Last night was a tad chilly and other I recall: Preston under Coleman two years ago in the aftermath of the beast from the east, disgustingly cold. Fulham away under MacMenemy, I was totally under dressed and the wind off the river was savage. Plymouth in the 8003 match, hurricane and torrential downpour.
Bolton FA Cup replay January 2013. Sitting in minus temperatures watching us get beat 2-0. Hardly anyone was there so it felt even colder as we were sitting like billy no mates with empty seats around us.
Blackburn rovers away circa 2008, just after new year. Got beat via a penalty 1-0 after Daryl Murphy had missed one for us. Tear-inducing cold and a poor match.
I remember standing on the Fulwell End, one night, when we played Oxford or some other bunch of knackers. The sea fret rolled in and the players were visibly becoming slower and slower as they began to suffer from hypothermia. And then, the strangest thing happened!!! The lads on the Fulwell End who'd been stamping their feet, in an effort to stem the onset of frostbite, started to unconsciouslly synchronise. People may not realise this but Michael Flatley was in the Clockstand paddocks and saw the spectacle of hundreds of people rhythmically stamping their feet in unison. A light came on in his head, he rushed out of Roker Park and started work on a new stage show. This post may well prompt many Sunderland supporters to start a claim for royalties ... ... and I'll be proud to be the catalyst!!!
Can't remember dates, but when I was in the UK, I had a season ticket for the North Stand Upper (as it was then). Think it was January, little to my knowledge, I had a hole in one of my boots, sock got wet, sat there in complete misery (and not cos of the football) got back to the car after the game and my foot was blue! Also, we won 1-0 (remember SuperKev scoring). And I still didn't leave early, despite the looming threat of frostbite and losing a toe* Even watching the stream against Rochdale you could see it was bloody baltic. You're all a lot hardier than me, I'm soft as clarts after living in a warm country for 14 years (look at me, pathetic and so on). *There may be some poetic license in use here...
Getting off the bus at Roker sea front was always freezing. Walking towards the old ground ribs aching from a combination of the cold and nerves
Coldest was an FA Cup replay at the SOL late Jan or early Feb about 10 years ago. It went 1-1 FT. 1-1 ET and the pennas went on forever. Would’ve taken a 1-0 defat at 90mins. All that and we got jumped in the next round.
Have to say like you lads are doing your layers wrong if you were cold on Tuesday. Thin fleece, light down jacket and my goretex waterproof over the top. Trackies under my jeans. Hat. Gloves. Thick socks. Toastie warm all night.
That was the fame that instantly came to my mind. Sat in the front row of the North Stand right behind the goal. Billy no mates I was. I left early.