The wind

[John_Bucks]

Colin, just off the top of my head, two of the windiest occasions I can recall at Holker Street were in 1983 and 1989 . . .

1983-84 was the Halom NPL title-winning season when we slaughtered every team in our path. But in October 1983 Goole visited and played towards the Holker Street end in the first half. Of course we were far and away the best team in the league and even though it was only October we were already Champions elect. But the conditions that day meant that even humble Goole went in at half-time with a healthy 0-3 lead over us. With the wind (hurricane?) at our backs in the 2nd half we proceeded to turn things around and ended up winning 4-3.

In February 1989 we faced Cheltenham in the FA Trophy. We won 1-0 and it was a Cowperthwaite penalty that settled it. Cowps could strike a ball on the mildest of days but as he stepped up to take the spot-kick at the Holker Street end with a frightening storm at his back you had to feel for the opposition keeper if he failed to get out of the way. Wisely he managed to duck. If he'd been struck in the midriff you have to think he would have been catapulted through the back of the Holker Street end and carried clean across the railway lines before being laid to rest somewhere in the Griffin Estate. Either that or he'd have lived the rest of his days as a human polo-mint.

The FA Cup game against one of the Bristol’s (Rovers?) was surely up there. Goal kicks were coming straight back!

[A.B.]

I think we had a Setanta Shield game vs Telford postponed because of high winds causing damage to advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch.

[Suffolk Blue]

Having spent a lifetime experiencing the "breeze" at HS I have come to the following conclusions.

Firstly being on the North-West coast the area is prone to primarily Westerly weather systems and especially in the winter months
Secondly, the ground itself lies in a roughly east-west position so wind generally moves from goal to goal.
Thirdly, from my memory stories about the effect of the wind on games at HS seem to have increased significantly once the Steelworks end stand came down and more noticeable still once the HS roof came off. and when the wind was in alignment with the stadium it became like a wind tunnel.

I have always thought the idea that because we have experienced this phenomenon for so long that we gain an advantage from it to be something of a myth. Largely because the wind rarely aligns perfectly with the pitch and more often you get a corner flag to corner flag effect which makes life much more difficult. Also anybody who's been in these conditions would point out that the wind is rarely constant but is in fact very blustery and variable. It does result in some clangers but the teams rarely have the benefit of it for long enough to be able to master it. If we do have an advantage it is probably in having much more experience of playing against it.

Personally I cant remember a worse example of the wind at HS than against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup when a gale blew straight down the pitch towards HS and created the perfect storm. As for the more bizarre I can remember a NPL midweek game against Bangor City in the mid 70s. We had a guy playing in midfield I remember called Jackson (Mark/Matt?). Playing towards the HS end he hit a ball from the centre circle area which flew in the air towards the ASDA side corner flag. Half way there it was caught by the wind and then like boomerang made a perfect arc over the desperately retreating goalkeeper into the net.

[xerxes]

Westerly gales have always affected games at HS, even before the Steelworks end was demolished. Two in particular I remember were against Orient and Shrewsbury in the 1968-69 season. In both we managed to limit them to a one goal lead in the first half, and won the game when we had the wind at our backs.

Another was against Bury the following season, when we predictably went a goal down playing against the wind, but then somehow managed to score 3 before half time against the wind. We didn't add any more with the wind behind us.

[Leo]

Personally I cant remember a worse example of the wind at HS than against Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup when a gale blew straight down the pitch towards HS and created the perfect storm.

Some of it in evidence in the highlights package here https://youtu.be/BGWoYissvFA

Unfortunately a game better remembered for the more unsavoury incidents

[Time Lord]

I think we had a Setanta Shield game vs Telford postponed because of high winds causing damage to advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch.

Is this the game where the advertising hoardings at the steelworks end blew on to the pitch? If not can anyone remember which match that was?

[PerthBluebird]

I think we had a Setanta Shield game vs Telford postponed because of high winds causing damage to advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch.

Is this the game where the advertising hoardings at the steelworks end blew on to the pitch? If not can anyone remember which match that was?

Sadly nobody cares what a boring topic this is dinosaur paintbrush squad strikes again

[Colin Appleton]

I think the Setanta Shield game with Telford was possibly a semi final tie but I maybe wrong on that ? it was abandoned due to strong winds and when the game was played for a second time it was free entry and hence attracted a crowd of more than two thousand which was a terrific attendance at the time for that competition.

[A.B.]

I think we had a Setanta Shield game vs Telford postponed because of high winds causing damage to advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch.

Is this the game where the advertising hoardings at the steelworks end blew on to the pitch? If not can anyone remember which match that was?

Yes

[A.B.]

I think the Setanta Shield game with Telford was possibly a semi final tie but I maybe wrong on that ? it was abandoned due to strong winds and when the game was played for a second time it was free entry and hence attracted a crowd of more than two thousand which was a terrific attendance at the time for that competition.

Telford went on to win the competition at Forest Green in the final.

[blue nige]

Colin, just off the top of my head, two of the windiest occasions I can recall at Holker Street were in 1983 and 1989 . . .

1983-84 was the Halom NPL title-winning season when we slaughtered every team in our path. But in October 1983 Goole visited and played towards the Holker Street end in the first half. Of course we were far and away the best team in the league and even though it was only October we were already Champions elect. But the conditions that day meant that even humble Goole went in at half-time with a healthy 0-3 lead over us. With the wind (hurricane?) at our backs in the 2nd half we proceeded to turn things around and ended up winning 4-3.

In February 1989 we faced Cheltenham in the FA Trophy. We won 1-0 and it was a Cowperthwaite penalty that settled it. Cowps could strike a ball on the mildest of days but as he stepped up to take the spot-kick at the Holker Street end with a frightening storm at his back you had to feel for the opposition keeper if he failed to get out of the way. Wisely he managed to duck. If he'd been struck in the midriff you have to think he would have been catapulted through the back of the Holker Street end and carried clean across the railway lines before being laid to rest somewhere in the Griffin Estate. Either that or he'd have lived the rest of his days as a human polo-mint.

Yeovil fa trophy replay and gateshead a few years ago not only windy but a windchill of about-10 !