Sean Graham
Many of us who have attended football matches up and down the country, week in week out for many years, think nothing of going to watch their football on a Saturday or whenever our team may play. I am sure that is what many Liverpool fans thought as they made their way to watch their team play Nottingham Forest on that fateful day back on the 15th April 1989.
As many fans woke up with the feeling of nervousness and butterflies in their stomachs at the thought of going to see their team in an FA Cup semi-final, the feelings later on that day would be totally different, and their emotions would not be the same, as many of those fans who woke up that day would never return home.
The match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was to be one that would be keenly anticipated as the two managers who were legends at their respective football clubs. Kenny Dalglish as a player and manager with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest’s very own Brian Clough had their sides playing attractive football, so there was no reason other than to think that this match was going to be anything but thrilling. However, what transpired on that day meant that the football match or the few minutes of football that were played on that day would never really be remembered or even matter.
The venue for the semi-final was Hillsborough which was the home of Sheffield Wednesday, and perhaps even though it has changed in recent times it will sadly be remembered for this horrific tragedy and not for the actual football that has been played there over the years.
One of the problems at the time was that football stadiums in the country had steel fencing around the ground due to a problem with hooliganism, which was particularly seen in England, where pitch invasions or missile throwing was all part of the game. These mindless thugs threatened to ruin the game we all love.
On this particular day, the Liverpool support were given the Leppings Lane End and there had been reports before the semi-final that the Liverpool supporters were not happy with their given end as they had experienced crushing problems before. And although they reported the possible problems, unfortunately nothing was done about it by the FA.
On that day, many supporters who did not have tickets were told to stay away from the match, and those who had tickets were held up by roadworks on the M62 motorway. This meant by the time many fans headed towards the ground there would be a considerable build up in such a small area just outside the turnstiles at the Leppings Lane End. Anyone with any sense could see that this was an accident waiting to happen, but no-one could ever have believed the horrible scenes and the horrific news that was to follow as the fans made their way inside the stadium.
As time ticked on, supporters were becoming more anxious to get inside the ground before the match started, but fans who could not get in were still in the area and were causing an obstruction to those that had tickets and were becoming more desperate to get to see their team.
The match neared kick-off and the supporters knew that the teams had already entered the field of play. The sensible thing to do would have been to delay the kick-off, but this was not the case, and what followed will ever be remembered by Liverpool supporters as their blackest day.
Whatever or whoever decided first of all to open a side gate which saw 20 fans rushing through to get in was a sign of things to come but this was nothing in comparison to the opening of Gate C, which caused an almighty rush of supporters rushing through the gate.
Many fans had rushed through a narrow tunnel and into what were already two overcrowded areas causing an almighty crush. The fans that had made their way to the front of these areas had little or no chance of survival.
As the match started, fans had started to spill on to the pitch and many feared at first that this was crowd trouble, but soon the stark truth was to be revealed.
Players did not know what to think and the referee was advised to stop the match at 3.06pm. The police knew now that something was seriously wrong as fans were now spilling on to the pitch at such an alarming rate.
The fans were being waved back by the players until many uttered words which no one could believe at the time, those words would numb even the hardest of Liverpool players as they were told that fans were dying in the away end.
As the situation became clearer the severity of what was happening dawned on everyone, bodies were being laid on the pitch, many already dead.
I remember watching these events unfold as I sat watching Grandstand with my girlfriend at the time, now my wife and tears poured down my face as I could only look on helpless as many fans lay dying or dead on the Hillsborough pitch. She was worried that I had to go to a semi-final at Hampden to watch Celtic play Hibernian on the Sunday, but all our thoughts were with those poor Liverpool fans and their families that day.
20 years on and I still find it hard writing about the event and I was not even involved. I cannot begin to imagine how the Liverpool fans felt watching TV programmes over the past 20 years and even now as it comes to the anniversary of that fateful day.
On the 15th April 1989 at Hillsborough a total of 94 people died with 766 other fans being injured and 300 taken to hospital. But the total would not end there as Lee Nicol was to lose his battle for life at the tender age of just 14 only four days later.
For Hillsborough and for Liverpool the final death toll would become 96, as Tony Bland died in March 1993 passing away after being in a coma. His suffering had ended but for the families who lost loved ones their suffering and fight for justice for the 96 still goes on.
So many things have changed in the world of football since that day and following the disaster, the Lord Justice Taylor report would make sure of that.
Safety was now to be of paramount importance and the fences would come down for good as the top stadia in the country became all-seater.
While some things have changed for today’s football fans for the better, it should not be forgotten that disasters like Ibrox, Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough have unfortunately happened to make us all learn such harsh lessons.
On Wednesday 15th April 2009, many Liverpool fans will still feel the grief, the hurt, and the pain over what happened 20 years ago and I think football fans all over the world will take time out to pray for those who have lost someone at Hillsborough.
One of Liverpool’s most famous managers once said of the beautiful game,” Football is not just a matter of life or death, it’s much more important than that!”
I am sure if Bill Shankly had seen the faces of the dead and injured at Hillsborough that day, he would he wished that he had never have made such a statement as the game meant nothing in comparison to the tragic loss of life that day.
Liverpool as a football club took time to morn and to try to heal, and to come to terms with what had happened to many of their fans on that day. Just working class men and women who would go to a game of football and never return.
The players and Kenny Dalglish took time out to attend funerals and spend time with families involved, indeed the city of Liverpool shone through brightly then in terms of tragedy, and out came the hand of friendship from rivals Everton as they linked scarves.
Liverpool had to get back to playing football and after the hand of friendship from Celtic to play a benefit match in aid of the dead, they did get back to playing football. Liverpool overcame Nottingham Forest to reach the FA Cup final where Everton, their rivals, lay in waiting and perhaps the script was written in the stars that Liverpool would win the cup that year. As Pat Nevin says,” maybe it was the right result for football and for Liverpool that day” and even though I would have wanted Pat and his Everton team mates to win the cup, perhaps he was right.
As 20 years have passed and the hurt of Hillsborough goes on with every passing year, my thoughts go out to every one of the Liverpool supporters who lost someone at Hillsborough that day. That includes today’s current Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard who lost his young 10 year old cousin Jon Paul Gilhooley. Maybe it will be fate that drives Liverpool on to the Premier League title this season.
I am sure the pain will be shared in Sheffield and Nottingham as you mourn the passing of your brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers.
To the 96 may you rest in peace.
To the families and friends and to Liverpool Football Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone!”
