What's the worst weather conditions you have encountered at a match?

[chips and gravy]

Just noticed that it's the next Worthing v Lewes encounter next week. The last one was abandoned after 68 mins and this set me thinking - what's the worst conditions you have encountered at a game?

Wind - I remember a game at the Goldstone against Swindon which finished 3-3 in 1990 when it was blowing a gale.

Cold - unbelievably at Torquay when Albion played there on New Year's Day in 1997. You can read about this fixture in Gary Nelson's book Left Foot in the Grave. It was so cold the stewards allowed all the fans on the terrace to go into the stand to get out of the icy wind. Roker Park in Sunderland was always cold too - the wind blew straight in off the North Sea.

Rain - has to be at Barnet in 1998 when Ifijiagwa scored for us - was he Nigerian? I remember singing about him being a ... international!

Heat - Southend in the Div 3 championship season

Snow - at Wigan in 1993 I think. We played with an orange ball and it was difficult to see the other end of the pitch. By the second half it was beautifully sunny!

 

[Easy 10]

I can remember a 3-0 defeat at Pompey, with torrential horizontal rain blowing straight into our faces on the open away end.

Grim.

 

[bhafc99]

Coldest ever was at Peterborough in a cup game, mid 80s. The pitch was covered in snow (so much so that one of the Posh goals came when the ball careered off a snowy hillock and looped crazily over Perry Digweed). We'd got there late and couldn't move far from the tunnel into the packed terracing. All game long a howling artic wind was funnelled down the tunnel and through our shivering bones.

Wierdest ever was actually a fog-bound cup game between Wimbledon and Aston Villa at Scumhurst, probably around 1992. It went to penalties, which took place at the far end of the ground. We couldn't see what was happening at all, and had to rely on shouts from the crowd to tell us whether or not each penalty was a goal.

And we can't cover weather without a mention of the first couple of seasons at Withdean, when the drainage was appalling. I remember a game, I think it was Southend around New Year (though please correct me if I'm wrong), when the ball regularly skidded to a sloshing halt in knee-deep puddles as aquaplaning players glided uncontrollably past. Madness.

 

[wallington seagull]

Barnet was the wettest I can remember - it was so wet the players didn't come out to warm up. it was quite strange - both teams ran out at 3 minutes to 3 and just tossed up and kicked off.
barnet on Boxing Day a few years ago was probably the coldest I have been to.
I have an old soccer book (100 years of soccer in pictures) that shows a group of Albion fans in the 60s on the east terrace on Boxing day with an Alladin parrafin stove - imagine trying to get that into a ground with todays rules!

 

[Gwylan]

And we can't cover weather without a mention of the first couple of seasons at Withdean, when the drainage was appalling. I remember a game, I think it was Southend around New Year (though please correct me if I'm wrong), when the ball regularly skidded to a sloshing halt in knee-deep puddles as aquaplaning players glided uncontrollably past. Madness.

I remember that one. Was Southend, New Year's Day 2001. Lost 2-0. Also remember a game against Bristol Rovers on Boxing Day about 1990(?) that was equally flooded.

Coldest I've been was probably at Walsall about 1991/92. Absolutely freezing gale blew off the moors. Or against Orient at the Goldstone in about 1969.

Was at the Swindon match that was abandoned for snow when we were losing 4-0. Marvellous.

 

[aftershavedave]

barnet on Boxing Day a few years ago was probably the coldest I have been to.

me too, bloody freezing that day

 

[Kylies Stunt Arse]

Barnet on Boxing Day was seriously cold.

There was a Friday night game on a Friday against Rochdale that we lost, first season at Withdean. I know it was torrential rain that night too.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Bournemouth away around 95ish was very wet. Spent whole journey down listening to the radio waiting the postponement, sat in the car park listening to local radio and the game only got the go ahead at about 2:50 so got out to get soaked on the old Brighton Beach end.

Won 3-0, game should never have been played, Junior scored after a long hoof upfield which should have gone out of play landed in a puddle and he won the race to get there and put it past the keeper.

As for cold, Hull between christmas and new year was very cold a few years back.

 

[MRRF 10]

shrewsbury, 2000, tipped it down non-stop for the whole game

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Anyone remember a Palace away game in about 84 -85.i had my program in my inside coat pocket and when i took it out it was 1 heavy lump of sodden paper.I was soaked through to my pants that day.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Oh and coldest.Sheffield United away in about 87.That was COLD.

 

[Captain Pugwash]

Rochdale at home in december 99, what made it worse was the fact that we lost 4-3. I don't know if any1 remembers but i think it was more wet then cold

 

[bhafc99]

There was a Friday night game on a Friday....

They usually are...

 

[Wilko]

Stupidest was the Southend at Withdean - so bad it postponed the next 3 home games.

It was FUCKIN boiling at oldham on the opening game of this season too

 

[Zeitgeist]

Worst for rain was Bristol Rovers on boxing day 1990 and Rochdale at Withdean on a Friday night before Christmas 1999. At least at the Goldstone, we had a roof. *sigh* Coldest I think was Peterborough in 1986, ( away and home ) plus a game at Charlton on New years day, sometime in the mid eighties. Brrrrrrrrr

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

I remember the Charlton game,Gary O'rielly scored after about a minute and then nothing for the next 89.It really was boring if i remember.Do you remember that bloody great empty terrace on the other side of the ground with weeds growing out of it.that was mammoth.

 

[Seagulls over Lewes]

Hottest Oldham this year.

Coldest Torquay new years day.

Wettest Worthing v Lewes this year. Also Bradford at home last season.

Snow Peterborough in the F.A. Cup.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

Backing-up Seagulls Over Lewes, Torquay away on a New Years Day a few years back was seriously cold.

At somepoint one of the 5 that had gone down by car started jumping up and down in the seated section and singing: "Jump Around If You're f***ing Cold" and we soon followed suit. We soon changed this to "Jump Around If You Hate Archer" and the rest is history...

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Worthing BHA

 

[Kenhead]

The rochdale game tippted it down, got soaked, the leicester game was the most foggist game i ever seen (or couldn't) also bradford last year i seem to be quite wet after the game but we won 3-2!

 

[Gritt23]

Home to Birmingham sometime in the 80's, in the Full Members Cup (remember that?). Me and my mate Chris were stood on the North Terrace and the fog was so heavy we couldn't see the halfway line - I'm sure they didn't call it off because they didn't want to come all that way again for such a poxy Cup.

They were kicking towards the South goal in the first half. We heard the whistle go and off the players disappeared into the fog of the South end. Moments later they all ran back and the tannoy announced, "After 1 minute, Birmingham first goal ... Kieran O'Regan own goal." We may as well have been listening on the radio for updates.

2nd half we stood right at the front with our faces up against the fence to see as far as we could - not much over the halfway line. Still, we had a good view of Birmingham's 2nd and 3rd goals.

Strange, strange night. Anyone else there that night?