But for the grace of God go I

20 years ago to the day, my allegiance to Everton FC possibly saved my life. For 96 Liverpool FC fans, their allegiance to the club they supported was to cost them theirs. The horror of Hillsborough has been brought back to the forefront of our minds as the anniversary of the disaster finally arrived. To many of us it remains an awful memory, a sad time as our city mourned together. For the families of the 96 supporters who died that day the nightmare continues, as they fight a daily battle for justice and resolution. I pity them all.

At the same time Liverpool were playing Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, Everton were battling it out with Norwich for the right to contest the 1989 FA Cup Final. Just like the Liverpool fans that day, we were treated with disdain, pushed, prodded and poked between the turnstiles and into the ground. Just like the Liverpool fans, we were squashed together outside the ground as the groundstaff and stewards struggled to contain the sheer volume of fans. Thankfully for us we made it inside unscathed, with just a few creases to show for our struggles. When news came through at half time that the match at Hillsborough had been abandoned due to crowd trouble, we began speculating as to what had happened. As we left the ground at full time, buoyant as we had won 1-0 and could look forward to the prospect of a trip to Wembley, the full extent of the tragedy became clear. As we boarded the coaches to head home, all feelings of jubilation had been replaced by a sense of doom. The tears that began to flow have continued to flow to this day.

The dignity shown by the families of the victims has been remarkable, with Trevor Hicks in particular continuing to astound. The memorial service provided a fitting tribute to the lost, and will have given much needed support to the suffering. For them the battle for justice continues and, with an indication that the police force of South Yorkshire about to finally accept responsibility, perhaps resolution is in the not too distant future.

It is impossible to imagine how painful and difficult it has been for the people who lost loved ones on April 15th 1989. It could so easily have been me had I opted for red instead of blue. For today however, colour is irrelevant as we unite to remember. Gone, but never forgotten.