Almost 700 Notts County fans found themselves unable to see a single kick of the FA Cup first-round penalty shootout against Altrincham on Saturday, as thick fog engulfed the J Davidson Stadium. The dense mist was so intense that supporters on one end of the pitch could barely make out the players, let alone the ball.
Ian Kirke, a lifelong Magpies fan who travelled from Berkshire, described the surreal experience. “It’s the most bonkers festival of football I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. He and fellow supporters had to rely entirely on the sound of the crowd to gauge what was happening during the shootout.
The fog rolled in after kick-off, when conditions had seemed normal. Notts County took the lead just before the half-hour mark through Jacob Bedeau, but Altrincham fought back with goals from Lucas Weaver and Lewis Banks to go 2-1 up. By the second half, the fog had thickened so much that BBC Radio Nottingham commentator Adam Hassell admitted, “I can just about see the bright white numbers on their shirts, but I am struggling to see what is happening on the far side of the pitch.”
Former Notts County striker Mark Stallard, also commentating for the radio station, said the conditions were “slightly farcical.” He added, “We’re looking around, and here in the press box no-one knows where the ball is! It’s like a spot the ball competition. We genuinely cannot see the linesman or the players on the far side.”
Altrincham, playing in the National League, appeared to benefit from the conditions early on but could not hold their advantage. Callum Roberts levelled the game for Notts County by scoring from the edge of the box, despite the worsening fog. Referee David Rock chose to continue the match despite the visibility problems, a decision that allowed the contest to reach penalties.
Among the 690 Notts County fans affected, Lynda Lally from Beeston said the fog became “worse and worse” after half-time. “For the other 45 minutes, we could only see what was happening once players emerged from the fog,” she said. Lally had hoped the shootout would happen in front of the Notts County end, but when it didn’t, she described the tense silence among the visiting fans as they strained to hear the outcome.
The atmosphere was eerie, with Kirke likening it to “a cross between an eerie Christmas nativity gone horribly wrong – and the 1980s film called The Fog.” He recalled a similar foggy FA Cup third-round replay involving Notts County and Wimbledon in 2001, saying the current conditions were worse. “I don’t know what on earth had to happen for the referee to call it off,” Kirke said.
During the shootout, Kirke’s friend, watching on television and struggling to see the action, sent him text updates. “The only way we could ascertain what was going on was the reaction of the Altrincham fans,” Kirke added.
Altrincham missed three penalties, and Rosaire Longelo converted the winning spot-kick for Notts County. The silence from the home supporters followed by the eruption of cheers from the visiting fans marked the moment the Magpies sealed their 3-2 shootout victory.
Lally summed up the surreal end. “We heard the silence and we went into a massive roar knowing we had won,” she said.
According to Yahoo Sports.
