Strangest match you've ever seen?

[pork pie]

One really strange match I remember was against Charlton at the Goldstone - the fog came down and you could not see a bloody thing!

 

[element]

A game at TGG in the early 90's (?) in the LDV Trophy or something similar, where two of the floodlights (diagonally opposed) packed up in thick fog and the ref, probably not wanting to abandon the match, carried the game on. I think we lost 1-2...

Of course I had to give my pal the line, 'I can't see them winning this one...'

 

[Tooting Gull]

Longford v Brighton, by a country mile. Then there was the fogbound one against Leicester at Withdean where no one could see what was going on. And the Palace five-pen fiasco.

 

[EastbourneGull]

I am sure that game was much later - I'd say 75/76 or even 76/77. I was there too.

The game should never have been played - in fact rumour has it that the referee told Mullery (must have been later than 71/2 as Mullery was in charge)that the game was OFF - Mullery ordered Fish and Chips for the players to eat before heading for home - the ref then changed his mind and said the game was ON. Mullery went spare, and the ref said if there was any rain whatsoever he would abandon the game.

Which he did. At 4-0 to Swindon with 20 minutes to go!

I stand corrected - although I have a mental picture of Brian Bromley wading around in midfield and he left in '73. Must have been someone else with dark hair and big bushy sideburns. I was definitely with my girlfriend although she would have been my wife by then! Or was it somebody else?

As my old Latin master used to say - Tempus Fu**it

 

[Nottseagull]

I remember going to Swindon, in 71/72 season I think. Mid winter, bitterly cold day. The pitch was an absolute pudding. Late in the first half it started to snow heavily - great fat wet lazy looking snowdrops. Albion started to ship goals and by midway through the second half they were 4-0 down.

With twenty minutes to go the referee abandonded the match - Swindon players and supporters incensed. Me, my new girlfriend, both frozen to the marrow (I knew how to give a girl a good time) made a discrete exit in my Morris Marina and back to Eastbourne.

Postscript 1: In the rearranged fixture later in the season Albion won 3-2 and got promoted to Division 2.

Postcript 2: She married me but that match somewhat cooled her enthusiasm for football - and she is still contented to be a Saturday afternoon widow.

I went to both games, and I'm sure we lost the second one as well. (1-2?) I don't remember it snowing at all, just rain.
Best part of the first match was the walk back to the station with choruses of
...what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again. Just singing, singing in the rain...

 

[Nottseagull]

Cup match in Peterborough in the snow. Justin Fashanu doing a Bambi on ice impersonation and for some inexplicable reason, to me anyway, fighting on the terraces amongst Brighton fans

And that was pre-NSC as well!
That was the coldest I have ever been at an afternoon football match, but the atmosphere from c.4000 Albion fans on the big covered terrace more than compensated.

 

[Arthur]

Buxted v Juventus

Bloody CRAZEEEEE that day was.

Juve Ultras didn't know what hit em when the Buxted WI steamed out of the tea room!

The look on that Wops face when Maude went at him with her rolling pin......priceless! He was away on his vespa quicker than you could say Mama Mia.

They took a hiding from the Lye Green girl guides later that season as well if memory recalls.

 

[BLOCK F]

I am sure that game was much later - I'd say 75/76 or even 76/77. I was there too.

The game should never have been played - in fact rumour has it that the referee told Mullery (must have been later than 71/2 as Mullery was in charge)that the game was OFF - Mullery ordered Fish and Chips for the players to eat before heading for home - the ref then changed his mind and said the game was ON. Mullery went spare, and the ref said if there was any rain whatsoever he would abandon the game.

Which he did. At 4-0 to Swindon with 20 minutes to go!

I went to that match,and you are correct it was later than '72;possibly 1976/77.Drove down from Surrey on my own and was surprised the game ever started.We just weren't at the races ....the fish and chips could explain it!!Had a chuckle when the game was abandoned,but did feel a bit of sympathy for the opposition.Drove back home, went to the pub and all was well with the world!!Driving home after a thrashing would not have been good!!

 

[Storer68]

Must be the FA Cup Final in 1983 - watching the Albion walk out at Wembley in the biggest game of the year against Manchester United was the stuff of playground kickabouts - not really happening in front of my eyes - unbeleivable

 

[Dave the OAP]

Division 1 v. Coventry. In those days clubs' away strip was quite conventional and not used unless the colour clash was obvious. Coventry turned up in Cadbury's Dairy Milk brown shirts and brown shorts (with sky blue trim I think). 20,000 people gasped in amazement as they ran onto the pitch.

Yes!

...and then Wales copied the kit but red not chocolate.....that kit was horrendous


Orient 4-4 was bizzare

 

[Dave the OAP]

I went to that match,and you are correct it was later than '72;possibly 1976/77.Drove down from Surrey on my own and was surprised the game ever started.We just weren't at the races ....the fish and chips could explain it!!Had a chuckle when the game was abandoned,but did feel a bit of sympathy for the opposition.Drove back home, went to the pub and all was well with the world!!Driving home after a thrashing would not have been good!!

i was there and a bloke I played golf with played in goal for the albion that night

 

[cheshunt seagull]

QPR 5 Newcastle 5 1983/4 on the plastic pitch. Newcastle 4-0 up at half time.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

World Cup Final 1998 when Brazil came out like dead men walking, completely spooked by Ronaldo's having had fits in the lead-up to the game, and gifted it to France. Load of huge bets went down the pan that day, and it's never been properly explained

 

[Nottseagull]

How about the match at Bramhall Lane; 3-0 down, 4-3 up, lost 5-4?
Or the home match v Walsall, boring first half, 0-0 at half-time but won 7-0.

 

[element]

We played Pompey once at TGG and were three down by half time due to some comedy refereeing decisions. Spleens were vented at said official as he walked off at half time and he didn't return for the second half, probably due to anxiety at the thought of having to officiate in front of a hostile crowd

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I remember going to Swindon, in 71/72 season I think. Mid winter, bitterly cold day. The pitch was an absolute pudding. Late in the first half it started to snow heavily - great fat wet lazy looking snowdrops. Albion started to ship goals and by midway through the second half they were 4-0 down.

With twenty minutes to go the referee abandonded the match - Swindon players and supporters incensed. Me, my new girlfriend, both frozen to the marrow (I knew how to give a girl a good time) made a discrete exit in my Morris Marina and back to Eastbourne.

Postscript 1: In the rearranged fixture later in the season Albion won 3-2 and got promoted to Division 2.

Postcript 2: She married me but that match somewhat cooled her enthusiasm for football - and she is still contented to be a Saturday afternoon widow.

Your Mrs will be none too pleased at you for getting the year wrong, or maybe it just seems like you've been with her longer?

As others have pointed out, it was 76/77 so new years day 1977. I hadn't heared the fish & chip story before but it certainly was a game that we could have lost 6-0 at least, if it had run it's course. We all sang in the rain once it was called off!

We actually lost 2-1 when the game was replayed at the end of the season, but we were already up. If we had suffered that heavy loss of the 1st game it could have derailed our season.


Oh....I met my Mrs the night before, so I have another reason to remember the date!

 

[Superphil]

League Cup match against Southampton in September 2001.

Very strange atmosphere that day.

The very first thing I thought of too. Nothing else has ever been that strange

 

[Gwylan]

A match between Geneva and Lausanne which was 2-2 after 9 minutes and carried on in that vein throughout the game. Neither side wanted to defend and it was only poor finishing that stopped it being a cricket score. In the end Geneva won 6-3 but it could have been a lot more.

It was my only experience of Swiss football and one to remember.

I also appreciated being in the back row of the stand, near the bar and could get served beer throughout the game without leaving my seat.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The Kelvin Morton, 5 penalty show. UTTERLY ridiculous!