footballsite - Abandoned matches
The Premier League started in        1992/93 and since then six Premier League matches have been abandoned -
Monday January 3rd 1994 - Manchester City v        Ipswich Town
The match at Maine Road was abandoned by referee David        Elleray after 39 minutes with heavy rain causing a waterlogged pitch. City        were winning 2-0 at the time and won the rearranged fixture 2-1 a month        later.
Wednesday August 13th 1997 - Derby County v Wimbledon
Derby County's first home League match at Pride Park  was abandoned by ref Uriah Rennie        in the 56th minute when the floodlights failed. Derby were winning 2-1 at        the time but the clubs drew 1-1 when the fixture was re-staged in October.
Monday November 3rd 1997 - West Ham United v Crystal Palace
The Monday night televised London derby came to an abrupt        halt in the 65th minute when the Upton Park floodlights failed forcing ref        David Elleray to abandon the match with the score at
2-2. The re-arranged match was played exactly a month later when West Ham        won 4-1.
Monday December 22nd 1997 - Wimbledon v Arsenal
Wimbledon's second abandonment of the 1997/98 Premier        Division season came in their home fixture against Arsenal. Ref Dermot        Gallagher called off the match after the Selhurst Park floodlights failed        seconds after the second half started with the score 0-0. The match was        restaged in March - Arsenal won 1-0 - but that match nearly didn't take        place. A 'suspect package' was found outside Selhurst Park before the        match and by the time the all-clear was given kick off had to be put back        to 8.30.
Saturday April 8th 2006 - Sunderland v Fulham
The       Sunderland v Fulham fixture was abandoned by referee Mike Riley after 21       minutes with heavy snow causing a waterlogged pitch. It       was the first match to be abandoned at the Stadium of Light. Fulham were        winning 1-0 at the time of the abandonment but in the rearranged match in        early May Sunderland won 2-1.
Saturday December 30th 2006 - Watford v Wigan        Athletic
The Watford v Wigan Athletic Premier        League fixture at Vicarage Road was abandoned by  referee Steve Tanner after 56        minutes due to a waterlogged pitch. The score was 1-1 at the time - the        arranged match, played in February, also ended 1-1.
It was later found that a Far Eastern betting        syndicate had been sabotaging floodlights - full story .
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Given        that they are played at the end of a season on some of the best grounds        around it is perhaps a little surprising that two European club finals        have been abandoned. Both involved English clubs.
The first of those was at the Stadio        Comunale in Turin for the first leg of the European Fairs Cup Final        between Juventus and Leeds United on Wednesday May 26th 1971. Torrential        rain left pools of water on a waterlogged pitch forcing an abandonment        after 57 minutes with the score at 0-0. Friday May 28th saw the        rescheduled match played with the final score being 2-2. Turning 0-0 into        2-2 proved decisive for Leeds with the Yorkshiremen becoming the first        club to win a European competition on the away goals rule.
Two years on it was the case of same        again, this time at Anfield. On Wednesday May 9th 1973 in the first leg of        the same competition, but now renamed the UEFA Cup, Liverpool's match        against Borussia Moenchengladbach of        West Germany survived just 27 minutes before being abandoned at 0-0        because of a waterlogged pitch. The match was played the following evening        and Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners and were to win the competition 3-2 on        aggregate.
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Almost exactly ten years before the Juventus        match another fixture at the Stadio Comunale had fallen victim to the        weather. Following Denis Law's transfer from Manchester City to Torino in        1961 his first match for the Italians was to proved to be a disappointing        start to a disappointing short spell in Italy for the Scot. On Wednesday        7th June 1961 in a friendly in Turin between the two sides Law turned out        for Manchester City in the first half, scoring a goal before torrential        rain waterlogged the pitch. The second half saw him turn out as a Torino        player but because of the state of the pitch his debut for his new club        lasted just a couple of minutes before the match was abandoned. Denis        assumed that the match hadn't been abandoned during half time because        everyone wanted to see him in the Torino colours. Then he found out the        real reason - if they hadn't at least started the second half they would        have had to give the spectators their money back! Times don't change!
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Floodlight        failures at Premier League grounds should be as rare as hen's teeth. When        Derby County's floodlights failed forcing the abandonment of the first        ever League match played at Pride Park, against Wimbledon on Wednesday        August 13th 1997, it was a major embarrassment. Three months later, on         November 3rd 1997, the West Ham v Crystal Palace Premier League match was        abandoned for the same reason.  Amazingly a month later another        floodlight failure and another abandonment at the Premier League match        between Wimbledon and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on Monday December 22nd        1997. This seemed more than just a run of bad luck. It was, and the reason        became clear in February 1999. Read the full story .
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Another        embarrassing abandonment at a ground 'first' happened at Craven Cottage on        Saturday July 10th 2004 when Fulham finally returned to their refurbished        home after two years groundsharing at Loftus Road. Their first match - a        friendly against Watford - was meant to be the typical early-season        low-key affair giving most of the respective squads an opportunity to kick        a ball after the summer break. But referee Peter Walton had different        ideas. Following on from the England v Australia international which had        so many substitutions that it turned into a fiasco the rules had changed        in the summer to limit substitutions to six a side. And the ref was going        to stick to those rules. At half time both sides had used their permitted        six subs and because of lack of fitness several players were unable to        take any further part in the game. So it became a health and safety issue,        words were spoken during the break and the ref abandoned the match and        left the ground. However a linesman took over and the match continued as        an unofficial exhibition game. By the time it finished 27 substitutions        had been made!
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Floodlights        were an indirect cause of a League match in 2003 although it was less        a cause of floodlight failure more a failure in common sense. Tranmere had        a 2-0 lead over Mansfield Town in a Second Division fixture at Prenton        Park on Saturday 26th April 2003 when spectator Stephen Anglesey decided        to have a wander - and climbed one of the floodlight pylons. He couldn't        be persuaded down and jumped the gap between the floodlights and the roof        of the Cow Shed stand. Fearing for his safety and the safety of the        spectators the crowd of over 7,000 were asked to leave the ground at half        time and shortly afterwards the match was abandoned by referee Mike Ryan        with Anglesey still on the roof. In court he pleaded guilty to being drunk        and disorderly and was fined £400 and banned from every football ground        for five years. But he escaped a lifetime ban on floodlight climbing! The        abandoned match was void and by the time the re-staged match was played        just three days later Tranmere had lost their chance of a play-off place        and Mansfield had been relegated but 10,418 turned up - thanks largely to        the free admission I guess!
"I have never known            anything like it in all my time in football".
Tranmere manager Ray Mathias after the abandonment. Read on - there            are many more stranger stories to be told!
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Another bizarre abandonment came        at Chester's Sealand Road home on Wednesday September 2nd 1981. A League        Cup First Round First Leg tie between Chester and Plymouth Argyle came to        a halt when Chester 'keeper Grenville Millington collided with an upright        when making a save, breaking the post and presumably not doing his own        health much good either. It couldn't be fixed so the match was abandoned        after 78 minutes and Plymouth were forced into another long round-trip to        replay the tie a week later.
Broken        goalposts don't always end in abandoned matches although perhaps Wolves        wished it had when an upright broke just five minutes after kick-off in        their FA Cup match against Bournemouth at Molineux in January 1957. It was        fixed after just a few minutes but Bournemouth went on to win 1-0, a major        giantkilling act at the time. Strangely enough the same thing happened at        Molineux in August 1973 in the first League game of the season. Again the        match continued and this time Wolves went on to win, beating Norwich 3-1.        At Lincoln City's first home match of the 1970/71 season Brentford        goalkeeper Chic Brodie broke the woodwork when swinging on the crossbar        while making a save. It took some 45 minutes to make a repair and allow        the final few minutes of the match to be completed. The prize for the        goalkeeper who
did        the greatest goalmouth damage must surely go to William 'Fatty' Foulke who        played for England despite weighing over 22 stone at his peak. A Sheffield        Daily Telegraph report in 1897 stated "It is a pity that Foulke        cannot curb the habit of pulling down the crossbar, which on Saturday        ended in his breaking it in two." Now that's what        you call a secret weapon!
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When        an Amateur Cup 4th Round match at Highgate United kicked off on Saturday        February 25th 1967 the rain didn't dampen the spirits of the supporters of        the Worcester Combination side. They were hoping to continue their cup run        at the expense of mighty Enfield but tragically those hopes were ended in        the 27th minute when the match was abandoned with Enfield leading 1-0. A        bolt of lightning hit the centre of the pitch knocking over several        players and tragically one of those, the Highgate centre-half Tony Allden,        died in hospital the following day from his injuries. When the match was        restaged it was played at Villa Park with 31,632 present which was an        amazing gesture of goodwill and sympathy. Enfield won that match 6-0 and        went on to beat Skelmersdale United in the replayed final.
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Amazingly Denis Law once scored 6       goals for Manchester City in an FA Cup tie against Luton Town on January       28th 1961 but still finished on the losing side!
That fourth round tie at       Kenilworth Road was abandoned after 69
minutes because of a waterlogged pitch with City winning 6-2 and Law       having scored all their goals. The two sides had to start again from       scratch on February 1st and this time Luton emerged as the winners, by a       3-1 margin, with Denis Law again scoring for City.
The six goals that Law scored       in the first match were expunged from the record book. If they had stood       the Scotsman would have finished the 20th Century as the century's top FA       Cup goalscorer. Instead that honour went to Ian Rush with 44 FA Cup goals       (Liverpool 39, Chester 4 and Newcastle United 1). Denis Law finished       second with 41 'official' FA Cup goals to his credit (Manchester United       34, Manchester City 4 and Huddersfield Town 3).
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When it comes to        weather frozen conditions and waterlogged pitches are the main reasons        for abandoned - and postponed - matches with fog now not being the problem        it once was. Rarely are matches called off because of high winds although        the consequences of windy conditions can be tragic. On Saturday March 20th        2004 gale force winds hit the country, being particular bad in the        Midlands, with two League matches being abandoned and several more        postponed. One of the postponed matches was the First Division fixture        between Stoke City and WBA, the first postponement at the Britannia        Stadium. Referee Keith Hill postponed the match 90 minutes before        scheduled kick-off time explaining "The high winds are causing        channelled air in parts of the stadium, making it difficult to stand in        some areas of the field of play. Our prime concern is for the safety of        players and spectators, and both managers agreed it would be impossible to        play football in such conditions."
Third Division matches at Mansfield        Town (against Oxford United) and Northampton (against Huddersfield) were        abandoned because of the gale force winds. At Northampton referee Nigel        Miller abandoned the match six minutes before the interval after two        advertising hoardings had been blown loose, one landing on Huddersfield        supporters in the away stand with the second being blown onto the pitch.        The potential dangers of that happening had sadly been seen earlier that        day. Before the start of the Leicester v Everton Premier League match        Everton supporter Bernard Murphy had tragically been killed when a        hoarding blew into him outside of the Walkers Stadium. Surprisingly the        match was allowed to go ahead.
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I've never been to an abandoned match but I would guess the level of my disappointment at being at an        uncompleted fixture would depend on how well the team I supported was        doing. Spare a thought for Newport County fans in the 6,741 crowd who were        at Somerton Park on Friday 23rd March 1951 for a Division 3 (South)        fixture. On a wet and windy Good Friday their side were 5-1 up against        second-placed Norwich City and with a little more than a quarter of an        hour remaining the two points looked a certainty. Then referee Arthur        Blythe abandoned the match after Norwich defender Reg Foulkes injured        himself after heading the rain-sodden leather ball. Those of you of a        certain age will remember that a soaking-wet leather ball was often a        lethal weapon! The Newport fans were not too chuffed and many stayed to        demonstrate their disapproval and the ref could only escape the ground        disguised as an ambulance man and with a police escort. That match was        voided and in the replay a month later the points were shared in a 1-1        draw. Not only did Newport have the victory taken from them but the        scorers in the first match had their goals deleted from the records. One        of Newport's goalscorers in the original match was Reg Parker and when he        retired  in 1954 he had 99 League goals for Newport to his name, the        century being denied him by that abandonment.
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Hooliganism was never far from the        news in the 70s and 80s but few could have expected the consequences of        Aston Villa arranging a friendly on Saturday October 9th 1976 to fill what        would have been a blank international weekend for the club. The 'friendly' was against Scottish champs Rangers. Scots fans - many the worse for drink        - descended on Birmingham causing problems in the city centre even before        arriving at Villa Park. At the ground missiles were thrown onto the pitch, there were pitch invasions and battles with the police which left over a        hundred spectators injured, including stabbings,  and a similar        number arrested. With Villa leading 2-0 the match was abandoned in the        53rd minute - and Rangers found it just a tad more difficult to play        friendlies south of the border!
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The referee        seems to have a tough time at Newport when an abandonment is on the        cards. Just over a quarter of a century before the Newport v Norwich match        was abandoned (see above) the first League match to be abandoned at        Newport's Somerton Park was recorded on Saturday November 24th 1923. Thick        fog descended on the ground just before kick off against Queens Park        Rangers in a Division 3 (South) fixture but with several thousand fans        already inside the ground and the fog getting worse referee Tolfree        decided to start the match ten minutes before scheduled kick off time.        Just a few minutes later though the visibility was so poor, less than 20        yards, the ref took both teams off. At that point the spectators expressed 'forcible criticism' and the ref, fearing the consequences of an early        abandonment, restarted play even though visibilty hadn't improved. Newport        and QPR scored a goal apiece although most fans were only aware of that        because of the roar of the crowd who were close to the goalmouth. After 40        minutes no-one seemed to complain when the match was finally abandoned.
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England have suffered just three abandoned        matches in their long history. The first of those was in Buenos Aires on        Sunday May 17th 1953 when a friendly against Argentina was stopped after        23 minutes with the score at 0-0 when heavy rain resulted in a waterlogged        pitch. More recently, on Wednesday February 15th 1995 a 'friendly' in        Dublin against the Republic of Ireland was abandoned after 27 minutes due        to rioting within an English section of the crowd. England were losing 0-1        at the time. The only time England have suffered an abandonment in a        competitive fixture was against Czechoslovakia in Bratislava on Wednesday        29th October 1975. The European Championship qualifier was abandoned after        17 minutes due to fog with the score 0-0. The match was then played the        following day and England lost 1-2, England's first defeat with Don Revie        as manager.
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Moving north of the border the Scots have had managed        far more interesting reasons for international abandonments. OK, they have        had the mundane - in September 2004 an away friendly against Spain was        abandoned after 59 minutes due to floodlight failure - but two others are        far more unusual.
On        Wednesday May 8th 1963 Scotland entertained Austria in a friendly at        Hampden Park in front of 94,596 spectators - those were the days! After 15        minutes Davie Wilson scored for Scotland but the visitors believed it was        offside and indeed a linesmen had flagged offside. But the goal stood and        the Austrians were not happy and they remained in that frame of mind for        the remainder of the match. Ten minutes later Wilson got a second and this        time the Austrians protests saw Horst Nemec sent off. Denis Law scored a        third goal before half-time and soon after the break Fritz Rafreider was        carried off injured. Further goals from Denis Law and Anton Linhart made        the scoreline 4-1 but the visitors then went down to 8 players when Erich        Hof was sent off for a 'diabolical tackle at waist height'. The        persistent fouling from Austria continued until the 79th minute when        English referee Jim Finney thought it was getting a tad too rough and        abandoned the match. He later said 'I felt that I had to abandon the        match or somebody would have been seriously hurt'.
When Scotland visited Estonia on Wednesday 9th October        1996 for a World Cup qualifier it saw probably the most unusual        international abandonment. Scotland        trained at the Kadrioru Stadium in Tallinn the night before the match and        found that the temporary floodlights to be used at the
match were not up to standard. Scotland complained and FIFA agreed with        them and brought forward the kick off time from 6.45 in the evening to 3        o'clock in the afternoon. The short notice of that decision caused a        logistical nightmare for the Estonians - not least the TV contract was for        an evening match - so they just didn't turn up. The 1000 or so crowd        chanted 'One team in Tallinn, there's only one team in Tallinn',        Billy Dodds kicked off and passed to John Collins then ref Miroslav        Radoman abandoned the game...after just 3 seconds. The match was ordered        to be replayed at a neutral venue, the two countries drawing 0-0 in Monaco        on Tuesday 11th February 1997. Scotland qualified for the finals, Estonia        didn't!
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Moving        to a new ground is never universally popular amongst fans but when        Brighton moved ground after 95 years it was universally unpopular - their        Goldstone Ground had been sold to make way for a retail park but they had        no shiny new stadium to move to! Fans accused the owners of        asset-stripping and breaking promises which brought together supporters        from all parts of the country to oppose what was happening on the south        coast. That protest culminated in a pitch invasion at what was due to be        their last match at the Goldstone (although they subsequently agreed to        stay for another season) against York City on Saturday April 27th 1996. At        3.16 fans invaded the Goldstone pitch from both ends and after both        crossbars were pulled down the match was abandoned.
The consequences? The York match had to be replayed - it was a vital match        for the visitors as they needed a point to stay in Division 2.        Surprisingly the match was not played behind closed doors. It might as        well have been though with it being played on the morning
of Thursday May 9th and being all-ticket with tickets only being sold the day before the match. Mind you the programme was free! The 2106 who did        attend saw York win 3-1 to retain their Division 2 place. Brighton also        suffered a suspended 3 point deduction which almost cost them their League        place. The reason for that was that the following season saw another pitch        invasion - against Lincoln on Tuesday October 1st 1996 - and they were        docked two of those three points. They won their last match at the        Goldstone - 1-0 against Doncaster on Saturday April 26th 1997 to set up a        winner-take-all last match of the season at Hereford United. They were        equal on points at the bottom of Division 3 - the winner would stay in the        League, the loser would drop to the Conference with a draw benefiting        Brighton on goals scored. Brighton drew 1-1 and so 14 years after playing        in an FA Cup final they lost their ground but just kept their place in the        Football League.
'We will remember the        celebrations and tears, the agonies and ecstasies, the joy and despair.        They can take away the fabric, but they can't take away the memories.'
Brighton fan Tim Carder
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You probably couldn't think of        anything more sedate to do as the grey hairs take over - walking football.        Similar rules as the normal football but for the over 50s and played at a        walking pace. But in January 2016 when Canterbury Walking Football Club        played Herne Bay Walking Football Club - players were aged up to 70 - the        outcome was a tad surprising. Within five seconds there was a 'robust' shoulder charge followed soon after by a 'crunching tackle' which was        followed by a brawl which included the ref. The match was abandoned after        just two minutes. As a fan said 'These lads know how to handle        themselves and although they might not be fit enough to run, they are fit        enough to throw a punch or two'. Yep, there is life after 50!
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An abandonment in the          1904/05 season changed the outcome of the League championship. Everton's match at          Woolwich Arsenal in November was abandoned after 76 minutes due to fog          with the Merseysiders leading 3-1. When the match was eventually played again, just          before the end of the season when they had to play 3 matches in 4 days, Everton lost 2-1. If the original match had          been completed (and if the scoreline had remained the same), Everton would          have pipped Newcastle to the League Championship by a point. Instead they          finished second (Everton's          results and league table) .
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T he        Division 1 fixture between Sheffield         Wednesday and Aston Villa played on Saturday November 26th 1898 was        abandoned after 79 minutes due to bad light. Sheffield Wednesday were 3-1        up at the time. Uniquely, rather than let the score stand or order the        whole match to be replayed, the League decreed that the two clubs should        resume the match at Sheffield and play only the final 11 minutes. This        they did nearly four months later on Monday March 13th 1899 when Sheffield        Wednesday added one more goal to make the final score 4-1. By the time the        match was resumed both clubs had changed their line-ups - Billy         Garraty of Aston Villa, and Samuel Bosworth, Bob Ferrier, Ambrose Langley,         Jack Pryce and Fred Richards (who scored the final goal) of Wednesday all         played in only the final 11 minutes. Surely these players were the first         substitutes used in a League match!
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On Saturday January 8th 1927 Oldham        Athletic entertained Brentford in the Third Round of the FA Cup. Play was        stopped after 73 minutes because of thick fog and believing the match had        been abandoned Brentford manager Harry Curtis told his players to have        their after-match bath. However the fog soon lifted and the referee wanted        to resume play but Curtis explained what had happened and declined to        allow his players to resume the match as he said it would be bad for their        health. So with Oldham leading 2-1 the match was really abandoned being        restaged two days later when visitors Brentford won 4-2. 1926/27 FA Cup        results.
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Inevitably when a match is        abandoned one of the sides will  be happier about the outcome        than the other. The happier side will probably having been losing in the        abandoned match and would be looking forward to wiping the slate clean and        perhaps having injured players back in the team to improve their chances        of a better outcome when the match is replayed. But not always so. When        the First Division match between Arsenal and Grimsby in December 1930 was        abandoned after 63 because of fog Arsenal were leading 1-0 and perhaps the        Grimsby faithful present saw the abandonment as a 'get out of jail free' card. But Grimsby didn't improve when the match was restaged in January        1931. Far from it, they lost 9-1 which was Arsenal's record League victory        at Highbury. Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin later wrote of the match in his        autobiography - 'The Wednesday after our defeat at Stamford Bridge we        compensated ourselves to a great extent by walloping Grimsby Town, 9-1.        This game had been postponed some weeks back. Fog had led to its        abandonment. I was rather surprised at the weak resistance Grimsby put up,        for in the abandoned game they had been playing very well, and were only a        single goal behind, when proceedings were adjourned. I had to be content        with one goal out of the nine; David Jack and Jack Lambert were        responsible for most of the others.'
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The First Division match between        Chelsea and Charlton Athletic on Christmas Day 1937 suffered an        abandonment when heavy fog descended on Stamford Bridge. The fog was so        bad that Charlton 'keeper Sam Bartram was unaware that the        match had ended, assuming that his inactivity was due to the play being in        the Chelsea half. It was 15 minutes or so before a policeman told him that         the game had been abandoned. In later years he described the events of        that afternoon -
Soon            after the kick-off fog began to thicken rapidly at the far end,            travelling past Vic Woodley in the Chelsea goal and rolling steadily            towards me. The referee stopped the game, and then, as visibility            became clearer, restarted it. We were on top at this time, and I saw            fewer and fewer figures as we attacked steadily.
I paced up and down my goal-line, happy in the            knowledge that Chelsea were being pinned in their own half. 'The boys            must be giving the Pensioners the hammer', I thought smugly, as I            stamped my feet for warmth. Quite obviously, however, we were not            getting the ball into the net, for no players were coming back to line            up, as they would have done following a goal. Time passed, and I made            several advances towards the edge of the penalty area, peering through            the murk which was getting thicker every minute. Still I could see            nothing. The Chelsea defence was clearly being run off its feet.
After a long time a figure loomed out of the            curtain of fog in front of me. It was a policeman, and he gaped at me            incredulously. 'What on earth are you doing here?' he gasped. 'The            game was stopped a quarter of a hour ago. The field's completely            empty.'
And when I groped my way to the dressing-room the            rest of the Charlton team, already out of the bath, were convulsed            with laughter.'
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Because of a terrible winte r the        1962/63 season was a long one and it became longer still when one vital        match was abandoned. At the bottom of Division 2 with one match left the        final relegation spot was between Walsall and Charlton Athletic and those        two sides met at Fellows Park on Tuesday 21st May 1963. A win for Charlton        would see them stay up, any other result and Walsall would survive. A        crowd of 18,820 assembled but at half-time, with the score at 0-0, the        match was abandoned because of a waterlogged pitch. That was bad luck on        Walsall but was nothing when compared to what happened when they played        the match three days later. The 16,761 crowd who were at Fellows Park on        Friday May 24th saw the home side go close after just five minutes, a shot        from Graham Newton hitting the woodwork. But just minutes later Newton was        carried off with a broken ankle and things got even worse half an hour        later when Walsall keeper Alan Boswell suffered a broken jaw. No        substitutes in those days and with just nine players Walsall lost 2-1 and        were relegated to Division 3 on goal average.
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Even Fergie couldn't manage this one! When Manchester United played at Burnley in the        quarter-final of the FA Cup in March 1909 they were looking to go out of        the competition when 1-0 down and time running out. Then with 18 minutes        remaining a severe snowstorm forced the abandonment of the match. The game        was re-staged four days later and this time United won 3-2 and went on to        win the FA Cup for the first time. Divine intervention or what?
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There were so many toilet rolls        around at the Ajax v Groningen Dutch League match in April 2008 that not        even an army of Andrex dogs could have dealt with them. So far, so good -        perhaps even a tad amusing in fact. But then someone set fire to them and        things became far from amusing with the referee being forced to abandon        the match because of safety fears. The consequences of one stupid moment        ....
 
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On        Boxing Day 1932 Jimmy Oakes was a member of the Port Vale side          that played at Charlton Athletic in a Second Division match that was          abandoned after 63 minutes due to fog. In January he was transferred to          Charlton for £3000 and when the re-arranged fixture was played on April          26th Oakes played again but this time for Charlton against his former Port          Vale team-mates. So we can say he is the only person ever to play for both          sides in the same League fixture! When the first match was abandoned Port          Vale were leading 4-1 but in the          replayed match Charlton finished 2-1 victors.
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Tuesday         November 2nd 2010 unusually saw three Football League matches abandoned.         The League 2 match between Cheltenham and Southend lasted 66 minutes         before a floodlight failure brought the match to an early end. Amazingly         the two other matches in League 1 lasted a combined total of just 9         minutes! Heavy rain falling on already         waterlogged pitches saw the Hartlepool v Notts County match last just 3         minutes while the Rochdale v Oldham survived only 6 minutes.
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When United Counties League sides Sleaford Town and Huntingdon Town met in an FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie at Sleaford's Eslaforde Park        ground on Saturday 14th September 2013 the proverbial two men and a dog        present would hardly have expected the match to hit the national        headlines. But hit the headlines it did. With three minutes of normal time        remaining and Sleaford leading 2-1 an attempt by a Huntingdon player to        take a throw in was thwarted by an 'incident'. Then followed a mass brawl        which allegedly involved all the players and club officials of both sides        resulting in an ambulance being summoned and the inevitable abandonment of        the match. Using the internet to the full the respective clubs had        differing views of the 'incident' ranging from an accidental coming        together of a player and official in the technical area when the 'Rory        Delap'- style throw-in was about to to taken to violent assault with        racist overtones. The FA response was perhaps inevitable. Both clubs were        warned, fined and expelled from the competition for failing to ensure that        their players, officials and supporters conducted themselves properly        giving scheduled 2nd qualifying round opponents Sudbury a bye to the        third.
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In 2005 a non-league match was        abandoned when the referee sent himself off and there was nobody to        replace him! Yes it really happened - Referees .
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"If your side had been            a goal down instead of 1-0 ahead you would have been only too happy to            have the game abandoned".
Referee Bob Mann's words to the captain of a side who were winning            1-0 when the official abandoned the game. I guess similar sentiments            are expressed every time was match is abandoned!
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Question:
Who              is the only person to have played first-class County cricket and won a              World Cup winners medal at football?