United fans’ forgotten Hillsborough gesture

Entitled ‘OLD RIVALS NOW UNITED IN SORROW’, it gave details of a small, powerful gesture from Manchester United’s fans in the wake of the horrendous Hillsborough disaster. A gesture that years of rivalry and rancour has threatened to bury.

 

Nine days earlier, 95 Liverpool fans had lost their lives in a devastating crush at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday’s ground, at an FA Cup semi-final that was desperately aborted after just six minutes of play. The tragedy would claim two more victims in the years ahead, bringing the death toll to 97.

 

The Echo article’s writer, Andrew Edwards, was (and still is) a United season ticket holder and, in the days that followed the catastrophe, he racked his brains trying to think of something positive to do. 

 

He hit upon a simple idea: invite his fellow Reds to visit Anfield. Invite them to show the kind of brotherhood and solidarity that would transcend the violence and tragedy chanting that had often marred the rivalry during the 1970s and ’80s.

Picking up the phone, Edwards began dialling up every United supporters’ club across the country. The response was emphatic.

 

“It struck me that there was so much going on within the city of Liverpool, that United supporters could show their true colours as well,” Andrew told United Review.

“If there’s all these supporters going on to the pitch at Anfield to pay their respects, why can’t we do it in an organised fashion? 

 

“The United fans were fantastic. At the time, every football supporter – particularly those that went to away matches – could identify with what had happened and empathised with Liverpool supporters. They were unanimous in supporting the gesture. Bit by bit, we made an arrangement where two representatives would come from each branch, and that went all around the country, so they were coming up from places like Bristol and Oxford.”

 

Almost every UK branch agreed to send representatives. The supporters’ clubs met at the Stanley Park car park, having been given an appropriate time to arrive by Liverpool Football Club. The group then gathered together and began marching towards the ground in near silence. 

 

Home-and-away fan Nigel Appleton – then part of the Chester and North Wales branch – was one of the Reds in attendance.

 

“My reaction to Hillsborough? It was difficult to express, really,” he says. “Just shock and horror. It was just so extreme. I’d never known anything like it in my lifetime, so it was very difficult to get your head around.

 

“I just remember a sea of flags and scarves on the pitch at Anfield. We went in in single file almost, on to the pitch, and you were just left with your own thoughts. We laid a wreath, and we were obviously all dressed respectfully in black and what-have-you... It didn’t matter who you were – people just turned up, did what they had to do, and paid their respects. We didn’t really speak to anybody, because it was just total silence.”

“A lot of Liverpool supporters were descending on Anfield at that time,” remembers Edwards, “and some of them were asking us: ‘What are you doing here?’ But we got chatting to them and explained that we wanted to come and pay our respects. And then the jungle telegraph got going, and word went around that there were hundreds of United supporters descending on Anfield!”

 

Afterwards, the supporters were welcomed into one of Anfield’s lounges by then Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish. Barry Moorhouse, United’s membership secretary, handed over one of Bryan Robson’s no.7 jerseys, signed by all the first-team players, which was subsequently auctioned to support the Hillsborough disaster appeal. 

 

Dalglish later told the Echo: “This is a magnificent gesture, and it will do so much to show the families of those who died how much football supporters everywhere really care. We all know that the supporters of our two clubs have not always got on. The situation had become worse over the last few years and it was unhealthy. That is why this gesture is so touching.”

 

Hillsborough had, of course, reminded many United fans of the 1958 Munich Air Disaster – the darkest day in our own history. Within the report, Andrew referred to these two unthinkable, traumatic episodes as a shared ‘bond’ that made us ‘inseparable friends’.

 

Sadly, the clubs did not remain inseparable for long.

 

While disgusting chants about Munich and Bill Shankly receded after 1989, songs about tragedies slowly re-emerged. Ahead of our 2-2 Premier League home draw with Liverpool earlier this month, Erik ten Hag used his column in the match programme to call for an end to chants that refer to tragedies like Munich, Heysel and Hillsborough.

 

“I think if people understood better what Hillsborough was all about, rather than blindly singing these songs, then they’d feel ashamed of themselves,” states Edwards. “But it is getting that message across. Chanting songs like ‘The Sun was right...’ is born out of ignorance and a lack of knowledge about the actual tragedy itself.”

 

“The animosity did increase again in the ’90s,” agrees Nigel. “But the majority had empathy for Liverpool supporters and what happened at Hillsborough. It wasn’t as vitriolic as it is now, because there was no social media and WhatsApp groups. The majority were more civil about it. During the ’90s, when we took control of the Premier League, the animosity ramped itself up again. Then you’ve got the introduction of social media and mobile phones, which obviously made it worse.

 

“In my mind, it’s only in the last 20 years that it’s escalated. That animosity will never disappear, and there are many reasons for it – historical as well as football-wise. But, ultimately, it could have been us [at Hillsborough].”

 

More encouragingly, the recent league game at Old Trafford saw ‘tragedy chanting’ greatly reduced. Both Andrew and Nigel agree that much of what makes up the United-Liverpool rivalry adds greatly to fixtures between the clubs – but hope that the passion can endure without reopening old wounds for those affected by Hillsborough.

 

On that day at Anfield in 1989, Andrew’s hands were clasped by a Liverpool FC steward with tears in his eyes, who embraced him in a hug and thanked him, saying: “This is the most wonderful thing you are doing.” Liverpool’s fans had even applauded as the United contingent walked out on to the field.

 

It was the smallest of compassionate gestures, but a powerful one nonetheless. Doubly so, because it came at a time when Liverpool fans were being demonised by now discredited media reports which blamed them for the disaster.

 

In the years since, we’ve lost much of the solidarity that was exchanged on Merseyside that day. But by shining a light on this almost forgotten touch of kindness, perhaps we can salvage something. Because if any issue should unite football fans of every single club in this country, Hillsborough is it.

 

In that 35-year-old Liverpool Echo piece, then Liverpool chief executive Peter Robinson said: “This is a great gesture of hope for the future.” Perhaps it still can be.