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When you play your football on Winter Hill, fans should expect a bit of inclement weather from time to time – but Saturday’s stormy conditions were nothing new for Wanderers.
Just as Burnden Park was susceptible to the fogs and mists off the River Croal, the Macron’s lofty vantage point leaves it open to the elements.
But if Phil Parkinson’s players thought they had it tough against QPR, they might want to take glance at some of these games, picked out by readers of The Bolton News.
Up until last season, when 1,000 Wanderers fans were turned away at the last moment by Southend United, the club had not suffered a postponement in seven years.
But there were time when such measures were unthinkable. Ankle-deep mud, snow, frost and torrential rain did not stop games going ahead once upon a time.
November 15, 1958
Wanderers 6 Manchester United 3
The first meeting between the two sides since the FA Cup final ended in an action-packed encounter… Not that many people knew!
Such were the foggy conditions at Burnden whole chunks of the nine-goal thriller went by without anyone seeing the ball.
The game got the go-ahead at 2.20pm after the newly-installed floodlights struggled to cut through the gloom and Wanderers raced into a two-goal lead thanks to Dennis Stevens and Bryan Edwards.
Alex Dawson and Bobby Charlton scored for United, either side of another thunderbolt from Stevens, before Ralph Gubbins headed a fourth – obscured by the fog.
Dawson got his second for United to bring them back within a goal but Ray Parry’s penalty and another from Gubbins – which could not be seen from the press box at all – ensured a comfortable Bolton win.
November 29, 1969 Wanderers 6 QPR 4 Burnden’s surface was likened to an ice-rink by most of the 7,253 inside the ground but Wanderers, struggling in the Second Division, ended up filling their boots.
Mick Leach opened the scoring for the Hoops but after Gordon Taylor levelled, John Byrom put the Whites into a 2-1 lead at half time.
Seven goals were to follow in the second half, John Manning heading Bolton’s third before Barry Bridges brought the West Londoners back in it. Terry Wharton made it four but future Bolton star Dave Clement set up an exciting finale.
Manning headed his second, followed by Byron with nine minutes remaining but Rodney Marsh scored the last goal of a pulsating game to leave fans freezing cold but thoroughly satisfied.
November 25, 1972
Wanderers 2 Rotherham United 1
Jim ‘Sheamus’ McDonagh would go on to score a famous wind-assisted goal for Wanderers against Burnley a decade after this muddy marvellous match at Burnden Park.
Jimmy Armfield’s side were in top form but found themselves a goal down in treacherous conditions thanks to Trevor Womble’s left-footed blast.
Stuart Lee and Ian Seddon combined to set up an equaliser for John Byrom but with four minutes left on the clock the ball was pumped into the penalty area and stuck in a muddy puddle. McDonagh assumed the referee had awarded a goal kick, placed the ball on his line and started his run-up. Garry Jones knew better, and nipped in to tap the ball over the line, leaving the Millers keeper red-faced.
January 1, 1979
Wandereres 1 Everton 1 (abandoned)
A treacherous snow-bound pitch at Goodison Park played host to one of the most infamous meetings between the two old clubs, which never went the distance.
Barnsley official Trelford Mills gave the go-ahead for a match to take place in front of 35,000 at Burnden despite thick snow cleared from the pitch overnight.
Further snowfall closer to kick off made for impossible conditions but in the 45 minutes which were played, Peter Reid suffered a serious injury which cost him a year of his career.
Everton, who had fielded a weakened side after losing a few key players to injury, also had Mick Lyons and Neil Robinson limp off in the first half. The scored sat at 1-1 with goals from Trevor Ross and Frank Worthington when the referee finally agreed to call the game off.
Bolton boss Ian Greaves said: “The match should never have been started. There was certainly no way we tried to get it played because Everton were without players through injuries. In fact, I am sorry it was started because of Peter Reid, it looks as if he has badly damaged his knee ligaments.”
Everton boss Gordon Lee added: “Pele and Cruyff wouldn’t play on a pitch like that. It’s joke from an entertainment point of view.”
January 2, 1993
Wanderers 2 Liverpool 2
Graeme Souness’s FA Cup holders didn’t like the look of the Burnden Park pitch when they turned up for a third round tie.
Requests for the game to be cancelled were rejected by the referee, who pointed to the fact Bruce Rioch’s men were doing their warm-up in short sleeves and shorts.
“They reckoned the undersoil heating got broken overnight but we’ve heard plenty of rumours about it getting switched off,” midfielder Tony Kelly later revealed.
“It worked a treat because Liverpool didn’t fancy it at all.
“If it ever looked like the game might get called off at Burnden Park, the gaffer used to send us out in short sleeved shirts to try and influence the referee.
“The ref didn’t know we had loads of Fiery Jack slapped all over us. We had to run around to cool us down.
“When Liverpool came out they were covered in scarves, gloves, hats, you had the likes of Ian Rush looking at us and thinking ‘what are these lunatics doing?’ “It was all mind games.”
Liverpool might wish they’d gone out at the first time of asking. Mark Winstanley’s own goal gave them a replay but we all know what happened a few days later at Anfield. It was White Hot!
January 1, 2005
Wanderers 1 West Brom 1
El-Hadji Diouf saved Sam Allardyce's side from a seventh straight defeat on one of the wettest days you could ever imagine.
Rain was relentless as Zoltan Gera gave Bryan Robson's Baggies the lead but ref Mike Dean passed the pitch as playable, with checks made at half time to ensure the surface was safe.
Allardyce had also set tongues wagging by dropping Jussi Jaaskelainen for veteran Kevin Poole prior to kick-off.
November 3, 2005
Wanderers 1 Zenit St Petersburg 0
Rain drove down so hard at the Reebok, a waterfall emerged near the South Stand corner flag.
Kevin Nolan scored the only goal of the game for Wanderers, played in a perpetual downpour which made for farcical conditions.
An impressive 15,905 fans braved the storms to watch Sam Allardyce’s men take a big step towards qualification for the UEFA Cup knockout rounds.
January 5, 2012
Everton 1 Wanderers 2
The wind and rain battered Goodison Park on what turned out to be Gary Cahill's last game for Wanderers - but the big talking point was the Everton goal.
A huge clearance by US keeper Mark Howard caught in the wind, bounced over Adam Bogdan and into the net.
Thankfully, Owen Coyle's side got themselves level through David Ngog and then found a winner thanks to a fine right-footed drive from the departing Cahill.
Source
Just as Burnden Park was susceptible to the fogs and mists off the River Croal, the Macron’s lofty vantage point leaves it open to the elements.
But if Phil Parkinson’s players thought they had it tough against QPR, they might want to take glance at some of these games, picked out by readers of The Bolton News.
Up until last season, when 1,000 Wanderers fans were turned away at the last moment by Southend United, the club had not suffered a postponement in seven years.
But there were time when such measures were unthinkable. Ankle-deep mud, snow, frost and torrential rain did not stop games going ahead once upon a time.
November 15, 1958
Wanderers 6 Manchester United 3
The first meeting between the two sides since the FA Cup final ended in an action-packed encounter… Not that many people knew!
Such were the foggy conditions at Burnden whole chunks of the nine-goal thriller went by without anyone seeing the ball.
The game got the go-ahead at 2.20pm after the newly-installed floodlights struggled to cut through the gloom and Wanderers raced into a two-goal lead thanks to Dennis Stevens and Bryan Edwards.
Alex Dawson and Bobby Charlton scored for United, either side of another thunderbolt from Stevens, before Ralph Gubbins headed a fourth – obscured by the fog.
Dawson got his second for United to bring them back within a goal but Ray Parry’s penalty and another from Gubbins – which could not be seen from the press box at all – ensured a comfortable Bolton win.
November 29, 1969 Wanderers 6 QPR 4 Burnden’s surface was likened to an ice-rink by most of the 7,253 inside the ground but Wanderers, struggling in the Second Division, ended up filling their boots.
Mick Leach opened the scoring for the Hoops but after Gordon Taylor levelled, John Byrom put the Whites into a 2-1 lead at half time.
Seven goals were to follow in the second half, John Manning heading Bolton’s third before Barry Bridges brought the West Londoners back in it. Terry Wharton made it four but future Bolton star Dave Clement set up an exciting finale.
Manning headed his second, followed by Byron with nine minutes remaining but Rodney Marsh scored the last goal of a pulsating game to leave fans freezing cold but thoroughly satisfied.
November 25, 1972
Wanderers 2 Rotherham United 1
Jim ‘Sheamus’ McDonagh would go on to score a famous wind-assisted goal for Wanderers against Burnley a decade after this muddy marvellous match at Burnden Park.
Jimmy Armfield’s side were in top form but found themselves a goal down in treacherous conditions thanks to Trevor Womble’s left-footed blast.
Stuart Lee and Ian Seddon combined to set up an equaliser for John Byrom but with four minutes left on the clock the ball was pumped into the penalty area and stuck in a muddy puddle. McDonagh assumed the referee had awarded a goal kick, placed the ball on his line and started his run-up. Garry Jones knew better, and nipped in to tap the ball over the line, leaving the Millers keeper red-faced.
January 1, 1979
Wandereres 1 Everton 1 (abandoned)
A treacherous snow-bound pitch at Goodison Park played host to one of the most infamous meetings between the two old clubs, which never went the distance.
Barnsley official Trelford Mills gave the go-ahead for a match to take place in front of 35,000 at Burnden despite thick snow cleared from the pitch overnight.
Further snowfall closer to kick off made for impossible conditions but in the 45 minutes which were played, Peter Reid suffered a serious injury which cost him a year of his career.
Everton, who had fielded a weakened side after losing a few key players to injury, also had Mick Lyons and Neil Robinson limp off in the first half. The scored sat at 1-1 with goals from Trevor Ross and Frank Worthington when the referee finally agreed to call the game off.
Bolton boss Ian Greaves said: “The match should never have been started. There was certainly no way we tried to get it played because Everton were without players through injuries. In fact, I am sorry it was started because of Peter Reid, it looks as if he has badly damaged his knee ligaments.”
Everton boss Gordon Lee added: “Pele and Cruyff wouldn’t play on a pitch like that. It’s joke from an entertainment point of view.”
January 2, 1993
Wanderers 2 Liverpool 2
Graeme Souness’s FA Cup holders didn’t like the look of the Burnden Park pitch when they turned up for a third round tie.
Requests for the game to be cancelled were rejected by the referee, who pointed to the fact Bruce Rioch’s men were doing their warm-up in short sleeves and shorts.
“They reckoned the undersoil heating got broken overnight but we’ve heard plenty of rumours about it getting switched off,” midfielder Tony Kelly later revealed.
“It worked a treat because Liverpool didn’t fancy it at all.
“If it ever looked like the game might get called off at Burnden Park, the gaffer used to send us out in short sleeved shirts to try and influence the referee.
“The ref didn’t know we had loads of Fiery Jack slapped all over us. We had to run around to cool us down.
“When Liverpool came out they were covered in scarves, gloves, hats, you had the likes of Ian Rush looking at us and thinking ‘what are these lunatics doing?’ “It was all mind games.”
Liverpool might wish they’d gone out at the first time of asking. Mark Winstanley’s own goal gave them a replay but we all know what happened a few days later at Anfield. It was White Hot!
January 1, 2005
Wanderers 1 West Brom 1
El-Hadji Diouf saved Sam Allardyce's side from a seventh straight defeat on one of the wettest days you could ever imagine.
Rain was relentless as Zoltan Gera gave Bryan Robson's Baggies the lead but ref Mike Dean passed the pitch as playable, with checks made at half time to ensure the surface was safe.
Allardyce had also set tongues wagging by dropping Jussi Jaaskelainen for veteran Kevin Poole prior to kick-off.
November 3, 2005
Wanderers 1 Zenit St Petersburg 0
Rain drove down so hard at the Reebok, a waterfall emerged near the South Stand corner flag.
Kevin Nolan scored the only goal of the game for Wanderers, played in a perpetual downpour which made for farcical conditions.
An impressive 15,905 fans braved the storms to watch Sam Allardyce’s men take a big step towards qualification for the UEFA Cup knockout rounds.
January 5, 2012
Everton 1 Wanderers 2
The wind and rain battered Goodison Park on what turned out to be Gary Cahill's last game for Wanderers - but the big talking point was the Everton goal.
A huge clearance by US keeper Mark Howard caught in the wind, bounced over Adam Bogdan and into the net.
Thankfully, Owen Coyle's side got themselves level through David Ngog and then found a winner thanks to a fine right-footed drive from the departing Cahill.
Source