My memories of 15th April 1989

My friend & I turned up for our home game against Birmingham City, who needed a win to in order to avoid relegation. The programme was a bit of a shock, Allan Clarke's page was blank! As the events a few miles away unfolded, the bickering between Clarke & Keith Lodge that resulted in this bizarre situation seemed incredibly immature and small minded.
Just after kick off, we heard a rumour that the semi final had been halted because of fighting, so my friend switched on his small radio. After a few minutes, with a look of shock on his face, he said "Someone's died. Oh my God, someone's died". Our match began to appear truly insignificant. The death toll began to rise as the game dragged on, word quickly got round the ground what was taking place in Sheffield. Then an announcement came over our tannoy, asking if there were any doctors or nurses in Oakwell and could they make themselves available to help? Our match dragged out to a 0-0 draw, Birmingham were relegated, but no one cared. As we left the groung, a young WPC was stood outside, tears running down her face. We asked her if she was okay, she simply said "There's dozens dead, dozens".
Back home, I was transfixed by the news on the tv. I sat on the settee, cuddling my 2 year old son and silently weeping as the death toll rose higher and higher and thinking, "Football shouldn't be about this! Have we learned nothing from Bradford?". People should be able to got to a game, without losing their life.
I look at Laura and think of someone like Trevor Hicks and his wife at the time who lost their two teenage daughters that day, one of whom was the same age as my angel. All that matters to me today is that I remember the innocent 96 victims. Not who was to blame, not personal grudges against the police, people and/or fans from Liverpool. Just the 96.

 

Very simular to my memories too,

The game at oakwell was just insignificant as the news came in

 

I can not remember much of the match...

other than the tanoy calls for doctors, nurses etc to make themselves known to stewards. Also had a radio so was listening to commentary more than watching game.

 

My agent says she just stood there thinking about her cousin ( Forest fan ) and not knowing what to do as the rest of the family were at a wedding nearby. Just hoping he was safe in the seats. It wasn't until hours later that she realised it was LIverpool fans in the Leppings Lane end. It just seemed such a daft plan.

Following people with radios up the hill trying to hear what was happening. Then getting to the end of Tinsley viaduct and seeing the faces of theForest fans as they drove home. SHe still thinks of them every time she goes home that way. You could tell from their faces that they'd witnessed something truly awful.

 

was doing hospital radio at the YMCA that day, a sports programme when everything unfolded, i just watched in shock and how to explain to a hospital fullof patients with their own problems about the disaster, still remember it as if it was yesterday. no matter who was righyt or wrong we still have to learn lessons from Hillsborough, i will remember the 96 innocent victims at 3:06pm just like i hope all true football fans will, put loyalties aside for one day

 

I was in the forest end. My first viit to Hillsborough. didn't really know what was going on due to lack of mobile phones etc, but can remember ambulances coming onto the pitch. It was only when people with radios/walkmans etc started relaying the news from the radio around the Forest end that we realised the severity. Think they then got us all out and away from the ground asap. My family were at home crapping themselves. They knew i was at the match, but not being football fans they had no idea which end i was in.

Went round wombwell that night in a complete daze and got well and truly hammered to blot it out. Looking back i was probably suffering from a bit of shock, but didn't know at the time.

 

No loyalties to teams this was a football tragedy. I too was at the Birmingham game stood on the west terrace, near where celebrity monkey sits now. It was the wierdest atmosphere at a football match I have ever been to. RIP the 96!!! nobody deserves to die in that way!

 

I was 8 and we were in the car driving somewhere, not sure where. The radio thought a stand had collapsed or something and that people had died. I remember my mum being really worried for her friend's husband who was a PC at the game and my dad ashen faced because he'd been at uni in Liverpool and lots of his friends were there.

I can remember it clear as anything, and it really affected me. It wasn't that long since I'd been to my first game and i remember not being able to understand how someone could go to a game of football and not coem home.

 

My best mate was supposed to be going who supported liverpool but his dad was ill so they couldn't go - I remember being at home putting the tv on and seeing the horrific scenes!

 

I was at my cousins' wedding, who got married to my mrs best friend. Ceremony had finished and we were heading to the reception - radio on to get the football commentary obviously, it was the FA Cup after all. After a couple of minutes we were numbed by what was comng over the airwaves. That continued as we turned the tv on at the reception venue. No-one felt like partying funnily enough.

Could have been any football fans in those days, just happened to be Liverpool. Respect to the 96.

 

Pretty much as I remember it at that game

Also walking away from the ground listening to radios as the number of dead slowly rose. I went back to college in Liverpool the next day and the city was like a ghost town. Remember picking up my room key and the two guards being tears listening to the radio - it was an awful day and the week following it was surreal. Also went to the first game at Anfield after the disaster which was ironically against Forest - the Forest team were given a standing ovation from the crowd because of the way they conducted themselves after the match

 

same here.

 

We were in the Lake District and had been for a walk around Grasmere. We had our son with us and Angie was pregnant with Kate. We were staying in a cottage with friends who also had a young son and the wife was pregnant. We returned to the cottage at about 4.30 ish and turned the tele on just to see what the scores were. The adults stood there transfixed by the horror that was unfolding which was in contrast to the two toddlers who were playing on the lawn and were blissfully unaware of the carnage.</p>

I went to Hillsboro this year as a guest for the Wolves game and one of my fellow guests was a Liverpool fan who was in the ground early and eventuallydragged form the central pen onto the pitch. Herecountedthe horrors he had seen in a 'matter of fact' manner. It made me realise that whoever was to blame for this disaster and I have my views on that, the most important thing is that 96 people who went to a football match, and didn't go home.</p>