Winter Wonderland games

[Guest worth_the_wait]

Yesterday's match in the snow, got me thinking about other memorable games played when it was snowing or on frosty/icy pitches.

 

We don't seem to get many of these winter "classic" games these days.   It doesn't (generally) get as cold these days ... and when it does, the authorities often call games off due to conditions outside the ground.
 
In the good old days, the games just tended to be played unless it was REALLY bad.  A few that spring to mind ...

 

1976-77
Home to Birmingham City (old Div 1)
Frosty rock hard pitch.
We were 0-6 down after an hour, although pulled a couple of late goals back to make it 2-6.

 

1978-79
Away to Stoke City (old Div 2)
Freezing cold day, rock hard pitch.
Stoke were all over us and practically the whole match took place in our half of the field.
We somehow amazingly scraped a 0-0 draw.

 

Home to Norwich City (FA Cup 3rd round)
The baloon had protected the pitch, enough to allow the game to go ahead.  But it was a poor surface - hard and slippy.
Norwich were riding high in the old Div 1 at the time, and we had a team of kids ... but ran rings around them.
We won 3-0 (including a great goal from Keith Weller in white tights).

 

1981-82
Home to Watford (old Div 2)
One of the coldest days last Century (it was about -13 C during the game).
The baloon got the game on, but as soon as it was removed the pitch froze in minutes.  It was rock hard by 3pm.
One of the Main Stand terraces was out of action, as they'd shovelled all the snow from around the pitch into it.
The game finished 1-1.   Lineker scored the opener.   Can't remember much else about the game.   It was COLD!

 

1983-84
Away to Notts County (old Div 1)
All I remember is being in the open terrace, and it was blizzard conditions for a lot of the match.
We were 2-1 down at half time, but ended up winning 5-2  (Lineker hat-trick).

 

(I also remember standing on the open terrace at Barnsley with a blizzard raging.   Early 90's I think, but can't remember exactly when.)

 

[BKLFox]

Most recent was the infamous 2010 game v Ipswich

With Roy Keane under pressure he made sure the ref didn’t call the game off with Ipswich 3 up at HT, despite a blanket of snow covering the ground.

it was totally ridiculous and really should have been called and not because we were losing but the ball didn’t roll 

[SpacedX]

Watched us lose away to, funnily enough, Watford in December 1986. It was Siberian conditions and back then Vicarage Road had open terracing at the away end. Drove home in a blizzard after the drivers side window had jammed down. 

[SystonFox]

Although there was no snow on the pitch Walsall away league one era

[StanSP]

Middlesborough was nearly called off about 6 or 7 seasons ago. Think Kasper saved a penalty right at the end. 

[Corky]

Ipswich was an absolute disgrace. Should have been called off after 75 minutes, they should've had the points and everyone could've gone home. Tannoy announcements at the town being gridlocked, trains cancelled/ delayed and we're sat there watching blokes shovelling snow in a blizzard to play on for no good reason.

[tom27111]

6 minutes ago, SystonFox said:

Although there was no snow on the pitch Walsall away league one era

Snowball fights with all the snow cleared from the pitch piled up by the advertising hoardings!

 

Tom Cleverley played that night, as he did yesterday.

 

I've been to hundreds of games, but yesterday was the first I've been to played in those conditions. 

 

They used to call them off, nowadays, they'll call them off for safety outside the ground, even if the pitch is clear.

[HybridFox]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

Middlesborough was nearly called off about 6 or 7 seasons ago. Think Kasper saved a penalty right at the end. 

Could barely get the car to the end of the road that day. Had to watch it on Sky

[grobyfox1990]

Ipswich away was memorable, only went ahead because it was picked for sky coverage. Likewise Middlesbrough at home that Friday night. Didn’t go to that match due to work, watched it with a boro supporting colleague and remember him literally smashing up the toilets in the office after the late peno miss. Rest of them were before my time 

[DoveValleyFox]

Boxing day 1984. 2-1 win at Anfield courtesy of goals from Lineker and Smith.

 

We were 2-0 up within 10 minutes and the result was never in doubt. One of the great away performances under Milne.

[Stadt]

Middlesbrough in the snow was a classic. Atmosphere was amazing that night.

[CrazyKopCorner]

Shrewsbury at Home - Would have been about Feb 1983 was the coldest game I've ever attended - I thought I'd got frost bite in my feet. I'm sure the attendance was something like 6,655. 

 

I remember we won 3 - 2 and went on the great run which resulted in us getting promotion on the last game of the season against Burnley. 

 

 

[OntarioFox]

Trying to remember who it was against - Swindon or Hereford spring to mind - but I remember an absolutely bitter home night game in the League One season, where it was just too warm for snow but we were getting absolutely blasted by horizontal sleety rain in the family stand. Since there were no fairweathers about in them days, we all ended up in the back 10 or so rows huddled up to keep warm and dry.

 

Winter wonderland my arse! 

 

 

[TrentFox]

1978. Lineker’s debut on New Year’s Day versus Oldham, I think? 2-0 victory, 🤷, but was as cold as I can remember being at a match …… maybe because since then I always wear forty layers? He got taken off at half-time. It may have  been frostbite? 🤔

[SexyGammonFox]

18 hours ago, TK95 said:

Could barely get the car to the end of the road that day. Had to watch it on Sky

Same, I actually ended up walking there and back from Wigston. I don't think I could feel my feet at all by the time I got back. Fun though.

[dayday]

22 hours ago, worth_the_wait said:

1976-77
Home to Birmingham City (old Div 1)
Frosty rock hard pitch.
We were 0-6 down after an hour, although pulled a couple of late goals back to make it 2-6.

Did we have the wrong boots on or something like that, to young to remember, but sure I saw a program about it

[Guest worth_the_wait]

2 hours ago, dayday said:

Did we have the wrong boots on or something like that, to young to remember, but sure I saw a program about it

Yeah, partially down to the wrong boots.

I think what happened, was the players were told about 1pm that the game was off.   So they didn't bother with any proper pre-match routine.

Then about 2.15pm (probably because the TV cameras were there), that the game was actually ON.

One of the Leicester players interviewed, maybe The Birch, said they were completely unprepared both mentally and physically.

Hence the reason we were 0-6 down after about an hour!

[DoveValleyFox]

7 hours ago, CrazyKopCorner said:

Shrewsbury at Home - Would have been about Feb 1983 was the coldest game I've ever attended - I thought I'd got frost bite in my feet. I'm sure the attendance was something like 6,655. 

 

I remember we won 3 - 2 and went on the great run which resulted in us getting promotion on the last game of the season against Burnley. 

 

 

Yes, I went to that one. The lowest league attendance in the freezing cold ended up being the springboard for the promotion push. Then we took more than 6000 fans away to Fulham for the decider. 

[Super_horns]

I remember you playing Boro at home on Sky and there was about 8k there .

 

 

[Guest Electric Yetis]

7 hours ago, OntarioFox said:

Trying to remember who it was against - Swindon or Hereford spring to mind - but I remember an absolutely bitter home night game in the League One season, where it was just too warm for snow but we were getting absolutely blasted by horizontal sleety rain in the family stand. Since there were no fairweathers about in them days, we all ended up in the back 10 or so rows huddled up to keep warm and dry.

 

Winter wonderland my arse! 

 

 

Sure that was the 1-1 draw with Stockport. Kerrea Gilbert got his only goal for us, with a cross.

 

We were soaked and had to move to the back.

 

Also snow and ice everywhere on the way to the ground for the 0-0 draw with Oldham when Dean Windass had to go in goal.

 

Not snow but Blackburn at home in the PL around '98 was also almost impossible to see the whole match due to fog. 

[Vlad the Fox]

On 29/11/2021 at 19:22, Corky said:

Ipswich was an absolute disgrace. Should have been called off after 75 minutes, they should've had the points and everyone could've gone home. Tannoy announcements at the town being gridlocked, trains cancelled/ delayed and we're sat there watching blokes shovelling snow in a blizzard to play on for no good reason.

Didn’t we lose about three players to injury during that match. Awful and dangerous conditions.

 

You also have to question the decision making at burnley. You’ve got thousands of spurs fans making the journey, the snow was settling hours before and the forecast was only getting worse. Yet they decide to wait until the last minute to decide, no consideration for the fans whatsoever.

[1972 Fox]

7 hours ago, TrentFox said:

1978. Lineker’s debut on New Year’s Day versus Oldham, I think? 2-0 victory, 🤷, but was as cold as I can remember being at a match …… maybe because since then I always wear forty layers? He got taken off at half-time. It may have  been frostbite? 🤔

Actually NYD 1979 but you're correct about the freezing temperature. The coldest I think I've ever been at a football match, me and my mates were in the east stand and trying to warm our feet with the a bare flame from a cigarette lighter . Lineker, Bobby Smith and Dave Buchanan all made their debuts that day, with the latter two both scoring.

[dayday]

Port vale away Feb 1992, absolutely freezing, went for a bovril to try and warm up, and it tasted disgusting, thankfully a Kevin( Rooster) Russell grabbed a brace in a 2-1 win

 

Never did know where Rooster came from.

[Father Ted]

I remember a fixture at Watford, only mentioning it as it is Watford too, and not sure if it snowed but I remember there were doubts over whether the game would go ahead or not. Possibly the coldest I’ve been at a game in England. We lost 3-2, I’m sure Paul Gallagher got a brace - free kick and penalty

[STEVIE B]

1 hour ago, DoveValleyFox said:

Yes, I went to that one. The lowest league attendance in the freezing cold ended up being the springboard for the promotion push. Then we took more than 6000 fans away to Fulham for the decider. 

I went to that Fulham game as a teenager ! 

I'm sure there were stories/reports we took 10k. We had the whole terrace behind the goal where Wilson scored, plus pockets elsewhere.