January 22 – Twisted Firestarters

AS England grinds to a halt following more bad weather we thought it was a good time to bring you the story of English football’s most outlandish attempt to defeat the elements. Today in 1963 Norwich City decided that the best way to fight ice was with it’s natural enemy: fire.

The winter of 1962/63 was particularly harsh. Carrow Road was hit especially hard and when Norwich’s third-round FA Cup match against Blackpool was postponed for the eleventh time the Canneries decided that drastic action was needed. So what was the Norwich masterplan? Covers on the pitch? Boring. Under-soil heating? Not in 1963. Get the youth team to shovel all the snow off the pitch? Nope, for some reason a pyromaniac groundsman had his way and flamethrowers were dispatched to melt the frozen tundra.

A Norwich spokesman dubbed the move ‘a desperate effort,’ but despite the best macho posings of the groundstaff, the move ‘served no purpose whatsoever’ for ‘as fast of the ice melted it froze again’. The next plan was to use a more low-key icebreaker, but again this was to no avail.

Blackpool, however, were more than used to this sort of disruption. Their pitch at Bloomfield Road was also frozen and was out of action that season from December 15 to March 2. Players such as Jimmy Armfield and Tony Waiters were often to be seen ice-skating on the frozen field, as the postponements built up and fixture congestion ensued. Lord knows what the managers of today would have to say about it.

We’d love to bring you footage of Norfolk groundsmen strutting around and looking like Arnie from Predator, but sadly no one was there to film the flamethrowers in action, so instead here’s the second most amusing thing to grace the Carrow Road turf. Enjoy it, and like the rain we’ll be back tomorrow for the tale of football’s best ever Sally Gunnell look-a-like.

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