When Dancing on Ice was actually Match of the Day | Rick Jackson

Pompey were away to Barnsley and the pitch was deep in snow. The game went ahead as if nothing were amiss, apart from a red football.

Portsmouth were in my favourite ’80s kit, made by Le Coq Sportif which the likes of Mark Hateley and Alan Biley had played in.

By 1985 we had a few ‘old timers’ in the side. Gerry Francis was seeing out his career and on loan was Ivan Golac from the team ‘up the road’.

In an awful match, we drew 2-2, Noel Blake netting the equaliser.

It makes you think, as strong winds caused many matches to be cancelled recently including a Manchester City game at the state-of-the-art Etihad Stadium.

Even though the pitch was like a bowling green, it was deemed too windy.

When you look back at that match from 1985, Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium had terraces thick with ice and snow. Not even public safety was enough to cause the game to be called off.

Then you watch the likes of Billy Gilbert and the aforementioned Noel Blake, running around in tiny shorts and short-sleeved tops, no gloves, snoods or Lycra garments in those days. We were certainly made of stronger stuff. Today, that game would have been called off just by looking at the five-day forecast.

I’m sure it makes the game safer for all in this day and age, but I do miss those matches where the elements changed everything.

Arsenal losing to York City in the FA Cup on their frozen pitch in 1985 being one of the most memorable, along with Ronnie Radford’s ‘worldie’ against Newcastle United for Hereford back in 1972.

These games would not get played now. Today, our ‘excitement’ comes from being a fingernail offside or from a player taking six full tumbles after a soft tackle.

Forget goalline technology, I preferred it when you couldn’t even see the goalline!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Batter the bottle you know than actually make pancakes

After Burns’ Night and St Valentine’s Day we reached the third celebration of 2020, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it’s now more commonly known.

Boy, have we become lazy and wasteful? I pop into the Co-op for a couple of bits and notice instant pancake mix in a plastic bottle. It’s a crazy world in which the most simple of recipes is unknown to many who chose to treat it like a bottle of ketchup.

But what is cheaper? A £1 instant batter mix in a plastic bottle, or 100g of flour, 300ml of milk and an egg? It’s 45p for 500g of flour, 50p for a pint of milk and 70p for six eggs. Well, if you have no plan to use the flour for anything else, the ready mix is cheaper. Bonkers!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Three cheers for anarchic Spongebob, but he’ll cost me

At last, the kids are watching something I love too. Spongebob Squarepants. It’s awesome and more anarchic than Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol.

The antics of Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr Krabs and Plankton have spawned two films, one starring Antonio Banderas. They give us hours of peace to get stuff done! Sadly, it’s going to cost us a fortune.

You see, Peppa and Paw Patrol are so 2019 in our house and the toys they were given at Christmas are gathering dust. Now, a Krusty Krab restaurant and a ‘pineapple under the sea’ for SpongeBob’s house are what’s needed. They will get much use. Not only from the kids, but also from me when they’ve gone to bed!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​