visibility

The managers of both teams were on the touchline but even they were struggling as tactics went out of the window.

“[Notts County boss] Martin Paterson said credit to Altrincham, they were the better team in the first half and, as for the second, I couldn’t see it. He was laughing,” said Bower.

“Neil Gibson, the Altrincham manager, was saying, ‘We were trying to get down to pitchside to look tactically at what they had done after those four substitutions. Have they changed shape? Is it a back four? Have they gone to a box midfield? But we just couldn’t see’.

“So even from a tactical point of view, the players had to stop playing long diagonal passes and things like that because they couldn’t see, they were just having to play short five, 10 yard passes so the game changed in that sense as well.

“It was very, very close to getting called off.”

Bower said some of the players told him they couldn’t see both goals or the corner flags from the centre circle.

“It will live long in the memory, that’s for sure,” said Bower. “Even on the penalties, you were having to rely on the crowd’s reaction before committing to the tale.

“You couldn’t see the goalkeeper’s save, for instance, until the first replay came in.”

The penalties took place in front of Altrincham fans and, while Bower had replays to call on, the Notts County fans “couldn’t have seen anything” from the other end as they had to go on “crowd reaction”.

“Obviously, the Altrincham fans all had their phones on with the lights trying to put the Notts County players off as well in the fog. A unique evening all around.”