London – Liverpool Football Club, the city of Liverpool and the entire footballing community will come together on Wednesday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough , the worst stadium-related disaster in the history of the sport in Britain. April 15, 1989, will live long in the memory for all Liverpool fans for it was the day when 96 men, women and children died, crushed against security fences inside Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough ground during their side’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

With a huge crowd gathering outside, police opened the gates on one side of the stadium and the decision proved disastrous. Hundreds more were injured and an inquiry, headed by Lord Justice Taylor, resulted in the removal of all fences and the introduction of all-seater stadia.

In the aftermath of the disaster, sections of the media wrongly blamed the Liverpool fans, but the Taylor Report named police failure as the real reason, saying they should never have opened the gates.

Liverpool’s then manager Kenny Dalglish ensured that he or another of the Liverpool staff attended every single funeral, an effort that eventually took its toll on the Scot as he quit as manager in 1991 suffering, it later transpired, from stress.

The famous Shankly Gates were covered from top to bottom in flowers and ever since then, the club has commemorated the dead with a minute’s silence, something observed by all league clubs when they play their closest match to April 15 itself.

In the weeks, months and years after the disaster, the Hillsborough Justice Campaign came into existence, an organization that helped families of those killed or injured to gain legal support in their fight for justice.

For Liverpool’s present captain, Steven Gerrard, the day will live in his memory for ever after his 10-year-old cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, died in the disaster.

“I was really shocked and deeply saddened when I watched the scenes live,” said Gerrard, who was nine at the time.

“I was completely and utterly shocked, whilst wondering if there was anyone we knew personally at the game. Unfortunately for myself and my family we got the dreaded knock the next morning to say that a member of our family was at the game and had been tragically killed.”

Gerrard said that everyone connected with the club knows all about Hillsborough and what it means to the fans.

“It is central and very important to this club,” he said. “The 96 will never ever be forgotten, and nor will the people that got hurt. But it is important these people get remembered individually and not just as the number 96.

“This club has fought for justice ever since and will continue to do so. We have stuck together since that day, like we always do here, and that shows what kind of football club we are, sticking by each other when times are tough. We are not just about what happens on the pitch but we are all one off it as well.”

Former Liverpool player Steven Warnock laid a floral tribute in front of the club’s fans on behalf of Blackburn Rovers before the two sides met on Saturday and the club will hold a memorial on Wednesday, the 20th anniversary.

“We go to the memorial service every year and thousands of people still turn out to this day, so it goes to show that the Liverpool supporters will never forget about it and neither will the players,” Gerrard added. (dpa)