Author’s Note (2025):
This article was originally written in 2002, long before the findings of the 2016 Hillsborough inquests, which ultimately ruled that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed due to gross negligence by the police and emergency services.

The post reflects my thoughts at the time, shaped by public sentiment, media coverage, and the limited information available prior to the full emergence of the truth. I have chosen to preserve the original voice of the piece while acknowledging that much more is now known—thanks in large part to the determination of the families, campaigners, and investigators who never gave up on justice.

The Day It Happened

It was April 15th. I’d left work early; it was my birthday weekend. I got home just after 2:30pm and switched on Grandstand. Back then there was no Gillette Soccer Saturday. It was FA Cup semi-final day. Liverpool were facing Nottingham Forest, while Everton took on Norwich. Just after 3pm, the coverage switched to Hillsborough. There had been some kind of pitch invasion.

Misjudgement and Misunderstanding

“Bloody Scousers,” we all thought. Just four years had passed since Heysel, and once again, Liverpool fans were being painted as the scourge of football. “Drunk idiots, can’t they just watch a match without causing chaos?” Harsh sentiments, but common ones at the time. We didn’t know the truth. Neither did most of the country. And to this day, many in authority still refuse to see it. Isn’t that right, Mr. Duckenfield?

Leppings Lane

Two words: Leppings Lane. Meaningless to most, but to the families of 96 people, those words are drenched in pain. That day, Liverpool fans were allocated the Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough. For those unfamiliar, FA Cup semi-finals were played at neutral venues. Hillsborough had hosted the same fixture the previous year, and both clubs objected. They wanted Old Trafford, citing better segregation and safety. As usual, the powers that be ignored the clubs’ concerns.

The Build-Up to Tragedy and the Collapse Unfolds

Football grounds in the 1980s were crumbling relics. Hillsborough was no exception. Fans began arriving at 2:30. Some had been drinking, but most hadn’t. The police blamed booze. The truth is they weren’t prepared. The ground didn’t have enough turnstiles. Pressure mounted. At 2:52pm, Gate C was opened. Fans stumbled in. Those behind surged forward. With no proper crowd control, thousands were funneled straight into pens 3 and 4—pens meant for 2,000, not the 5,000 that crammed in. At 2:54pm, the teams walked out. Fans at the back pushed forward for a view, unaware that people at the front were being crushed. The game began. The pressure worsened. Some fans tried to climb into the upper tiers to escape. Others collapsed. From the control box, Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield finally realised the horror unfolding. At 3:06pm, he ordered the match to be stopped.

Scenes of Desperation

Chaos. Confusion. Desperation. Players left the pitch, dazed. On the terraces, fans were lifting bodies over barriers. Advertising boards became stretchers. Dead sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters were carried onto the pitch. I sat in my living room, stunned. No affiliation to either team. Just a football fan trying to make sense of the senseless. As I write this, it’s nearly 13 years on from that day. The truth has still not fully come out. Trevor Hicks, who lost his two daughters that day (and later, his marriage), has campaigned tirelessly through the Hillsborough Families Support Group. All they want is the truth. Who can blame them?

Altered Evidence

Over 100 police statements were altered to remove mentions of incompetence. These were the statements relied on by the original 1989 inquiry and the 1991 inquest. The South Yorkshire Police were criticised, yes, but not held accountable. The verdict? Accidental death.

Read the BBC summary of the 2016 Hillsborough verdict

A Call for Accountability

We cannot let this be swept under the carpet. The police were there to ensure safety—they failed. Lives were lost. Not by chance. Not by drunkenness. But by catastrophic mismanagement. How many at the FA and within South Yorkshire Police sleep soundly at night, knowing their actions (or inaction) played a part in the deaths of 96 innocent people? Oh, I forgot. It was their own fault, wasn’t it? Because they were drunk. That’s the lie that was sold.

A Legacy of Change

If there is one positive legacy, it’s that football grounds are now safer. Hillsborough forced the modernisation of British stadia. Hopefully, nothing like that will ever happen again.

Access the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report