Coldest and Wettest?

[1879Rovers]

Yeovil away, the year we came up through the playoffs.
It was probably my shittiest experience as a travelling rover. Catching the coach with a monstrous hangover and no sleep at stupid o'clock. Then it pisses down with rain, we play terribly and lose. Freezing, and miserable on the way home, I will never go there again!

That day we had everything. Sun, wind, rain and snow and you are right it was bloody freezing. It was the first day of Spring if I remember rightly because I got stuck in traffic driving past Stonehenge.

[Chris Black come back]

Wettest was maybe Mansfield away in the cup (95?96?). Torrential downpour on an open terrace for 80 minutes when my mates dad said we were leaving at 4-0 so we even missed our consolation goals.

Coldest I would say a game at home to Lincoln (under John Beck at the time so mid/late 90's again). Think it was a 1-1 draw. Despite having at least two of everything on I was utterly freezing. Genuinely think the weather said it hit -8 that so no idea how the game was even on.

Mansfield game was FA Cup I think. Sammy Chung wrote in next home game programme that he would never forget the fans singing as we lost in non-stop pouring rain.

[The Red Baron]

The Real Sociedad game is memorable for me because I'd been on holiday watching the cricket up at Scarborough. The game was due to finish on the Saturday, but due to the incompetence of Warwickshire's batsmen it was all over on the Friday afternoon.

As Donny is en route from Scarborough to Brum, I took the opportunity to have a pre-season look at the Rovers and take my mum for a last chance to have a look at Belle Vue. We sat in the Main Stand (we were bang in line with Nick Fenton's goal) and so we also avoided the worst of the rain. However, I still got a soaking when I dashed back to get the car from the car park and drive over to the stand entrance. At least mum stayed dry!

Coldest? I'm a poor judge these days as I feel the cold badly. I do remember freezing at Broadhall Way on Easter Saturday just before the end of the 2002-03 season- the stand we were in faced into the teeth of a biting easterly. Hartlepool always feels cold for similar reasons. I remember the night of the Villa game being cold but quite still. It's the wind-chill that always makes it feel much worse.

[The Red Baron]

Wettest was maybe Mansfield away in the cup (95?96?). Torrential downpour on an open terrace for 80 minutes when my mates dad said we were leaving at 4-0 so we even missed our consolation goals.

Coldest I would say a game at home to Lincoln (under John Beck at the time so mid/late 90's again). Think it was a 1-1 draw. Despite having at least two of everything on I was utterly freezing. Genuinely think the weather said it hit -8 that so no idea how the game was even on.

Mansfield game was FA Cup I think. Sammy Chung wrote in next home game programme that he would never forget the fans singing as we lost in non-stop pouring rain.

I was going to stand up at that game but I thought it was going to p**s it down so my mate and I paid a bit extra to sit in that small stand (reminiscent of the old Cowshed at BV, except along the side of the pitch). We stayed to the bitter end and saw Rovers get a couple of consolation goals, but you couldn't blame those standing in the open who threw in the towel at 4-0.

[silent majority]

A few years ago England played in Baku, Azerbaijan. The lads who were out there before the day of the match said the temperatures were in the 30's and the sun was cracking the pavements, all backed up by the BBC weather site. So, most England fans who flew out there went in T shirt and shorts to be met with constant driving rain, gale force winds and temperatures hovering just above freezing. No cover in the ground either. I have  never been so cold and wet at a game. Thankfully we had our flag with us so we could use that as a very wet blanket. I have a picture somewhere!

[Dagenham Rover]

Real Sociedad wettest by some margin. Never known rain like it at football, and like probably everyone else there that day, was very surprised to see the game run to the end with the lightening so close!

Was anyone else in ASDA after the game? I don't know where it struck, but the lightning took out their power and there was total darkness in there for a few seconds!

Coldest? Hmmm... Lots of them, but struggling to remember specifics apart from Villa at BV, and the game a winter or two ago where the announcer (very temporarily) called the game off at half time due the frozen pitch time even though the ref hadn't!

 

Real Sociedad was somat different, thunder lightning  the lot   The Villa game was kin cold although a certain manager was whinging like hell about the pitch being "crusty" 

[RedRover45]

Wettest was definitely Sociedad. I also remember standing on the away terrace at Ashton Gate in March 1985 getting drenched, shivering all the way home and catching pneumonia which was so bad I missed the following two Easter fixtures Bradford home and Walsall away. I was pissed off as they were the only two games I missed that season.

Coldest was choice of two. Hartlepool away losing 1-0 away in the Leyland Daf one Nov night and at Crewe losing 8-0 in same competition. Funny how it always seems colder when you lose.

[Mr1Croft]

For me the coldest is between the Middlesbrough home game in 2010 when we won 2-1 (late on as well) and the Derby away game a week before Christmas in 2009, absolutely frozen!

The wettest may have been Sheff United in 2009, I was getting on Train at Hatfield and Stainforth and it lashed it down and then to make it worse I dropped a can on the train before opening it which sprayed it all in my face so I rolled up to Bramall Lane soaked in rain and lager...

[Monkcaster_Rover]

I remember being stupidly cold at Oldham away in our promotion season from league 1 the first time round. Was either the league game or the fa cup game where we equalised late on

[Glyn_Wigley]

Another contender for wettest was a Boxing Day match at Saltergate, when Stevie Adams slipped in a puddle in the box in the last minute to gain the winning penalty.

That gets my vote, the only game I've ever had to watch looking back over my shoulder as the rain (with some sleet and hail mixed in too I believe) was just driving straight at the uncovered away end for just about the whole match...

[Mustapha-Dump]

Can't believe neither of my first 2 have come up yet as at the time of number 1 I remember praying, yes saying a genuine prayer that it would stop raining!

1. Blackpool away about 6/7 seasons ago on the old open temporary golf stand! I spent the last ten minutes of the first half with my hands in a sink full of steaming water just so I could feel my fingers again, the water was so hot though I still have scars to this day on my hand, silly! Oh we got beat too, comfortably!

2. Brighton away roughly same time, again open roofed away end, it never stopped raining from us getting there too leaving, the Brighton stewards were handing out Brighton rain ponchos to us for free it was that bad! Said I would never go back to either but I have been back to Blackpool since and I would like to try the Amex out!

3. Yeovil away (April?) 2008, as above, frigging horrible day out! Said I'd never go back, don't intend too! If I never go back to huish park to the day I die it'll still be too soon!

[Sammy Chung was King]

The Middlesbrough 2010 one was freezing and the Carling cup game at Belle vue was the next Ice Age,the Sally Army were playing they're trumpets,it's a wonder there wasn't an Eskimo blocking the pipes up!!

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

Southport away.

And a match against Barnet at Belle Vue which I think was in the 97-98 season.  The crowd on the Mainstand/Town End sides was exactly the number that could cram under the roof of the Main Stand itself...and me.  Couldn't squeeze in anywhere and in the end decided I might as well go and be a lone figure behind the Town End goal.

[Jenny]

Can't believe neither of my first 2 have come up yet as at the time of number 1 I remember praying, yes saying a genuine prayer that it would stop raining!

1. Blackpool away about 6/7 seasons ago on the old open temporary golf stand! I spent the last ten minutes of the first half with my hands in a sink full of steaming water just so I could feel my fingers again, the water was so hot though I still have scars to this day on my hand, silly! Oh we got beat too, comfortably!

2. Brighton away roughly same time, again open roofed away end, it never stopped raining from us getting there too leaving, the Brighton stewards were handing out Brighton rain ponchos to us for free it was that bad! Said I would never go back to either but I have been back to Blackpool since and I would like to try the Amex out!

3. Yeovil away (April?) 2008, as above, frigging horrible day out! Said I'd never go back, don't intend too! If I never go back to huish park to the day I die it'll still be too soon!

I was at all those three games - I have some very fetching pictures of me in a Brighton poncho, although by the time they had handed them out we were piss wet through anyway and did nothing much to salvage the best of a damp situation.

[streatham dave]

Gillingham at home in league cup during our cup run or Brighton away a few seasons ago.

[Donnywolf]

Did not spot anyone mentioning Carlisle away first Season back in Tier4 - when Leo scored in about 89th Minute

It was blowing a Gale and raining and I have never been to a match where the rain was that bad .... but I have been to games that were halted through snow (Owls) and Fog - a Rovers home game at some stage

[andysly]

I can't remember much colder than that night match v Boro 3 years ago.
As for wettest nothing really stands out though I've had my fair share of open away terraces.

[Scooter]

I can't remember who we played but it was at belle vue. It started to rain and most people huddled under the main stand. We thought it would just be a shower by the time we realised it was a torrential downpour there was no point in moving. I walked home like id shat myself.
I was also at the sociedad game.
And at the JPT game at Grimsby I was sat near the front with my dad and the rain poured off the roof right onto us!

[turnbull for england]

Another contender for wettest was a Boxing Day match at Saltergate, when Stevie Adams slipped in a puddle in the box in the last minute to gain the winning penalty.

That gets my vote, the only game I've ever had to watch looking back over my shoulder as the rain (with some sleet and hail mixed in too I believe) was just driving straight at the uncovered away end for just about the whole match...

that and the wigan leyland daf must be the wettest, Hartlepool ( any really its never warm) the coldest

[Capmeister]

There's some truly desperate places to watch footy. Hartlepool, Darlo......although I never remember rain at Darlo if you were on the open terrace at Feethams. Scunny was freezing last year was it? Oldham even before they knocked the main stand down will always be grim. Bury I always seem to remember rain. Perhaps it's just a Pennines thing. Keeps all the shite weather in the north west. Belle Vue was never the greatest. Always felt embarrassed if my mates from opposing team came and had to stand on the open away end. Not only did they have to contend with the weather but they had to wade through several inches of piss as the bogs were always blocked! My personal wettest was Grimsby in the JPT. The rain was sideways and Smithy didnt have a prayer kicking into that wind. Coldest, Scunny but the win warmed mi cockles!
There's always something nice about the cold though. I have this rose tinted view that a game isn't complete without a beer or two before the game and your Dad saying time for a little warmer, usually a tot of whisky before tramping off to see a game. There was a pub at one end of the Halifax ground best met that idyll. Ah, the nostalgia!

[RobTheRover]

I'm with Swinton - Sociedad and Burnley respectively.

I went to that Sociedad game in t-shirt and shorts as it was so warm in the morning.  I got absolutely drenched to the bone.  My mobile phone (a fancy Nokia 6680, the best you could get back in the day) was in my pocket and bluetooth never worked again after that day.

As we all came out of OBV, lightning hit the conductor on the top of the racecourse stand and everyone sh!t themselves!

[Viking Don]

Nowhere is colder than Oldham surely, isn't it the highest ground in the league or something? I had icicles dripping off mi doo dar in the bogs at half time.

The Sociedad game ruined my waterproof to 100 metres watch, but it was worth it to hear Viva Espana being played when the teams came out.

[RedRover45]

Nowhere is colder than Oldham surely, isn't it the highest ground in the league or something? I had icicles dripping off mi doo dar in the bogs at half time.

The Sociedad game ruined my waterproof to 100 metres watch, but it was worth it to hear Viva Espana being played when the teams came out.

Believe it or not VD, the highest English ground above sea level is reputed to be West Brom.

[bradford exile]

Wigan away,  Leyland dad quarrel final,  rained all day and night.  Slidding down the grass bank when Bruno scored,  drove bk home in just my boxers,  now that was a wet day out

Yes I was there for that. Roling down that bank when Bruno scored!!! a never to be forgotten moment.

Ditto driving home in boxer shorts.

Regards

Ray

[andysly]

Forever ingrained in Rovers history that match at Wiga.
Anybody know how many actually went that night ?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Andysly

From memory, I'd guess that there were about 500 there. Mind, to judge by the claims to have been there on this site, you'd think there were 5,000 of us.

[andysly]

BST - my thoughts exactly.
I was there with my Dad strange to think I'm almost as old as he was then. Just remember him going nuts when Bruno won the game. Very similar when we won against QPR.

[JonWallsend]

Andysly

From memory, I'd guess that there were about 500 there. Mind, to judge by the claims to have been there on this site, you'd think there were 5,000 of us.

True that Billy, mind reading through this thread, with the exception of Sociadad, I would say I have been at most of these games. We took about 500 to Wigan. I had a decent view of our fans. I was in the Wigan end as I was a student in Manchester and there with some mates from University- nearly missed the game as we were drinking in Wigan and then managed to get in as Under 16's.  Remember thinking why do all the Rovers fans keep disappearing down that bank.

I went a few times to Springfield Park and it was one of the few grounds that, even at its most dilapidated, Belle Vue put to shame.

Was at the Chesterfield, Steve Adams diving for the penalty, game too- was around the same time, New Years Day 1990 I think and that was wet.

Coldest for me though was the Penrith at home cup tie December 81- remember next day there was a meeting for the Junior Rovers, Q and A with the Snodin brothers at the bar/golf club place and we came out to a few flakes of snow, My Dad came out with the old, "Its too cold to snow" line, An hour and half later, we just made it back to Rotherham and the snow lasted lasted for about 6 weeks.

[Sammy Chung was King]

The Swansea game before the Arsenal cup game at Belle vue,wasn't wet but absolutely freezing,i was shaking,then that Martin Toal was trying to get people to join in with Nessen Dorma,it didn't quite work out

[idler]

Andysly

From memory, I'd guess that there were about 500 there. Mind, to judge by the claims to have been there on this site, you'd think there were 5,000 of us.

Can you remember who the tannoy man was that night?  ;0)