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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 02:00 - Dec 29 with 1538 views
Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 19:50 - Dec 28 by TVOS1907
Tbh, I doubt there are “plenty of others”, as there aren’t that many abandonments in football.
Even Dale, with our pitch issues, rarely suffer from such an outcome as the games are usually postponed rather than allowed to start.
The three abandoned Dale games I’ve attended were all replayed. I believe there was also an abandoned game v Fulham in 1969/1970-ish that was replayed, but I was in nappies then. Maybe older fans can remember.
The only abandoned game this season which wasn’t replayed was Scunthorpe v Wealdstone, a game in which Wealdstone opted not to continue after an injury to one of their players.
I’m not sure it would be easy to confirm either way, however, unless there’s a list online of all abandoned matches.
Edit: just seen 442’s post. As said, abandonments are rare.
[Post edited 28 Dec 2025 20:04]
I was at the Fulham game you mentioned, and it was abandoned at half time because of fog. It had been quite bad at kick off but went decidedly worse and by half time you couldn't see more than 30 yards. We don't seem to suffer from fog as much these days. Sometimes it was bad for several days at a time back then.
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 07:28 - Dec 29 with 1432 views
Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 20:26 - Dec 28 by D_Alien
The problem with such things is how rules and regs can change over time. It was absolutely a "thing" at one time that matches that reached a certain stage (i.e. around 75 minutes, though can't be sure of the precise time) and then abandoned would not be subject to replay
Aa far as i can ascertain, there is no hard and fast rule - if there were, we wouldn't be having this debate
The number of games that would've been abandoned due to weather conditions prior to say, 1990 would far outweigh those that were replayed (subject to abandonment time) but trying to find anything definitive isn't worth doing since it's unlikely to influence how the decision re Southend goes. The factors that would've impacted on abandonments since the start of professional football would include travel costs and the general inconvenience which probably doesn't apply to such an extent these days
[Post edited 28 Dec 2025 20:26]
There does need to be some sort of official ruling put in place regarding this because points automatically being awarded to the winning team could prove crucial in a league when only one team is automatically promoted.
[Post edited 29 Dec 2025 13:41]
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 07:54 - Dec 29 with 1394 views
Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 02:00 - Dec 29 by dawlishdale
I was at the Fulham game you mentioned, and it was abandoned at half time because of fog. It had been quite bad at kick off but went decidedly worse and by half time you couldn't see more than 30 yards. We don't seem to suffer from fog as much these days. Sometimes it was bad for several days at a time back then.
It was a real shame, because it'd been a brilliant game up to that point, 2-2 and featuring a goal by Johnny Haynes, the former England midfield maestro. When he hit the ball from the edge of the box, it flew.into the corner at the Pearl St end like an arrow
The game was also played on a snow-covered pitch, with only the pitch msrkings visible after being brushed by the groundstaff. The conditions would have been described now as "farcical", but with both teams willing to go for it, no-one thought it unusual, until the fog intervened
Dale were playing really well at the time and it was a humdinger of a game as you say. By the time the match was rearranged they had gone completely off the boil. Does anyone else remember a game at Valley Parade being abandoned at halftime because of fog around the same time? Perhaps the season after? The fog rolled in during the first half and you couldn’t see a thing. It took the Ellen Smith’s coach about three hours to get home over Blackstone Edge - the M62 hadn’t been built then. Think Dale went back and won 3-0 on a Wednesday night when it was rearranged.
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 13:33 - Dec 29 with 1024 views
The last game I can remember at Spotland impacted by fog was the televised game v Leyton Orient in 2001. You couldn’t really see the other end of the pitch but the game was finished, and it didn’t look as bad on tv.
There was one in January ‘94 v Scarborough when the fog was so bad it was postponed before kick off. This was a few weeks after playing on a snow covered pitch when beating Northampton. That was a great game and the snow made little difference, a Dave Lancaster hat trick and Jamie Taylor goal part of a 6-2 win.
I don’t remember the fog at the Fulham game but I do remember the pitch being really icy and tricky underfoot. I was standing on the Sandy Lane End and I can still see Haynes picking the ball up in the old inside left position 20 to 25 yards out and firing the ball into the top corner of the net at the other end. So the fog couldn’t have been that bad. A class goal from a class player.
The thing I really remember was the four strange Fulham fans stood right in front of me. They’d come all the way to watch the game and they weren’t paying the game any attention all. Two of them had their backs to play most of the game and they were just chatting amongst themselves. When Haynes scored they were asking me what had had happened !
I remember a game against Tranmere at Spotland in the early to mid 1960’s when both teams were going well at the top of the league and a big crowd was anticipated. That was called off because of fog but in truth it should have never even started. You couldn’t see to the half way line from behind the goals at the Church Inn end at KO time. They played for about 20 minutes and then called it off. Much needed funds I suppose.
[Post edited 29 Dec 2025 14:33]
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 15:27 - Dec 29 with 862 views
Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 14:29 - Dec 29 by mingthemerciless
I don’t remember the fog at the Fulham game but I do remember the pitch being really icy and tricky underfoot. I was standing on the Sandy Lane End and I can still see Haynes picking the ball up in the old inside left position 20 to 25 yards out and firing the ball into the top corner of the net at the other end. So the fog couldn’t have been that bad. A class goal from a class player.
The thing I really remember was the four strange Fulham fans stood right in front of me. They’d come all the way to watch the game and they weren’t paying the game any attention all. Two of them had their backs to play most of the game and they were just chatting amongst themselves. When Haynes scored they were asking me what had had happened !
I remember a game against Tranmere at Spotland in the early to mid 1960’s when both teams were going well at the top of the league and a big crowd was anticipated. That was called off because of fog but in truth it should have never even started. You couldn’t see to the half way line from behind the goals at the Church Inn end at KO time. They played for about 20 minutes and then called it off. Much needed funds I suppose.
[Post edited 29 Dec 2025 14:33]
The sun was shining when Haynes hit that goal (keeper stood no chance from the second it left his foot), but it was one of those weird winter days when the fog just descends within the space of a few minutes
The pitch conditions were indeed difficult, with lots of speculation about whether the game would finish even before the fog descended. No comparison with the more benign conditions for the game referenced when Lancaster hit his hat-trick
On the subject of frozen pitches, Saturday could be in doubt if the temperatures drop as low as forecast on Friday night with the following day not getting much above freezing. Not sure if Accrington have frost covers but they’d be useful.
The Fulham game as I recall (I was there) that a Fulham player had slipped on the icy pitch and hurt himself and the ref abandoned it, don’t recall any fog. There was a game v Crewe I think one night which was abandoned due water logging of pitch the score stood we were winning 1-0
[Post edited 29 Dec 2025 18:10]
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 18:52 - Dec 29 with 634 views
Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 18:08 - Dec 29 by seasidedale
The Fulham game as I recall (I was there) that a Fulham player had slipped on the icy pitch and hurt himself and the ref abandoned it, don’t recall any fog. There was a game v Crewe I think one night which was abandoned due water logging of pitch the score stood we were winning 1-0
[Post edited 29 Dec 2025 18:10]
On the goal Haynes scored it was apparently the last he scored for Fulham although it was subsequently removed from the records. There’s info on the ‘Rate the Ref’ forum describing an interesting reaction from the crowd!:
“ One newspaper report from 1969 referred to him as "Ronnie" Barker and I'm sure that variation cropped up from time to time although it seems he preferred to be known as "Ron". The same report referred to him being applauded off by the crowd after abandoning a Rochdale-Fulham match - certainly a very rare event for spectators to take such a decision in that manner.”
“ i hadn't thought of that fairly obvious explanation but apparently it was 2-2 when ice brought the curtain down on proceedings. Maybe Rochdale though were under the cosh against a team which had been in the top division only eighteen months earlier. The renowned Johnny Haynes was one of the Fulham scorers although of course the abandonment meant his goal was ultimately erased from the records.”
I dont remember fog at the Fulham game either I think we had been two down and were getting the upper hand. I'm sure we would have gone on to win the game and I thought Fulham were more than happy to have the game abandoned. I do remember the slush on the pitch turning rock solid, as the temperature plummeted. One of their's slipped and made a meal of it thus forcing the ref's hand. We, of course, lost the replay.
I was at the Bradford abandonment when the fog came rolling in at Valley Parade as well. At least we won that replay.
The worm of time turns not for the cuckoo of circumstance.
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 19:48 - Dec 29 with 538 views
Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 13:33 - Dec 29 by 442Dale
The last game I can remember at Spotland impacted by fog was the televised game v Leyton Orient in 2001. You couldn’t really see the other end of the pitch but the game was finished, and it didn’t look as bad on tv.
There was one in January ‘94 v Scarborough when the fog was so bad it was postponed before kick off. This was a few weeks after playing on a snow covered pitch when beating Northampton. That was a great game and the snow made little difference, a Dave Lancaster hat trick and Jamie Taylor goal part of a 6-2 win.
[Post edited 29 Dec 2025 13:43]
You mean you STILL haven't worked out why some posts get down-ticked?
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Refwatch - Rochdale v Southend United on 20:03 - Dec 29 with 491 views
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