Amanda Staveley did not know it at the time, but Eddie Howe and assistant Jason Tindall were not the only figures present in the directors' box at the Amex who were going to have a big say on Newcastle United's future.
The club's prospective sporting director, Dan Ashworth, was sitting just a few rows behind Staveley, Howe and Tindall ahead of Newcastle's new coaching team being unveiled last November.
Ashworth even shook Howe's hand as he made his way to his seat before the latter appeared to gesture that they would catch up inside after Newcastle's game against Brighton.
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Ashworth and Howe already know each other well and it was only a couple of months ago that the Newcastle head coach said he 'highly respected Dan and his work'.
Just as Howe had to think differently at Bournemouth so, too, did Ashworth at Brighton, where signing players with potential was everything.
Tony Finnigan, who is Brighton wing-back Solly March's agent, has dealt with Ashworth for years and quickly noted how the technical director 'just looks where others won't'.
"Dan's a straightforward guy," Finnigan told ChronicleLive. "He ain't up his own a--- like a lot of people in this game.
"I'm not saying he doesn't have an ego because he wouldn't be in football if he didn't, but he's easy-going.
"He looks at different territories in a good way, looks at talent in a different way, and is very good at his job. I've got a lot of time for him and I just find him an ultimate professional and an approachable guy."
Those at the top at Brighton are sad to see Ashworth go but genuinely wish him well, which perhaps not only reflects the job he has done but, also, how he has handled himself since Newcastle's interest first emerged.
Nolan Partners led the search on Newcastle's behalf and the firm's recruiters were again impressed by Ashworth - just as they were when they helped the Football Association and Brighton find him in 2012 and 2019 respectively.
Ashworth tends to work in six-year cycles, but the former England man will feel he was already close to achieving what he first set out to do, which was to turn Brighton into a top 10 side. The Seagulls currently sit in ninth place with 16 games to go.
The chance to move to Newcastle, and reshape football operations with enviable backing, was simply a once in a lifetime opportunity for Ashworth as the Magpies draw up plans to revamp the club's training ground and academy.
Before Ashworth can get to work, though, the 50-year-old will serve an extended period of gardening leave and continue to report to Brighton chief executive Paul Barber for any duties required during his notice.
However, you can bet Ashworth already has dozens of ideas for Newcastle stored away on his iPad. In fact, Newcastle's owners will already be well-aware of them.
Take the women's team, for instance. This is an area of the club that will fall under Ashworth's brief, alongside the men's first team, player recruitment, the academy, medical and sports science and loans, and the technical director helped turn Brighton into a side who punch well above their weight in the Women's Super League. That is exactly what Newcastle's owners want here on Tyneside in the future.
When it comes to youth development, too, Ashworth has an impressive record in an area Newcastle have long struggled with after he previously worked in the academies at Peterborough, Cambridge United and West Brom many years after he was released, himself, as a player by Norwich at the age of 17.
Ashworth is a leading figure in the field, having been given the prestigious Eamonn Dolan award last year, and, like at the FA, the technical director helped design a curriculum at Brighton to develop players for the senior squad that were comfortable on the ball in any area of the pitch.
It is not a coincidence that England enjoyed unprecedented success at youth level during Ashworth's spell with the Three Lions: the under-20s and 17s won the World Cup; the under-19s won the European Championships; and the under-21s made the semi-finals of the Euros.
What about loans? Well, at Brighton, dossiers would be compiled on players that were just as detailed as the data gathered on transfer targets and this was, certainly, not just for show. Indeed, tellingly, Robert Sanchez, Jakub Moder and Alexis Mac Allister have all become key players at Brighton after successful temporary spells away from the club. Even Shane Duffy returned to the fold after a poor spell at Celtic.
Ashworth helped establish a culture at Brighton where the Seagulls looked within, at their own depth chart, before turning to the transfer market and that is the sort of sustainable philosophy Newcastle will need in the years to come.
Equally, when signings do need to be made, Ashworth has years of experience in the field, whether it is climbing over a fence to watch target Claudio Yacob train in Argentina during his time at West Brom or negotiating a move for Nicky Shorey with Aston Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner when he was on holiday at Disney World with his family.
At Brighton, Ashworth worked in tandem with head of recruitment Paul Winstanley, who led on transfers, and do not be surprised if a similar partnership is established with Steve Nickson at Newcastle.
Howe, like Brighton boss Graham Potter, will identify what position is needed alongside assistant Tindall and the recruitment team will then put together a list of players who fit his profile and style of play.
Ashworth will effectively act as a bridge between Howe and the club's new chief executive, who looks set to follow the sporting director through the door before the season is out, and establish an over-arching philosophy for the medium and long-term.
Together, with the owners, they will help shape this new era.
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