TL1997 : Peterborough v Walsall - The pitch markings have disappeared
taken 7 years ago, near to Stanground, Peterborough, England
On Tuesday 27th February 2018, Peterborough United played Walsall in a re-arranged Football League 1 match, the Peterborough manager, Grant McCann having been sacked 2 days prior to this game after a string of mediocre performances.
Much of the country had been disrupted by freezing conditions and heavy snowfalls for several days and more was forecast this particular evening. The Peterborough area had escaped the heavy snow and the pitch had been covered for several days.
The match started with air temperatures of around -3 degrees C. and the ground staff reported the pitch would be playable until temperatures hit -5 degrees but they hadn't reckoned on the arrival of "The Beast from the East", the name given to this cold snap by tabloid newspapers and many sectors of the media.
Much of this match was played in a driving blizzard with snow gusting into the grandstands over the sparse crowd as well as covering the pitch. After 80 minutes and with Peterborough winning 2 - 1 the referee stopped the match as none of the pitch markings were visible.
He gave the club 5 minutes to clear all the pitch markings otherwise the match would have to be abandoned. Groundsmen, stewards and even players sprung into action and cleared the lines, see Link When the match restarted Peterborough hung onto their slender lead and picked up a valuable 3 points in their quest for promotion.