2006/7 Northern League Division 1
Consett 4 : Bishop Auckland 0
23 December, 2006
Match Abandoned after 53 minutes
Team: Chris Porter, Steven Larkin, Steven Baynes, Richie Ward, Nicky Mohan (Paul Collins 48 mins), Scott Nicholson, Richie Storr, Levent Yalcin, Steven Winspear (Bryan Stewart 29 mins), Gavin Parkin, Dan Newby (Joe Fairish 52 mins)
The fog descended on Consett for the second time for Bishops this season, but this time the match didn't survive the onslaught of the elements.
Bishops had the first chance of the game on 9 minutes when Winspear raced onto a ball down the left wing and picked out an unmarked Yalcin with a deep cross. From 12 yards Yalcin struck the ball first time on the volley inches over the bar.
Consett took the lead on 12 minutes when a good cross was deflected home from close range with Bishops defence all at sea. On 16 minutes, Mackay hit the post after toeing the ball past the advancing Porter.
The weather had been clear up to this point, but as the game progressed, fog arrived and started to thicken.
Winspear should have had Bishops back in the game on 29 minutes when he pulled out of the opportunity to beat Consett's 'keeper to a loose ball. Worse still, as that was the end of Winspear's latest comeback as he went down to be replaced by Bryan Stewart.
Stewart immediately looked impressive as he latched on to a Yalcin pass and raced through, wrong footing a defender but had his low shot saved by the 'keeper's legs.
It was all downhill for the remainder of the half. Mackay buzzed through Bishops static defence to shoot home on 34 minutes to make it 2-0. Ward deflected a shot into his own net a minute later for 3-0.
Porter made a great flying save from a long looping shot on 39 minutes, but Consett made it 4-0 on 41 minutes and the game looked over.
On the stroke of half time, Bishops carved out their fourth good chance of the half when a great ball from Storr found Stewart who again beat his man and shot low, but the ball deflected off the 'keeper's heel and a few inches wide of the post.
By the time the second half started the fog had thickened further. Only three minutes into the half the referee went to consult the linesman on the darker far side, and then chatted to the team captains before resuming the match.
Given the atrocious conditions that the two teams played through in the Durham Challenge Cup match in October, an abandonment, particularly with such an emphatic scoreline still looked an unlikely outcome, and Brian Healy threw on Collins and Fairish in an attempt to change things around.
So it came as something of a surprise when with conditions continuing to deteriorate the referee blew to end the game on 53 minutes.
As one supporter commented after the whistle - "Even God's a Blue !"