It's milding up here at 1000' in the South Pennines. I am "south facing", but the back of the house isn't...chilly! But who can remember the winter of 1962-3 which became known as the "Big Freeze".
As kids, we went to the River Arun floodplain, south of our village in West Sussex and played ice football, checking of course that there were not deep drainage ditches for us to fall in through thin ice. The ice was thick, honest! Halifax Town FC hire out their pitch at the Shay as an ice rink, to raise cash.
On Christmas Day 1941, Bristol City set off from home to an away fixture at Southampton and although two of the team with the team kit arrived at The Dell, the kick off was fast approaching, so the Southampton club gathered a team together, including the two Bristolians, the Southampton physio, a few reserves and some supporters! Well it was Christmas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2FlTPuQNdg
What a rollercoaster ride this one was. Expected to be called off on the day, referee Stuart Atwell was having none of this snowflake mentality (if you will), and gave it the go-ahead.
While primarily covering the pitch beyond recognition, the blizzard also did something to freshen up a struggling Ipswich side who had lost their last six games on the bounce. Because Roy Keane's Tractor Boys flew out of the traps and, akin to Cologne, managed to snag a 3-0 lead before the first half was up. It was then that the controversy started. Half time was elongated to ensure groundstaff had sufficient time to temper the pitch, though a second break was required in the second half when Richie Wellens took a spectacular tumble. Foxes were begging for the match to be abandoned. Roy Keane & co were adamant it be completed.
In the end, it was, and it finished 3-0 to Ipswich, with Leicester ending the game with 10 men following a popped hamstring to Angelo Miguel Vitor.
Opposite, on December 2010, the groundsmen were for the most part successful in their attempts to clear the pitch, but thanks to a supply of the white stuff. there was a snowball fight. Kiddies!!
And who would you rather watch compete in such an encounter than Carlton Cole and Paul Robinson. I mean, when I say fight, Cole threw some snow in the air after falling in a pile and Robinson, in the act of helping him up, was hit with specks of the collateral.
But still, 1-0 to Carlton!! Oh, and the game itself finished (Steve Kean's) Blackburn Rovers 1-1 (Avram Grant's?!?!) West Hammers!!
When Middlesbrough finally overcame Blackburn Rovers in an FA Cup replay at Ayresome Park on the 11th March 1963, it ended one of the most chaotic third round weekends in the history of the FA Cup. The round of games, affected by heavy snow on Boxing Day, affected the FA Cup round, which had begun back on January 5th. It would take an astonishing 66 days before the round was completed as the season looked like it might never end. The FA Cup was severely delayed, with the final between Manchester United and a weary Leicester City taking place at Wembley on May 25th, some three weeks later than the final took place the previous season. Who won????
Officially, that January was the coldest month of the 20th century, with temperatures of -19 degrees Celsius being recorded in several locations with the average temperature failing to get above freezing; it was that cold that rivers had lumps of ice in them and even the sea froze solid. Lincoln City's game with Coventry City was postponed an astonishing 14 times, while in Scotland a cup tie between Stranraer and Airdrie was called-off no fewer than 33 times. In all there were a total of 261 postponements and half of the 32 ties fell victim to the weather 10 times or more. In the years since nothing has had such a dramatic impact on sport in the British Isles and many will hope it never will again. So extreme were the conditions that friendly games were hastily arranged in Ireland, where the conditions weren’t quite as bad as teams were desperate to maintain fitness levels. Never one to miss an opportunity, Coventry’s Jimmy Hill excelled in the trying circumstances.
Hill took his Coventry side to Ireland on a number of occasions where they played Manchester United and Wolves, once in Cork and then in Belfast. Hill and Stan Cullis, the Wolves manager, were so pleased with the arrangement that they couldn't wait to go back.
Such was the interest that the game against Manchester United at Glenmalure Park attracted a crowd of over 20,000 who had turned up to see Bobby Charlton score a late goal to earn United a 2-2 draw.
But for some, the freeze provided a welcome distraction. When the snow arrived in December, Fulham were in real danger of relegation from the old First Division, when the thaw arrived some two months later, they began an incredible run of 13 weeks without defeat, a streak which hauled them up the table and secured safety.
In true British spirit, football clubs attempted to soldier on regardless in order to ensure at least some action could take place, often to no avail. While Tommy Docherty’s Chelsea set off to Malta for a little warm-weather training a tar burner was employed to try and clear the snow from the Stamford Bridge pitch. Flame throwers were even brought in at Blackpool and at Halifax they made the best of things by turning their pitch into a skating rink and charged supporters to use it.
Perhaps one of the more poignant incidents to occur that harsh winter was when Sunderland took on Bob Stokoe's Bury in a Second Division promotion clash at Roker Park. 42,000 braved the elements that day, which convinced the referee to give it the go-ahead despite the treacherous conditions as sleet and snow made the pitch nothing short of a quagmire. Never one to shirk a challenge, when put clean through on goal, a young England hopeful and Sunderland striker Brian Clough suffered severe damage to his right knee after colliding with the onrushing Bury keeper, Chris Harker. Surgeons battled to save his career, but medical science was pretty limited in those days and, as the weather went from bad to worse. Against all medical advice he attempted a hopelessly-ill fated comeback, but only managed to play three more games before packing it in for good.
