Like countless others at Anfield last Saturday, I made my way to the Hillsborough memorial which resides beside the Shankly Gates to pay my respects to the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in British sport’s worst ever disaster.
The match against Blackburn had ended over an hour earlier but there was still a queue of like minded people, some clutching bunches of flowers to lay in front of the eternal flame and others with scarves to adorn the marble monument.
In front of me was an Irishman and his son of no more than six or seven who minutes later would bless themselves and say a silent prayer in front of the memorial before father embraced son in a way which parents tend to following such emotional and tender shared moments.
Behind me was a middle aged Everton fan who stood out because he was wearing his distinctive blue and white shirt as he proudly represented the club he loves. In his hands was a single rose which, like almost everything else in view post match, was the kind of red which Bill Shankly wanted his players dressed in from head to toe.
The passing of 20 years means memories of April 15, 1989 and the immediate aftermath have been bubbling to the surface with increasing regularity in recent days and the sight of this sole Everton supporter will undoubtedly have struck a chord with anyone who joined similar queues at Anfield two decades ago.
It certainly did that for me as I recalled patiently waiting for the time to come when I would get the opportunity to pay my respects to the Hillsborough dead.
Stood next to me in the queue on that day was an Evertonian. He wasn’t wearing any colours for me to know that but he didn’t need to because he was one of my closest childhood friends who just days earlier had seen his team get through to another Wembley FA Cup Final.
Like all other Blues, his celebrations were curtailed by the tragic events over in Sheffield where so many of their brothers and sisters from this city had seen their lives cut short in such terrible circumstances.
Behind me in the queue was another Everton supporter who had come to pay his respects. In his hands was a half and half scarf from the 1986 all Merseyside FA Cup Final which he wanted to lay down in front of the Kop along with the sea of floral tributes which had been steadily growing ever since Reds chief executive Peter Robinson had taken the decision to open the Anfield gates to give fans a communal place to grieve.
It wasn’t just Everton supporters either, as then manager Colin Harvey recalled this week:
“On the Friday before our first game after Hillsborough, which was away at Spurs, we all went to Anfield to lay a wreath,” he said.
“It was something all the players really wanted to do.”
The tragedy may have befallen Liverpool and its fans but the response of Everton Football Club and its supporters could not have been more impressive.
This was a city united in tragedy in a way which no-one would have wanted but also in a fashion which typified the incredible bonds which can transcend even the most passionate of football rivalries.
The unity of the people of Liverpool was perhaps best symbolized by a mile long chain of Everton and Liverpool scarves which connected Anfield with Goodison, an initiative thought up by two local taxi drivers Tommy Atkinson and Jimmy Plunkett.
Another example of the solidarity came in Liverpool’s first competitive outing following Hillsborough, a Merseyside derby at the home of their great rivals.
As usual there was plenty of red visible on the terraces, particularly just to the left of the Gwladys Street goal where Liverpool supporters had traditionally congregated.
Before the game kicked off, a group of Liverpool supporters paraded a banner around the perimeter of the pitch. The banner carried a simple message: “LFC fans thank EFC fans”.
While in the away end another flag was unfurled which read: “The Kop Thanks You All We Never Walked Alone.”
The applause which greeted these heartfelt gestures underlined the feelings of solidarity which everyone on Merseyside felt in the aftermath of Hillsborough.
This was a tragedy for Liverpool as a city, not just Liverpool the football club, and the outpouring of emotion from all of its citizens no matter what team they supported reflected this.
On Tuesday afternoon, David Moyes followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Harvey by crossing Stanley Park to pay his respects to those who perished in the death trap that was the Leppings Lane terrace.
The Everton manager was rightly applauded as he took his seat on the Kop and the handshake of thanks he received from opposite number Rafa Benitez was clearly heartfelt and genuine.
Over at Goodison, the Everton flag was flown at half mast while the club also commemorated Hillsborough on its own website and by taking out a full page tribute to the 96 victims in the Echo.
Such official gestures were totally in keeping with the way Everton Football Club conducted itself 20 years ago and the homemade blue and white Justice For The 96 banner which a group of Evertonians displayed at Villa Park last Sunday was equally apt.
This weekend of all weekends, it is appropriate that Everton find themselves in another FA Cup semi-final, representing Merseyside’s hopes of having one of our teams grace a Wembley final.
In fact, it is difficult to think of anything more fitting.
