The Bradford 56 Remembered

[Glad2BeAPie]

Not by the football authorities, or the media as it's not the premiership so why would they bother about little old Bradford City. But football fans on social media are remembering them. Thoughts are with the 56 and their families on this sad day

[upthemaggies]

Not by the football authorities, or the media as it's not the premiership so why would they bother about little old Bradford City. But football fans on social media are remembering them. Thoughts are with the 56 and their families on this sad day

Probably not a big thing being made of it because it's 35 years ago, rather than 30 or 40, but yes - for a period of my childhood that was the closest league ground to where I lived - not by much, almost the same distance to Leeds- my dad went to both fairly regularly, I have wondered if my dad hadn't decided to move back to Notts, I might have been there that day. It was a similar stand to County Road, along the side of the pitch, mostly standing and wooden I think. I was watching World of Sport whilst listening to Radio Nottm for updates of us being relegated at Fulham when they switched over to the scenes. Incredibly shocking.

[ncfcog]

I was watching World of Sport whilst listening to Radio Nottm for updates of us being relegated at Fulham when they switched over to the scenes. Incredibly shocking.

I remember doing the same, the live footage really was horrific.

[ancientpie]

I was at Fulham & remember vividly the silence of the return journey as we listened to the death toll rise, horrible!

[upthemaggies]

I remember doing the same, the live footage really was horrific.

I'm not 100% on this but I don't think it went out live, an edit was shown either shortly before full time or at half-time, WOS would have been showing boxing when it happened and as the game (a 3rd Division match) was only being recorded for local Yorkshire TV Sunday highlights they may not have had a live feed linked up to London anyway at that point. Apparently the raw uncut footage was so upsetting it was only seen by fire fighters on training videos, at least until internet days. It might be widely available now but its' not something I'd want to view.

[ncfcog]

I'm not 100% on this but I don't think it went out live, an edit was shown either shortly before full time or at half-time, WOS would have been showing boxing when it happened and as the game (a 3rd Division match) was only being recorded for local Yorkshire TV Sunday highlights they may not have had a live feed linked up to London anyway at that point. Apparently the raw uncut footage was so upsetting it was only seen by fire fighters on training videos, at least until internet days. It might be widely available now but its' not something I'd want to view.

Ah possibly, but I distinctly remember whatever I was watching at the time jumping to live scenes as they happened, it was awful because out of nowhere people were appearing on the pitch from the stand that was on fire and the reporter was quite audiably traumatised by the scenes. Maybe I picked up a newsflash that came out slightly later.

[LilCrazyKim]

I heard Colin Slater say a few times that the biggest regret of his broadcasting career was describing our relegation that day as a tragedy shortly before hearing about the fire.

[upthemaggies]

I heard Colin Slater say a few times that the biggest regret of his broadcasting career was describing our relegation that day as a tragedy shortly before hearing about the fire.

Colin's home town of course, as it was also John Helm's who was the Yorkshire TV commentator that day suddenly finding himself having to do the job of a news reporter on a major incident, something he was totally unprepared for. If it went out live then there must be a point on the tape where he goes into live reporter mode and says "And you join us at Valley Parade where...." etc. It would have been at half-time as the fire started at 3:40pm. I do remember already being resigned to us going down at the point the fire came on the TV screen, otherwise it would have felt very odd willing Notts on from that moment on, but although we were 0-0 at HT Middlesbrough were already 2-0 up so maybe it was live.
Had the fire not happened then no doubt a lot more attention would have been drawn to a 15 year old killed at Birmingham's ground as a result of a wall being toppled by rioting hooligans, the first game he'd ever attended. There's footage of the riot at the link below, incredible that this was going on the very same afternoon as the fire but we'd seen similar scenes at Notts days earlier v Man City......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F4RPI_Aa9g

[meoldlaner]

As ancientpie, I too was at that Fulham game and I remember how insignificant relegation actually felt in the light of the events at Bradford.

[pingu_pie]

I heard Colin Slater say a few times that the biggest regret of his broadcasting career was describing our relegation that day as a tragedy shortly before hearing about the fire.

I remember him saying that too. I think it's where I first learned about the fire, even.

[The_Don_ORiordan]

There are a few Notts connections with the players who were there that day.
I remember Chris Withe talking about it once, as well as Phil Turner.
Others on the day were Eric McManus and Greg Abbott.

[JoePass]

I was at Fulham & remember vividly the silence of the return journey as we listened to the death toll rise, horrible!


Exactly the same for me.

[upthemaggies]

There are a few Notts connections with the players who were there that day.
I remember Chris Withe talking about it once, as well as Phil Turner.
Others on the day were Eric McManus and Greg Abbott.

Steve Thompson was playing for Lincoln as well and recalled the incident for The Star yesterday.......

"I went up for a header on the halfway line with Bobby Campbell and remember seeing a puff of smoke, and asking Bobby what it was, Within minutes, it had engulfed that whole stand and we could see bitumen dropping down onto people's heads.It was supposed to be a celebration game for them. You don't expect people to die at football matches, do you? I remember that many of the crowd adhered to the rules and didn't go on the pitch, instead trying to get out through the turnstiles. Some of them got stuck in the turnstiles. We were ushered off the pitch and players from both sides, still in our kits, ended up in a pub just across the road from the ground, watching the news on TV. The Bradford lads were worried sick about their relatives and two Lincoln fans who were at the game, Bill Stacey and Jim West, sadly died as well. Lincoln named one of their stands in their honour. Our team coach was burned so we had to wait for another, and word got around as we were waiting. 'One person dead... two people dead...All the way up to 56."

[Glad2BeAPie]

I've seen the uncut film version a few times, images that stay with you for a long time

[TheBlackHorse]

...the great Bert Loxley was trainer at Lincoln that day, I believe ...