Sport

More Greater Manchester football matches called off as Storm Goretti sets in

Lots of game are up in the air.

Danny Jones - 9th January 2026

Yet more scheduled football matches in Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions have been postponed and/or cancelled due to Storm Goretti.

The increasingly cold, blustery and icy conditions moving over from France and across more parts of the UK have already caused schools to close, flights to be grounded, and plenty more disruption.

Another such inconvenience has come in the form of live sports, large swathes of which now look like they simply won’t be taking place.

One of the latest to be called off is Salford City‘s upcoming game against Swindon Town in the FA Cup this weekend, with various other games involving teams up and down the footballing pyramid now facing uncertainty over whether their third-round fixtures will go ahead as planned.

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A post shared by Salford City FC (@salfordcityfc)

Ironically, this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the very obvious pun.

Another game that was called off late last week, between Chadderton and FC Isle of Man, is yet to be rescheduled; the same is true of Rochdale AFC’s meeting with Brackley Town, Radcliffe v Oxford City, as well as games involving Bury, Stockport Town, Irlam, Cheadle Town, Prestwich Heys and more.

Other nearby outfits, such as Chorley, Warrington Rylands and Ramsbottom United, just to name a few, are also still unsure of when their next game will be.

In many cases, it is simply a matter of the grounds being largely or completely frozen and deemed unfit for use following pitch inspections.

Oldham Athletic – which has already been hit with plenty of snow and frost – yesterday confirmed that their Notts County clash wouldn’t be going ahead due to that very reason.

Oldham Athletic’s next game postponed amid red weather warnings

With winds of up to 90 miles per hour also being reported, yellow and even red weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country, with people being urged to check their routes home from work by local authorities.

Storm Goretti should start calming down this evening (Fri, 9 January) and into Saturday morning, but the after-effects could still play havoc over the next few days.

For instance, over in Cheshire, Macclesfield FC are going so far as to call on nearby residents to help clear their playing surface from heavy snowfall.

So, if you’re in the area and fancy helping out, they could sure do with your help.

VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED

Macclesfield FC are once again requesting the help of the fanbase and the local community to help clear the remainder of the compacted snow from the surrounding areas of the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium.

Snow remains within the footprint of the stadium… pic.twitter.com/JTbb5QjYC1
— Macclesfield FC (C) (@thesilkmen) January 9, 2026