Towards the end of the 1988/89 season I was just finishing my pint of Tetley Bitter in the old Supporters Club on Elland Road, before going into the ground to watch the Leeds v Brighton game. It was April 15th around 2.45pm

Before I left the Club, news began filtering through amongst supporters of something going on at the FA Cup Semi Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough. Mobile phones were relatively rare in those days, but sketchy news reports began appearing on the TV screens. There had obviously been something serious that had occurred, but no one could have expected the news that was to filter through during the next half-hour.

30 miles down the M1 from us at Eland Road, thousands of Liverpool fans had arrived late (due to roadworks on the M62) at the turnstiles of the Lepping Lane end causing mayhem and crushing at the front of the lower tier. They obviously weren’t to know the havoc they were causing, but by the time the game was abandoned after only 7 minutes, several hundred people had spilt onto the pitch and many had ripped out advertising boards and were using them as makeshift stretchers to carry the injured to safety – but for many it was too late.

Afterwards, the Police were blamed, the Liverpool fans were blamed and the Sheffield Wednesday club was blamed, but the fact remains that – 96 innocent football fans died. 766 were injured and 300 were taken to hospital.

The discussions and legal battles of who was to blame still goes on today 21 years later.

Sadly, Liverpool Football Club had been involved in another tragedy fours years previously when fans rioted inside the Heysel Stadium before the 1989 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. 32 Juventus fans died along with 4 Belgians, 2 French and one man from Northern Ireland – a total of 39.

Incidentally, Leeds fans had also been crammed into the Leppings Lane End in 1987 for the FA Cup Semi Final with Coventry. Luckily on this occasion, severe bruising was the only injury to a few Leeds fans.

Of course Leeds and Liverpool have always had strong links especially between the legendary managers Don Revie and Bill Shankly.

When Shanks died in 1981 many Leeds fans paid tribute to the great man when Leeds next visited Anfield, donating thousands of pounds to a Memorial fund. Liverpool fans showed the same respect when Don Revie died 8 years later.

This month also marks an anniversary of another tragic event closer to home. April 5th marked the 10th Anniversary of the brutal murders of two Leeds fans, Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight, in Istanbul, the evening before Leeds’ UEFA Cup Semi Final against Galatassaray.

No one has ever really been brought to justice for the killings and both families and friends of ‘Lofty’ and ‘Spag’ have been campaigning for justice now for 10 years. Lets hope they can soon receive some welcome news that will ease their pain.