Fog Takes Over FA Cup Match, Making It Nearly Impossible to See

A FA Cup soccer match in Manchester, England, turned into one of the strangest games in recent memory when a heavy fog rolled into Moss Lane stadium. The first-round match between Altrincham and Notts County went to extra time and then a penalty shootout. By that point, the fog was so thick that fans, players, and even TV and radio commentators could barely see what was happening on the field. The game was played on a weekend in November, and people around the world watching on TV were left just as confused as those sitting in the stands.

Notts County, a team from the city of Nottingham that plays in League One, scored first in the match. Altrincham, a local Manchester club that plays in the fifth-tier National League, fought back and took the lead. County then scored late to tie the game, forcing extra time. That is when the fog really started to cause problems for everyone trying to follow the match.

Radio commentators on BBC Radio Nottingham found themselves in a tricky spot. Mark Stallard, a former Notts County striker working as an analyst, said on air, 'We're looking around — no-one knows where the ball is.' His fellow commentator Adam Hassell added that he could just barely make out the bright white numbers on players' shirts, but could not see what was happening on the far side of the pitch. It was an almost unbelievable situation for professional broadcasters.

Over on BBC television, commentator Steve Bower warned listeners early on that the fog was getting worse. 'I don't want to worry anyone — we can't see those dugouts at the moment because of the mist,' he said during the final minutes of regular time. He then promised his audience, 'We will try our best to let you know who has got the ball.' Even that turned out to be a difficult promise to keep as the fog kept getting thicker.

The penalty shootout was played in front of the Altrincham end of the stadium, which meant their fans had a front-row view. The Notts County fans, seated about 100 meters away at the other end of the ground, could not see the goals being taken at all. They had to figure out what happened by listening to the cheers or groans from the Altrincham supporters. It was an odd and funny way to follow one of soccer's most exciting moments.

TV commentator Adam Summerton on TNT Sports had one of the toughest jobs of the night. When Notts County's Max Sanders stepped up to take his penalty kick, Summerton first said, 'He's put it wide, I think.' Then, after seeing a replay on his monitor, he quickly corrected himself: 'No, it's in. I'm really sorry, it's so hard for us to see up here.' The confusion summed up the entire evening perfectly — nobody was quite sure what was going on until it was confirmed by a replay.

This kind of foggy chaos has happened before in English soccer. On Christmas Day in 1937, a goalkeeper named Sam Bartram was playing for Charlton Athletic at Stamford Bridge in London when a thick fog, known as a 'pea souper,' covered the entire field. Bartram kept standing in his goal, defending it as best he could, while the fog got worse and worse. He had no idea that the referee had stopped the game 15 minutes earlier and that the entire field had emptied out around him.

A police officer eventually walked onto the field and found Bartram still standing there, completely alone. In his autobiography, Bartram wrote that the officer gasped, 'The game was stopped a quarter of an hour ago. The field's completely empty.' When Bartram finally made his way to the locker room, his teammates — already showered and dressed — burst out laughing. It is one of the most famous and funny stories in English soccer history.

Back in Altrincham, nothing quite that extreme happened, but the night still had a storybook feeling to it. Notts County won the penalty shootout and advanced to the second round of the FA Cup. The final penalty was scored by a player commentator Summerton could only identify as 'I think it's [Rosaire] Longelo.' County's fans at the far end of the ground celebrated after a short pause — they had to wait to hear the Altrincham fans go quiet before they knew their team had won. It was a strange and unforgettable ending to a match nobody could quite see.