Unusual reasons for a United game being called off

[Silent Blade]

Which was the night match that Peter dornan made his debut, and then disappeared back to Ireland.
was that match abandoned?

His debut was the 0-0 draw at Plymouth. Came on as sub in the Boxing Day win at Oldham. You are thinking of his home debut (his last game for us anyway) coming on as sub in the 3-2 defeat against Bolton. It was a freezing night and the pitch was slippy. At half time, ref Roger Kirkpatrick had a hard look around the penalty area at the Kop End but decided that the game should continue.

 

[bertieblade]

Roger Kirkpatric, best ref I ever saw

 

[SuperSonicBlade89]

The Reading game on 16/11/2002 got called off due to a waterlogged pitch. I can remember getting down to the Lane, hearing the news, then ending up on the lash in the Tramway instead!

I did almost the same thing!!

Except I was meeting a friend who is a Reading fan. After much anticipation, goading my mate all week. It turned into a very wet anti climax.

I'm pretty sure they rearranged the match for a few days later or maybe a week... that match was also postponed due to rain. If I remember right anyway.

I think the fixture finally got played about 3 months later!!! After we had already played them away.

Not thought about that for years. Gonna have to dig for some more info now.

 

[silver blade]

After the Sheffield gale of 1962 I seem to remember that fans were asked to go & pick up glass from the pitch, didn't a floodlight tower get blown down, maybe the game still went ahead.

 

[Silent Blade]

After the Sheffield gale of 1962 I seem to remember that fans were asked to go & pick up glass from the pitch, didn't a floodlight tower get blown down, maybe the game still went ahead.

Just 24 hours before we played Norwich in the FA Cup 5th round in February 1962. We still played the match and won 3-1

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

I was looking for a photo of that the other day, and failed. Thanks for posting it. I think the top part withe lights had been cut off by the time the photo was taken. There was a lot of glass on the pitch, and I assumed the game would be off. How much they removed, I don’t know. I think when they were playing towards the Lane End, both sides tended to attack down the left-wing

 

[Hull Blade]

Seem to recall a game vs Chelsea in the 1970s. They had the likes of Charlie Cooke and a young Ray Wilkins. Blades won 2-1.
Leeds were at Derby on the same day in an FA Cup 5th round game. Game was postponed late on. About 2000 Leeds rolled up at the Lane and spent most of the day chasing Chelsea around the ground.

 

[Silent Blade]

Seem to recall a game vs Chelsea in the 1970s. They had the likes of Charlie Cooke and a young Ray Wilkins. Blades won 2-1.
Leeds were at Derby on the same day in an FA Cup 5th round game. Game was postponed late on. About 2000 Leeds rolled up at the Lane and spent most of the day chasing Chelsea around the ground.

February 1975

 

[prezzblade]

Millwall at the den 1970,match abandoned after 30 mins due to water logged pitch,terrified in ground and coach attacked after.

 

[Silent Blade]

Millwall at the den 1970,match abandoned after 30 mins due to water logged pitch,terrified in ground and coach attacked after.

12/9/1970

 

[Blade1959]

1981. Leeds had trialists from Peru. Keith Solomon was our sub keeper that night. He died during training a few weeks later

I think we played Leeds in the afternoon 1980 when the Peruvians played then a Friday night game in 1981 when Solomon came on as sub. We won them both 2-1 & 1-0

 

[PandaCola]

I went down a few days early for an away game at Plymouth (I'm guessing late 80s) and arranged to get a lift back after the match. Obviously it was pre-internet and the first I heard of it being called off was when I bought a paper on Saturday morning. I think it was because one team had an outbreak of flu. I had to hitch hike home.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

I went down a few days early for an away game at Plymouth (I'm guessing late 80s) and arranged to get a lift back after the match. Obviously it was pre-internet and the first I heard of it being called off was when I bought a paper on Saturday morning. I think it was because one team had an outbreak of flu. I had to hitch hike home.

Can remember hitch hiking a few times in my youth. Is it still a thing? Do people still do it?

 

[PandaCola]

Can remember hitch hiking a few times in my youth. Is it still a thing? Do people still do it?

I think it died out due to Megabus and the film The Hitcher

 

[Grumps]

I'm sure I remember a midweek game in the 80's away at Scunthorpe being called off due to fog.

The Oldham bomb game was always going to be the winner.

Yes your right, finished up in the pub at side of the old ground,full of blades

 

[1973Blade]

The death of a Monarch can be added to the list now.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

I remember that! Think it was on Charlotte Rd.

To be honest, Lancing Road comes to mind.

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

Yes your right, finished up in the pub at side of the old ground,full of blades

Parkinson Arms?

 

[Uncle mick]

His debut was the 0-0 draw at Plymouth. Came on as sub in the Boxing Day win at Oldham. You are thinking of his home debut (his last game for us anyway) coming on as sub in the 3-2 defeat against Bolton. It was a freezing night and the pitch was slippy. At half time, ref Roger Kirkpatrick had a hard look around the penalty area at the Kop End but decided that the game should continue.

When was the Bolton match I remember I was on the kop and the pitch was white with frost later in the match

 

[Silent Blade]

When was the Bolton match I remember I was on the kop and the pitch was white with frost later in the match

End of December 1976

 

[programmechap]

It was quite normal for friendly matches to be played on FA Cup 4th round weekend. We were drawn away to West Ham or Orient in the 4th round but both teams were due to play a replay that weekend. Villa were knocked out of the FA Cup so us and Villa had a blank weekend so a friendly match was agreed. I remember us playing a friendly at Chesterfield on 4th round weekend in 1971 and at Notts County on 4th round weekend in 1976

We also had the following games on 4th round weekend after being knocked out of the cup


1974 Wednesday away in the county cup
1977 WBA home
1978 Swindon away
1980 Leeds home
1981 Leeds home

We also rearranged a league game with Wolves in 1985 and played a friendly with Birmingham in 1982 on 3rd round day having been knocked out in the first round

 

[Ned the Donkey]

View attachment 126272

The bomb was discovered 24 hours before kick-off, on Friday 8 February, during excavations for a new housing development on Lancing Road; a terraced street which runs parallel to Shoreham Street and United’s famous Kop.

Soldiers from the 33rd Engineer Regiment, the Explosive Ordnance Division, were called out to diffuse what was initially thought to be a 500lb weapon. On closer inspection, it turned out to be 2200lb, meaning around 300 people were forced to leave their homes as disposal experts went about their work. The risk to life was so great, and the process so tricky, that United were ordered to put back their meeting with Oldham until the area was deemed safe. The whole process, made even more complicated by the snowy weather at the time, took around 36 hours.

Sauce: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/nos...united-match-postponed-45-years-later-3066076

 

[Greenwich Blade]

The bomb was discovered 24 hours before kick-off, on Friday 8 February, during excavations for a new housing development on Lancing Road; a terraced street which runs parallel to Shoreham Street and United’s famous Kop.

Soldiers from the 33rd Engineer Regiment, the Explosive Ordnance Division, were called out to diffuse what was initially thought to be a 500lb weapon. On closer inspection, it turned out to be 2200lb, meaning around 300 people were forced to leave their homes as disposal experts went about their work. The risk to life was so great, and the process so tricky, that United were ordered to put back their meeting with Oldham until the area was deemed safe. The whole process, made even more complicated by the snowy weather at the time, took around 36 hours.

Sauce: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/nos...united-match-postponed-45-years-later-3066076

My mum was doing the accounts at Frederick Pell's on Edmund Road that Friday afternoon blissfully unaware that the whole area had been cordoned off, that the rest of Frederick Pell's had been evacuated, and that my dad, who was there to pick her up, was outside the police cordon trying to convince them that as far as he was aware his wife was still in there tippy-tapping away on her adding machine.

 

[diode_blade]

The bomb was discovered 24 hours before kick-off, on Friday 8 February, during excavations for a new housing development on Lancing Road; a terraced street which runs parallel to Shoreham Street and United’s famous Kop.

Soldiers from the 33rd Engineer Regiment, the Explosive Ordnance Division, were called out to diffuse what was initially thought to be a 500lb weapon. On closer inspection, it turned out to be 2200lb, meaning around 300 people were forced to leave their homes as disposal experts went about their work. The risk to life was so great, and the process so tricky, that United were ordered to put back their meeting with Oldham until the area was deemed safe. The whole process, made even more complicated by the snowy weather at the time, took around 36 hours.

Sauce: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/nos...united-match-postponed-45-years-later-3066076

Didn't they have to steam pressure the explosive out?