Before I tell my story, can I just tell you something about me and my brother (this will become clearer later). I'm over 6 feet 2 and my brother is 6 feet 5, we are both large people and both a bit fat.
We had been in the Leppings Lane before the Forest game. Liverpool V Sheff Wed a couple of times in the League and Liverpool V Arsenal (FA Cup semi final).
During the Arsenal semi final, at one point during the game, both of us (along with all the other people in that pen) lost our feet. I mean the pressure of the crowd actually moved us sideways towards the middle, fortunately we were able to retain our footing and nothing serious happened.
When Liverpool were drawn against Forest and the venue was announced as Hillsborough, I can remember Peter Robinson saying Liverpool should be allocated the Kop end and Forest given the Leppings Lane end. We are a bigger Club than Forest and obviously have bigger support.
I think the Police intervened and said if this were to happen, the fans would "mix" together outside as Forest travelled up from the South side of the City and Liverpool entered from the North.
We set off via car very early that day and I think we hit roadworks when entering Sheffield. We parked up in a housing estate about three miles from the ground and had plenty of time to walk up.
As we walked closer and closer to the ground with other Liverpool supporters, it seemed odd that very few people stopped off to visit the pubs we walked past. We decided not to bother having any beer and got some coke and snacks from a local shop.
We turned into Leppings Lane and made our way into the ground. As you may recall we had been here before, we entered the terraces via the right hand entrance at the side. We even had time to go back down to the gents and then get some coffees.
As time moved on, it was obvious other people had looked and learnt like us. It was cramped in the side section and very hot. Liverpool attacked the Kop end and I think Peter Beardsley had a shot that was either saved by their goalie or maybe hit the bar.
It was then that it happened, an almighty surge from the Liverpool crowd in the middle section. We thought a barrier had been uprooted, and then it struck home.
Liverpool supporters were climbing onto the steel fences in the front screaming at the police to open the locked gates, I even saw police pushing and hitting supporters back down into the terrace, they had no idea what was going on.
As time passed, we helped what seemed like hundreds of Liverpool fans climb into our area of the ground. Each one screaming at the Police for not opening the gates, each one telling us people had died.
Eventually they opened the gates and lots of the crowd got onto the pitch, to ease the pressure. Christ!!! What a sight. I’d seen dead bodies before but nothing like this, it was carnage. If I live to be 100, I will never forget what I saw that day.
Some fans started putting bodies onto advertising boards and carried them up to the Main Stand, instinctively we helped to. Time stood still, I have no idea what time we got out the ground but can remember a Sheffield bloke giving us a cup of tea and letting us phone home to let our loved ones know we were ok.
The drive home seemed like forever, it was very quiet.
As day’s passed by Liverpool opened the ground so that people could pay their condolences to the 96. The first time I walked into Anfield tears ran down my face, we walked up to the Kop to our usual place and just stood and looked the full horror of Hillsborough struck home.
Scarf’s, flags, football shirts from any team you could mention where spread out on the Spion Kop it was an awesome sight. The most moving sight I have ever seen in my life has to be the thousands of bouquets laid on the Kop end side of the pitch, how a tragedy like this could produce something so beautiful. I visited Anfield four times during that period, each time the Kop and the pitch grew into something more beautiful and more incredible. It was ablaze of colour, red and white, blue and white and a sea of flowers.
As time passed Liverpool FC announced they would play their first football game against Glasgow Celtic away as a mark of respect. You may recall last year, I told you years and years ago I got badly beaten up by Celtic supporters; another ghost had to be laid to rest.
The game was on a Sunday, we didn’t have tickets and set off by car early that Sunday morning. I was a bag of nerves each mile we got nearer to Glasgow my stomach tightened and tightened and I remembered last time.
We arrived in Glasgow and surprisingly found a car park very close to the ground.
There were hundreds and hundreds of Liverpool supporters already there, my heart missed a beat when one of the lads said lets go for a beer. We got inside some Celtic pub which was half full of Liverpool fans. We got a bevy and managed to find a speck to sit down.
A huge green and white honey monster of a Glasgow Celtic supporter pulled up a chair and sat with us, I was petrified. He and his mates turned out to be fantastic people, they didn’t ask if we wanted a drink, they insisted we let them get them in. They would not let us return the compliment. The honey monster was called Dave what a great person he was / is.
We left the pub and headed for the ground with our new found friends. We approached the Liverpool end and said thanks for the company, we are going in here.
Dave and his mates said don’t go in there, come around here with us, you will enjoy it better. We walked around the ground and joined the line to get into “The Jungle”. Loads of Liverpool fans were ahead of us, so we went in. It must have taken us 10 minutes to get onto the terrace, most of the Celtic supporters kept hugging us and saying they feel for us.
We got onto the terrace to be greeted with a Liverpool banner in our end which said something like “The people of Merseyside would like to thank the people of Glasgow for your support during these difficult times”. As kick off approached the noise from the Liverpool end grew and grew, then it happened.
Celtic supporters and Liverpool supporters began to sing you’ll never walk alone together, the tears flowed from all of us and our new found Celtic mates. Surely one of the most moving sights we had ever experienced.
The game from what I can remember was a slow tempo affair, Liverpool won 5.1
I think, each Liverpool goal was celebrated with more pleasure by the Celtic fans. After the game the big drive home, Dave and his mates walked back to the car with us, as we walked back Celtic supporters hung their Celtic scarves on us shaked hands and winked.
Dave gave me his Celtic shirt and I gave him my Liverpool scarf that I had had for years and years. Some years later we met up with Dave and the lads at Rushies testimonial and repaid his kindness by treating them to some Liverpool hospitality. We even turned up at Southalls testimonial and met them then.
The tragedy at least helped me to learn to trust and respect Celtic supporters, brilliant people I’ll never forget you.
Once the Reds were ready to play football again, we played Everton at Goodison in a night game. Somehow we managed to get tickets for the Everton end, it was full of Liverpool and Everton supporters. The flag we had seen in Glasgow was displayed from the top tier of the Park End stand.
The banter between the two sets of supporters was good, just before the game started we had a minute’s silence which was impeccably adhered to and they played “You’ll never walk alone” over the Everton tannoy system.
Of course the ground was awash with a sea of red and white, and then the Everton supporters behind us held their blue and white scarfs up and joined in to sing
“You’ll never walk alone”.
Grown men Liverpool and Everton supporters were crying side by side as our anthem boomed out at Goodison. It’s a shame so much bitterness has crept into our relationship with some Everton fans, lets hope time can heal their bitterness towards us.
I hope you understand that I wrote this amended version to try explain not just my experience and thoughts, but to try and express the thoughts of other Liverpool supporters just like me from that era.
The 96 victims.
These people were like you and me, just normal honest supporters very proud to be called Liverpool supporters, lucky and proud to get hold of tickets for the match.
They didn’t deserve to die that afternoon and as long as Liverpool Football Club is in existence, they will never be forgotten by the Club and indeed you and me.
John Alfred Anderson (62)
Thomas Howard (39)
Colin Mark Ashcroft (19)
Thomas Anthony Howard (14)
James Gary Aspinall (18)
Eric George Hughes (42)
Kester Roger Marcus Ball (16)
Alan Johnston (29)
Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron (67)
Christine Anne Jones (27)
Simon Bell (17)
Gary Philip Jones (18)
Barry Sidney Bennett (26)
Richard Jones (25)
David John Benson (22)
Nicholas Peter Joynes (27)
David William Birtle (22)
Anthony Peter Kelly (29)
Tony Bland (22)
Michael David Kelly (38)
Paul David Brady (21)
Carl David Lewis (18)
Andrew Mark Brookes (26)
David William Mather (19)
Carl Brown (18)
Brian Christopher Mathews (38)
David Steven Brown (25)
Francis Joseph McAllister (27)
Henry Thomas Burke (47)
John McBrien (18)
Peter Andrew Burkett (24)
Marion Hazel McCabe (21)
Paul William Carlile (19)
Joseph Daniel McCarthy (21)
Raymond Thomas Chapman (50)
Peter McDonnell (21)
Gary Christopher Church (19)
Alan McGlone (28)
Joseph Clark (29)
Keith McGrath (17)
Paul Clark (18)
Paul Brian Murray (14)
Gary Collins (22)
Lee Nicol (14)
Stephen Paul Copoc (20)
Stephen Francis O'Neill (17)
Tracey Elizabeth Cox (23)
Jonathon Owens (18)
James Philip Delaney (19)
William Roy Pemberton (23)
Christopher Barry Devonside (18)
Carl William Rimmer (21)
Christopher Edwards (29)
David George Rimmer (38)
Vincent Michael Fitzsimmons (34)
Graham John Roberts (24)
Thomas Steven Fox (21)
Steven Joseph Robinson (17)
Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)
Henry Charles Rogers (17)
Barry Glover (27)
Colin Andrew Hugh
William Sefton (23)
Ian Thomas Glover (20)
Inger Shah (38)
Derrick George Godwin (24)
Paula Ann Smith (26)
Roy Harry Hamilton (34)
Adam Edward Spearritt (14)
Philip Hammond (14)
Philip John Steele (15)
Eric Hankin (33)
David Leonard Thomas (23)
Gary Harrison (27)
Patrik John Thompson (35)
Stephen Francis Harrison (31)
Peter Reuben Thompson (30)
Peter Andrew Harrison (15)
Stuart Paul William Thompson (17)
David Hawley (39)
Peter Francis Tootle (21)
James Robert Hennessy (29)
Christopher James Traynor (26)
Paul Anthony Hewitson (26)
Martin Kevin Traynor (16)
Carl Darren Hewitt (17)
Kevin Tyrrell (15)
Nicholas Michael Hewitt (16)
Colin Wafer (19)
Sarah Louise Hicks (19)
Ian David Whelan (19)
Victoria Jane Hicks (15)
Martin Kenneth Wild (29)
Gordon Rodney Horn (20)
Kevin Daniel Williams (15)
Arthur Horrocks (41)
Graham John Wright (17)
Lest we forget.
Thank you Dave, Glasgow Celtic and the genuine Everton supporters.
We never walked alone and will never do so.
We will only forget when the Liver birds fly away and that is NEVER.
One Life, One Love, One Liverpool FC
