Considering it is the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster, and not meaning to deflect any attention away from it, but to instead support remembering it, does anyone remember when we visited Hillsborough for the FA Cup quarter final on the evening of Wednesday, 12th March in 1986, three years before the tragic events of 1989?
Many of the events of that evening were remarkably similar to those that happened three years later - but thankfully with a different outcome.Those that were there will recall being herded like cattle (well it was 1986) into the three small pens on the Leppings Lane End as the stewards and the police seemed determined to keep two open pens between us and the Wednesday fans, and seemed keen to rush us into the ground with no delays.
Fans at the back were being shoved to crush those in the front. The flow was vert fast as tickets were only inspected with a cursory glance and I don't recall the turnstiles being in use. Vehement responses from those on the receiving fell on deaf ears as the stewards and other officials instead reacted in an aggressive manner, thinking the West Ham fans were showing signs of portraying a violent temperament, seemingly judging that to be the nature of all fans.
Thankfully there were some fans who were more lucid and so carefully articulated the reasons, and they were thankfully persistent. I recall a young lad next to me, clearly being crushed further each time he breathed out. The fear in his eyes was alarming.
Eventually, with an appalling lack of urgency a steward ambled to the gate that opened up the next pen, and took his time opening it (initially he was too lazy to bend down, kicking at the bolts that secured it as if that would free them).
When the gates were opened the fans tumbled onto the steward and his mates rushed to help him, complaining that the West Ham fans would not let him get to his feet as he was trampled on, but that was because they were in turn being accidentally tripped up and were falling too. Thankfully, the fans quickly organised themselves to enter into the next pen in a controlled manner and the situation was defused.
Afterwards I know some fans wrote to Sheffield Wednesday to complain (I did, and received no response) and I'd hate to think what could have happened if there were not those there with a presence of mind to know how to get through to those supposedly in control.
Sadly it seems that those there three years later did not manage to get the officials to listen. What angers me is that those events in March 1986 were no doubt not the first to occur in that ground, and nobody in control there heeded the warning they were given from that occasion and doubtless regards other occasions around that time.
Subsequently 96 people paid the ultimate price for that.
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