Merseyside footballing greats have recalled their reactions to the horror of Hillsborough on the eve of the disaster's 20th anniversary.
Speaking ahead of today's emotional memorial service at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish, the Reds' boss at the time, told the BBC the authorities should have delayed the game.
He said: "That's no problem for anybody.
"If the police are talking to the FA and the FA had made that call, there wouldn't have been any resentment or disagreement with the people in the dressing room, neither Brian Clough (the Forest manager at the time) or ourselves certainly.
"It's something that everybody wished had never happened but I think it's also something that nobody should forget."
Current club vice-captain Jamie Carragher, 31, relived the moment he realised the full extent of the Hillsborough disaster.
Speaking to LFC TV, the defender said he was watching boyhood favourites Everton play Norwich in the other FA Cup semi.
"I just remember an announcement at half-time that the Liverpool game had been abandoned," he said.
"It was before mobile phones so no one really understood what was going on. But obviously we knew there was a problem."
Paying tribute to the families for their conduct in the aftermath, he added: "We should never forget and we realise what it means to the club."
Goalscoring hero Ian Rush, who was in the Liverpool side that played at Hillsborough, insists that the fight for justice must continue.
He said: "The build-up to this anniversary has brought back some really bad memories which have made my conviction even stronger that the fight for justice must go on.
"The families deserve justice and I hope that one day they will finally get it.
"My thoughts and prayers will be with them and with the 96. We will never forget what happened that terrible day."
Club captain Steven Gerrard, 28, lost a cousin - Jon-Paul Gilhooley, who was only 10 - at Hillsborough.
He remembered going to bed the night of the tragedy praying the death toll did not rise.
He said: "Obviously it was a difficult time to know that one of your cousins had been at the game and had been tragically crushed.
"And seeing the reactions of his mum, dad and family helped me drive on to become the player I have developed into today."
Gerrard will, as usual, lead the Liverpool players at today's service.
But Anfield will also be full of Evertonians eager to pay their respects and join the bid for justice.
Toffees boss David Moyes said: "I do not think it only unites this city, it unites the whole country because everybody felt the disaster.
"It could have been any football club, it just turned out to be Liverpool. That situation then could have happened to anyone at that time.
"It is something that hopefully we will never see again."
Speaking ahead of today's emotional memorial service at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish, the Reds' boss at the time, told the BBC the authorities should have delayed the game.
He said: "That's no problem for anybody.
"If the police are talking to the FA and the FA had made that call, there wouldn't have been any resentment or disagreement with the people in the dressing room, neither Brian Clough (the Forest manager at the time) or ourselves certainly.
"It's something that everybody wished had never happened but I think it's also something that nobody should forget."
Current club vice-captain Jamie Carragher, 31, relived the moment he realised the full extent of the Hillsborough disaster.
Speaking to LFC TV, the defender said he was watching boyhood favourites Everton play Norwich in the other FA Cup semi.
"I just remember an announcement at half-time that the Liverpool game had been abandoned," he said.
"It was before mobile phones so no one really understood what was going on. But obviously we knew there was a problem."
Paying tribute to the families for their conduct in the aftermath, he added: "We should never forget and we realise what it means to the club."
Goalscoring hero Ian Rush, who was in the Liverpool side that played at Hillsborough, insists that the fight for justice must continue.
He said: "The build-up to this anniversary has brought back some really bad memories which have made my conviction even stronger that the fight for justice must go on.
"The families deserve justice and I hope that one day they will finally get it.
"My thoughts and prayers will be with them and with the 96. We will never forget what happened that terrible day."
Club captain Steven Gerrard, 28, lost a cousin - Jon-Paul Gilhooley, who was only 10 - at Hillsborough.
He remembered going to bed the night of the tragedy praying the death toll did not rise.
He said: "Obviously it was a difficult time to know that one of your cousins had been at the game and had been tragically crushed.
"And seeing the reactions of his mum, dad and family helped me drive on to become the player I have developed into today."
Gerrard will, as usual, lead the Liverpool players at today's service.
But Anfield will also be full of Evertonians eager to pay their respects and join the bid for justice.
Toffees boss David Moyes said: "I do not think it only unites this city, it unites the whole country because everybody felt the disaster.
"It could have been any football club, it just turned out to be Liverpool. That situation then could have happened to anyone at that time.
"It is something that hopefully we will never see again."
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