The managers of each groups had been on the touchline however even they had been struggling as techniques went out of the window.
“[Notts County boss] Martin Paterson mentioned credit score to Altrincham, they had been the higher workforce within the first half and, as for the second, I could not see it. He was laughing,” mentioned Bower.
“Neil Gibson, the Altrincham supervisor, was saying, ‘We had been attempting to get right down to pitchside to look tactically at what that they had executed after these 4 substitutions. Have they modified form? Is it a again 4? Have they gone to a field midfield? However we simply could not see’.
“So even from a tactical viewpoint, the gamers needed to cease taking part in lengthy diagonal passes and issues like that as a result of they could not see, they had been simply having to play quick 5, 10 yard passes so the sport modified in that sense as nicely.
“It was very, very near getting known as off.”
Bower mentioned among the gamers advised him they could not see each targets or the nook flags from the centre circle.
“It is going to dwell lengthy within the reminiscence, that is for positive,” mentioned Bower. “Even on the penalties, you had been having to depend on the group’s response earlier than committing to the story.
“You could not see the goalkeeper’s save, for example, till the primary replay got here in.”
The penalties occurred in entrance of Altrincham followers and, whereas Bower had replays to name on, the Notts County followers “could not have seen something” from the opposite finish as they needed to go on “crowd response”.
“Clearly, the Altrincham followers all had their telephones on with the lights attempting to place the Notts County gamers off as nicely within the fog. A singular night throughout.”
