Steve Bower has been describing football matches for about 35 years. On Saturday at Moss Lane, live on BBC Two, he could not tell viewers which team had the ball, as thick fog swallowed Altrincham’s FA Cup first-round tie against Notts County. League One Notts County won 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, in a finish almost nobody inside the ground could properly see.
“One of the more challenging of my long career, that’s about 35 years now,” Bower said. “From where we were, opposite the dugouts, once the play went to the centre circle and beyond, we couldn’t see a thing. We couldn’t see which team had the ball, let alone which player had the ball after about the 60th minute. Bearing in mind it went to extra-time, it was challenging.”
Late in normal time he warned the audience: “I don’t want to worry anyone – we can’t see those dugouts at the moment because of the mist.” The verdict from home arrived on his phone. “It was text message after text message from people saying, ‘You’re sounding great, but I can’t see a thing’,” he said.
A giant-killing lost in the murk
The cruelty of the night was its timing. Jacob Bedeau headed Notts County in front in the 28th minute from Callum Roberts’ cross, before Lucas Weaver equalised six minutes before half-time, although replays suggested he may have been offside. Lewis Banks then tapped in just before the hour to put Altrincham, seventh in the National League, ahead, with Matty Kosylo creating both goals.
That was almost exactly when the commentary position lost sight of the game. Roberts’ first-time strike in the 84th minute forced extra-time, which produced no goals, and Aidan Barlow, Sam Taylor and Eddy Jones all failed to convert in the shootout before Rosaire Longelo settled it.
“The frustrating thing is that for an hour it was a really good FA Cup tie, it had everything,” Bower said. “It was on for another giant-killing script but then the frustrating thing is that it becomes a non-event because, without stating the obvious, people can’t see half of it.”
“Even on the penalties, you were having to rely on the crowd’s reaction before committing to the tale,” he said. “You couldn’t see the goalkeeper’s save, for instance, until the first replay came in.”
Short passes and blind technical areas
The fog changed the match as well as the broadcast. Bower said players abandoned long diagonals and were reduced to “short five, 10 yard passes”, while Altrincham manager Neil Gibson told him his staff had tried to get to pitchside to work out whether Notts County had changed shape after four substitutions. “But we just couldn’t see,” Gibson said.
Notts County boss Martin Paterson was in the same position. “I was still barking orders and trying to get people in the right spots,” he said. “I just couldn’t see if they were listening to me or not.”
Radio had it harder still. BBC Radio Nottingham’s Adam Hassell could “just about see the bright white numbers” on the shirts, and former Notts County striker Mark Stallard summarised the press box’s predicament: “It’s like a spot-the-ball competition.”
Close to abandonment – and a precedent that keeps returning
“It was very, very close to getting called off,” Bower said. The decision belonged to the referee, and it drew support from the manager who lost. “I’m led to believe the players on the pitch could see the ball OK,” Gibson said. “I felt the integrity of the game was upheld. It was a brave decision for the referee to continue the game in those conditions and it was probably the right one.”
That judgement holds for the players, but it exposes the limit of the test being applied. A match can be playable on the pitch and still be invisible to the coaches, the stands and the audience of a live national broadcast. Paterson said he did not discuss the decision with the officials, and no explanation from the referee has been reported.
Fog has interrupted English football for generations. Charlton goalkeeper Sam Bartram famously stayed at his post at Stamford Bridge on Christmas Day 1937, unaware the game had been stopped 15 minutes earlier until a policeman told him. Stallard recalled a Notts County cup tie against Wimbledon that was abandoned, and Bower was reminded of York against Wigan, another BBC first-round game hit by fog about three years ago. “Maybe I’m a jinx,” he said. “Tonight was worse.”
Notts County go through to the second round. For Altrincham, who have beaten 17 Football League sides in the competition, the regret will be that an 18th slipped away out of sight. Bower’s own conclusion was simple: “It will live long in the memory, that’s for sure.”
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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