What's people's memories of snowed off games down the years? Or those games where we trudged down to shovel snow from the pitch? Seem to recall Blackpool away in 1981, early May (?), and they shut the M62 down due to a foot of snow. Over the Pennines it was glorious sunshine... bloody lost that day too!
Never seen owt like it.(late April) They closed the motorway that reputedly would never shut. (M62) So had to go through Todmorden. Heavy traffic and skirted round. Got to this T Junction. And lo and behold. Dozens of barnsley fans trying to push/heave a bloomin great big articulated lorry up the last bit of an incline. I think the Fylde coast was the only place in the country not snow bound that day. As you say bright sunshine. We missed a fair bit of the first half. And our fan numbers were decimated. Most turning back home giving it up as a bad job. I think we could have got promoted that day had we won. Beat Rotherham (champions) later, in midweek. Then beat Newport following saturday.
Hooky you're spot on! I think they were expecting 10,000 or so to travel over, but in the event i reckon there was less than half that number. Our team was certainly not its usual self that day and lost to a Blackpool bound for Division Four. Fulham that season, was also a similar occasion. Come to think of it, we had loads of snow back then lol
Yep we went to celebrate promotion by the sea but had to wait till following Tuesday night and beat our rivals Rotherham.....great days back then.....we got to Blackie no probs and couldn’t understand why others had been delayed lol
It was the first time I'd ever seen us play in blue and the only time I ever saw Glavin play up front. And we were crap.
Remember it well, we had a family wedding that day, I didn't go to the actual wedding, parents dropped me at M55 at Preston, managed to get a lift into Pool with a Barnsley bus, hardly any pubs would serve us, got really piss.d and went into wrong end (we used to go to Blackpool a lot as kids on a supporters bus from here so got confused lol), and we were crap, a win and we were up, they were already relegated....but the Tuesday win over Rotherham was something else.....
Barnsley v Everton 15th January 1963. Frozen pitch waited weeks for the match to be played. Everton were called “the Academy” before anybody thought of academies. Beat us 3-0. They may have gone on to win the league? I can’t remember us beating Everton in my long time as a fan.
Remember that Blackpool game well. We went the Friday night and missed all the snow. Quite funny seeing cars and mini buses laden with red and white scarves driving along the prom with snow on them in what was a bright sunny day in Blackpool
Exactly my recollection. Big flakes of snow at the time we set off and M62 was shut. We went through lHallifax and Todmorden. It started to clear around Preston and Blackpool was bathed in sunshine. The M62 reopened for the journey back and you could see why it had been closed with the snow ploughs clearing through 8 foot high walls of snow . Everyone and their grandmother was going to the game but the heavy snow put half of them off
63 was the big freeze. Games here off for about 7 weeks due to snow. I’m sure it must have been the same in Yorkshire. This was the year United positioned oil drums around the pitch. Filled with wood and burned to help defrost the pitch for our cup game v Albion Rovers. The pitch was then covered with tons of sand on which to play. The game went ahead and a reporter wrote it was like playing on the Sahara desert hence our fans picking up the nickname Arabs. Btw not sure if I was there. Only 6 at the time.
Not snow bound. But Middlesbrough away. Called off at half time. Like a skating rink. Don't know if it was true. I think someone had to go to a sports shop to get rubber studded boots. As the players had only taken their normal ones.
Was going to drive to Blackpool, but because of snow, went with my dad on the train. Witnessed a weak performance. The following Tuesday was promotion night versus Rotherham Utd. I still remember the newspaper placards in town that late afternoon, with the headline, NIGHT OF DESTINY AT OAKWELL
Naw mate. It was definitely sand. All documented on the internet and confirmed by locals who were there.
