored the winning goal at Anfield in the 5th round of the 1983 FA Cup, also scoring in the quarter and semi finals as the Seagulls reached the final for the only time to date. The game ended 2–2 with Brighton passing up a great opportunity to win the cup when Gordon Smith hit a shot directly at United keeper Gary Bailey, who pulled off a spectacular save. Brighton’s chance of glory had gone, and they were beaten 4–0 in the replay.
Brighton had already been relegated from the First Division in bottom place. In spite of this setback, Jimmy remained at the Goldstone Ground for nearly two years after the Seagulls were relegated, including a further FA Cup victory over Liverpool in January 1984.