Torrential downpours proved too much of a burden for an already saturated pitch, as dribbling, passing, and even running became almost impossible.

There was a point in the game when referee Robert Nixon halted proceedings to discuss the situation with his senior linesman, but eventually decided to continue regardless of what was happening.

When Leicester City hosted Southampton at Filbert Street on October 15, 1983, both clubs were looking at getting very different things from the match.

Leicester were winless in eight league matches as the team sat at the foot of the table. Southampton, on the other hand, were in great shape.

Lawrie McMenemy’s Southampton were second in Division One, and they were well aware that a win, coupled with a Liverpool victory over West Ham, would see Saints climb to the top of the table.

Since Leicester had been on a run of such bad form, there was a good chance that by the end of the match, Southampton would be sitting pretty at the top.

But, it didn’t quite turn out like that.

Daily Echo: (Leicester v Saints 15/10/83) Referee Nixon and Saints boss McMenemy look on as ground staff make a last bid to fork away the trouble spots.

There were only 22 minutes played when the match was abandoned completely and both teams ended up empty-handed.

Heavy rainfall left the playing surface a quagmire, as players and officials struggled to cope with the conditions.

Captured on Match of the Day - as can be seen tn the video below - none of the comedic value of the splashing and flailing was lost.

The ball stuck in the puddles as the rain lashed down and the wind picked up.

Seeing the players thrash around aimlessly at the ball, Nixon finally had seen enough.

A few minutes later, Nixon, Milne, and McMenemy appeared on the pitch and discussed the possibility of resuming the match. However, due to the continued rain, the outlook looked bleak at best. In a desperate attempt to drain some of the water from the surface, the ground staff prodded forks into the surface. A pointless task.

The rematch, played on November 30, was a win for Leicester in part of a sixteen-match run that saw them lose only two league matches and eventually avoid relegation.

The Saints finished the season as runner-up to Liverpool and were beaten in the FA Cup semi-finals by Everton.

A total of 51 matches were played by Southampton during the season but it was those 22 minutes at Filbert Street that were one of the most memorable.