Welbeck warms Sunderland as big chill bites

A Danny Welbeck header handed Sunderland a 1-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday as heavy snow and freezing temperatures decimated the English Premier League fixture list.

Only two of Saturday’s six fixtures survived blizzards which swept across Britain, blanketing stadia and forcing clubs to postpone fixtures because of safety concerns.

There were no such problems in the early kick-off at the Stadium of Light however, where Welbeck struck with a low header in the 32nd minute which lifted the Black Cats into sixth place in the table.

Welbeck, on loan from Manchester United, said afterwards he was happy to be starting regularly for Sunderland after failing to establish himself in the first team at Old Trafford.

“That was my aim when I came here to get games. I’m just looking forward to carrying on my form,” Welbeck told Sky Sports.

“Every game in the Premier League is going to be tough but to get the three points and go ahead of Bolton (in the table) is great.

“Everyone’s working well together and the team spirit is very high.”

Bruce meanwhile joked about trying to make Welbeck’s loan move permanent when Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates his 69th birthday on New Year’s Eve.

“I hope Sir Alex gets drunk on his birthday and lets us keep him,” the former United stalwart said.

The only other game taking place on Saturday was Blackburn’s clash with West Ham at Ewood Park.

The poor weather had earlier claimed Wigan’s home match against Aston Villa, Liverpool’s late game against Fulham, Birmingham’s tie with Newcastle at St Andrews and Arsenal’s meeting with Stoke at the Emirates.

The forecast of more snow over the weekend also claimed Chelsea’s heavyweight showdown with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and Blackpool’s meeting with Tottenham.

Although Liverpool’s pitch is protected by undersoil heating, a club spokesman said the game was called off after police warned of treacherous conditions around the ground with sub-zero temperatures forecast for later.

“Club officials met with the police this morning to assess the prevailing weather conditions,” said a Liverpool spokesman.

“The safety of all fans attending the game is paramount and although the Anfield pitch is playable, the conditions around the stadium and further afield for people travelling to the match are such that the decision was taken, following police advice on safety grounds, to postpone the game.”

Wigan earlier issued a statement confirming their game had been postponed, citing “freak snow” as the reason.

Birmingham-Newcastle was called off at the request of referee Mike Jones and the local authorities, citing safety reasons.

“Blues groundstaff had been working around the clock to ensure the pitch was playable and supporter sections of the stadium were being attended to by the club’s maintenance team,” read a club statement.

“But unfortunately all that good work has been undone by incessant snowfall and referee Mike Jones and the local authorities have asked for the game to be called off.”