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Bradford City 1978 - Match Abandoned...

Mark58

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Anyone else remember the infamous home match versus Bradford City in season 1977/78? It was abandoned midway through the second half due to howling Arctic winds and driving snow. I don’t think I have ever been as cold as that at a football match since.

77/78 was one of “those” seasons. It was our first time back in Div 3 (third tier) after the brief but unforgettable Tony Waiters glory years. Waiters had gone just before the end of the 76/77 season and Mike Kelly was named caretaker manager. He failed to keep us out of the bottom two, however, and we “looked forward” to another spell in Div 3. The following season was a nightmare and Mike Kelly was sacked part way through, with Lennie Lawrence taking over as caretaker. The football was poor and the results were worse. We languished towards the bottom with the spectre of a double relegation staring us in the face.

And so we came to the Bradford City match. I don’t know the exact date - even having scoured the amazing GOS - but I would go for a Saturday in January. Kicking off on a snow encrusted pitch in front of a meagre crowd we were soon 0-1 down (McNiven for Bradford, if memory serves) and heading for another depressing Saturday afternoon. There was no spirit and if we had played until Easter there was no chance of us scoring. We needed a miracle - and it came courtesy of the referee. Amidst apocryphal stories of it being so cold that the mechanism of his watch froze, he decided that the weather conditions were so bad that the game should be abandoned, midway through the second half. I can’t remember ever greeting what was effectively an Argyle defeat with so much glee and enthusiasm but that might equally have been due to the fact that I was grateful that none of my toes or fingers had snapped off.

The match was subsequently rearranged for the last game of that season. Ironically, we made a mini-revival when Lennie Lawrence gave way to Malcolm Allison (Big Mal) and our improved results meant that we JUST scraped in and avoided relegation (which would have been the first time in the fourth tier) by three points. With the pressure off, we absolutely tonked City 6-0 in the final match, confirming THEIR relegation. Of course, had it not been for the abandoned match and had that score remained 0-1 in favour of City they could have finished above us and we could well have gone down. Funny old game...
 
Dec 29, 2011
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Yes remember it vividly.Never been so cold in Plymouth.Went with my dad and remember sliding down Central Park hill after the game.Remember a disgruntled Bradford fan kicking my bag on the way back to the station .I believe Mickey Horswill went for an early bath that day .Also went to the rearranged game after bottling out of the Port Vale do or die game on the previous Saturday(nerves couldn't stand it)
 
May 8, 2011
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I was away at College but came down for the home games. Couldn’t get back to college until the Wednesday.
 
I remember it well, I was 16 and if I remember correctly, the ref was called Ron Crabb (funny the things that stick!)
The re-arranged game was scheduled for the 'May Day' Bank Holiday Monday, I believe it was the year that was introduced so it was the very first one. On my way home afterwards a neighbour asked how Argyle had got on, when I said they won 6-0 he said 'bloody Hell, no wonder they've given a Bank Holiday!
For the re-arranged game and also the Port Vale game on the previous Saturday (3-1 win to secure Division 3 status) the Devonport End was closed because it had a temporary stand in it for a military tattoo being held at Home park so we were in the Barn Park End which was normally exclusively for away fans.

I'll happily take a 6-0 home win on Saturday!!!
 
Aug 5, 2012
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Just about the coldest game I ever went to. I was serving on HMS Ark Royal at the time and I took a mess mate with me, a Bantams fan who was one of those eee baa gum merchants whom I remember saying that the locals must be whimps as the conditions were nothing more than a pleasant spring day in Yorkshire. What a plonked he was! I think the record low attendance (just over 2 thousand?) may also have been because a lot of people thought the game had already been postponed. I remember a lot of folk leaving the Brit for home having been told the game was off. No mobile phones or Social Media then of course.

Unfortunately we couldn't get to the re-arranged game as we were on deployment but when the result came through I didn't half give him some stick plus I was three tins of beer richer.
 
Think that was one of the few games I missed that season as an 11 year old - we used to drive down from N Devon and my dad wisely decided not to go due to the weather forecast and the fact we had to drive back over Dartmoor!!
 
Sep 23, 2014
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pearces greens":16ki0iqb said:
argyledad":16ki0iqb said:
Ah thank you. That's why I remember watching the match from the Barn Park End !
same here ive wondered for years how i watched a game from there thanks :thumbup:
Another memory from your post has come to me, at that game someone threw a pasty from the back which landed on the shoulder of the chap in front of me and he left it there, watching the game with the steam rising up from the oggie in front of me nearly made me wet myself
 

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I was in the Devonport End with my then brother-in-law. It was freeeeezing. This was compounded by the fact that there were few other people in there.

I can't remember (GOS will know) but I think the crowd was only around 2,000.

And Micky Horswill, you had to laugh. He got his marching orders more or less from the kick off.
 

Mark58

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I'd forgotten about Micky Horswill having been sent off!

I can fully sympathise with Night Riviera's jitters for the Port Vale game, though. It was virtually a "do or die" match and there was no doubt that unless we won we were down. I was living in St Budeaux at the time and I remember having the collie wobbles all morning leading up to the game in the afternoon. Literally shivering with the enormity of possibly being relegated to the Fourth for the first time ever (little did I know that this was in store for us too many times since then!)

The Vale game was a grudge match because of "Black Sunday" a few seasons earlier when we had three (I think) players sent off at Vale Park during a Sunday fixture. Had always hated Port Vale since then (although, couldn't be bothered now...) There were just under 10,000 for the match at Home Park (pretty good for the time) and you could tell from the atmosphere that most of us had the jitters. Worst possible start - 0-1 after a few minutes, but in a thrilling and topsy turvy game we ran out 3-2 winners (with Fred Binney getting a brace). Everyone was on the pitch afterwards and you would have thought we had won promotion! One of a very few highlights in an otherwise depressing season...
 
S

StaffordBantam

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Hi Bradford City fan here.

I was at this abandoned match. The attendance was 2,843 and this was the front cover of the programme:
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Sep 6, 2006
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Remember it well. Was a February game. I think the pitch was perfectly playable. The snow or sleet was horizontal! Ref abandoned it rumour has it because he was getting frostbite!
 

Mark58

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Hi StaffordBantam. Respect due if you travelled all the way down for THAT one. Just as much respect if you were locally based - as every one of the 2,843 deserved a mention in despatches plus a free Damart catalogue! ;o)