Tottenham and Nottingham Forest is a game with plenty of history – but there is one match that didn’t finish that lives long in the memory.
The 1991 FA Cup final win was historic for Spurs but also marked another shift in supremacy between the two sides with the Tricky Trees regularly besting them throughout the 1990s.
GettyNottingham Forest beat Tottenham in their last encounter but will it start another era of dominance for the Tricky Trees[/caption]It’s like a shifting of the poles, either Tottenham are on top – as they were in the late 1960s, early 1980s, and since Forest’s 1999 relegation – or it’s Forest in control.
But in 1996, an FA Cup match between the pair looked as if it was being played at the North Pole.
With Tottenham looking to get a rare 1990s win over Forest, they travelled to the City Ground on February 19.
But any optimism they had about reaching the quarter-finals was whipped away by the swirling winds that brought a blizzard spiralling in.
The weather began to change an hour before kick off when snow started falling, but forecasts back then weren’t good enough to predict the chaos that was about to unfold.
Just ten minutes into the clash a blizzard hit the City Ground, and five minutes later things became unbearable.
Officials attempted to salvage things by swapping the standard white ball for an orange winter one, but even those efforts were vain.
The pitch’s white lines soon blended into their new background and the only decision left for referee Gary Willard to take was a suspension after minutes.
Speaking at the time, Tottenham manager Gerry Francis said: “It became impossible.
“Everyone on the line would have got pneumonia if they had stayed out any longer. We would have turned into snowmen.
Spurs’ 1996 FA Cup tie started with a smattering of snow, and then a full-blown blizzard hitGetty @Lilywhite_Rose on XSoon players were barely even visable[/caption] @90sfootball XLooking back at photos, it’s easy to see why the match was called off[/caption]“No arguments, it had become ridiculous. I’m disappointed, of course, because we had started well.”
His opposite number at Forest, Frank Clark, was in agreement, saying: “There was nothing else that the referee could do tonight.
“I have not seen a snowstorm like it since I was a boy in the North-east.”
However, there may have been one disagreement, with Francis concerned whether a booking for Jason Dozzell would stand.
“If there had been a goal, it would not have counted,” he said.
Luckily for Francis, he was able to duck for cover in the City Ground’s tunnel to speak to the press, but the same couldn’t be said for his team’s supporters.
@Lilywhite_Rose on XTV footage looked like something from a good 60 years prior[/caption] Haaland’s father was playing for Forest at the time, and would have been used to the weather from his childhood in NorwayGettyView Tweet: t.co/qWtbScPbZE
The match became part of Tottenham folklore with talks of epic journeys back to London through thick and treacherous snow.
The match contained a number of Premier League greats like Sol Campbell, Teddy Sheringham and Kevin Campell, while on the bench was Alf Inge Haaland, a man infinitely more famous now thanks to his already iconic son.
The FA managed to re-arrange the match just nine days later, and it was a 2-2 draw in far better conditions, with Ian Woan and Chris Armstrong both netting doubles.
However, Spurs fans thinking they might finally get a reward for their February 19 struggles were left disappointed by the return leg in London.
Bryan Roy and Sheringham traded goals in a 1-1 draw before Forest qualified for the next round with a win on penalties.
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