Snow business

Gutted.
As a Gashead working away from home, you have to be careful how to choose your holidays.
I studied the fixture list with great care before deciding to take a couple of weeks off.
It coincided with our home game against Exeter City in the Paint Pot Trophy and a crucial league clash against Bournemouth at the Mem.
I thought I had chosen well.
But the weather had different ideas.
A Siberian cold snap at the end of November meant the Exeter game fell by the wayside, and knowing the state of the Memorial Ground it is unlikely we'll see action in the league on Saturday either.
When the Exeter game was called off I must admit I was a bit peeved.
Standing outside there was barely a hint of snow and the temperature seemed to have risen nicely.
Watching the TV news and stories of cars getting stuck in 6ft drifts in Scotland and the North East of England didn't make me feel any better.
How on earth have we had to cancel a match when it looks like we've got off lightly?
Watching West Ham v Manchester United in the Carling Cup, played in a near blizzard, didn't raise my spirits much, but I am powerless to affect the outcome.
Some may wonder why I would wish to stand on crumbling terraces in sub-zero temperatures for almost two hours anyway.
But that's what real football supporters do, and there is a kind of masochistic pleasure in stamping your feet to take the numbness out of your toes and cradling your hands around a warm cup of bovril, having paid £18 for this eagerly anticipated night out.
No doubt I sound like Ron Manager and his "Jumpers for Goalposts" diatribes from the Fast Show, but I have fond memories of standing around in blizzard conditions cheering on the Gas.
I particularly recall one famous FA Cup fifth round tie against Ipswich Town when the snow pelted down, covering the Eastville pitch in a carpet of white.
"Playing with an orange ball in the snow? Marvellous," as Ron would say.
We gave a really good account of ourselves and but for a dodgy linesman would have won the game 3-2. Bobby Gould got through on goal, having been played on-side by a deflection by an opposition defender, and fired home the winner - only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Cracking game, though, and great atmosphere.
That was a very good Ipswich side with the likes of Paul Mariner, Mick Mills and George Burley in their side and managed by Bobby Robson. Unfortunately we lost the replay 3-0 and they went on to beat Arsenal 1-0 in the final.
I'm not sure if you would see a game like that these days. The pitch was pretty icy in the shadow of the North Stand, and some bright health and safety executive would definitely have stepped in to deem it unplayable. Plus the fact, I'm sure it wasn't easy for us fans to keep our footing in treacherous conditions on the pavements surrounding the ground.
Still if the worst happens and Saturday's game is called off I guess I still have the consolation that the Second Test in Adelaide won't be affected by similar problems. I'll probably have to pull an all-nighter to get my sports fix for the week.
Mind you, I am still praying a sudden thaw will save the game against the Cherries and I can risk pneumonia with the other 5,000-odd souls brave enough to go along.