Hillsborough: a survivor's story

You Tube: BBC Sport interviews with Hillsborough survivors

Liverpool fan, Robbie Ashcroft, reflects on the tragic events that unfolded at Hillsborough on April 15th, 1989. It's a day which will always be remembered in the hearts of every Liverpool supporter, and one which still cuts deep in the memory.

"When the FA Cup semi-final draw was made between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest and the venue was announced as Hillsborough, I recall Peter Robinson (the then Liverpool club secretary) saying Liverpool should be allocated the Kop end and Forest given the Leppings Lane end. We were a bigger club than Forest and thus had a larger support. I think the police intervened and said if this were to happen, the fans would mix together outside, as Forest travelled up from the south side of the city and Liverpool entered from the north.

We set off by car very early and hit roadworks when entering Sheffield. We parked up in a housing estate about three miles from the ground and had plenty of time to walk up. As we walked closer to the ground with other Liverpool supporters, it seemed odd that very few stopped off to visit the pubs. We decided not to bother having any beers and got some soft drinks and snacks from a corner shop.

We turned into Leppings Lane and made our way into the ground. Remember, we had been here the season before. We entered the terraces via the right-hand side entrance. We even had time to go back down to the gents and also get some coffees.

As the game kicked off, Liverpool attacked the Kop end and I think Peter Beardsley had a shot that was either saved by their goalie or maybe hit the bar.

It was then that it happened, an almighty surge from the Liverpool crowd in the middle pen. We thought a barrier had been uprooted, and then it struck home.

Liverpool supporters were climbing onto the steel fences at the front, screaming at the police to open the locked gates, I even saw police pushing and hitting supporters back down into the terrace, they had no idea what was going on.

As time passed, we helped what seemed like hundreds of Liverpool fans climb into our area of the ground. Each one was screaming at the police for not opening the gates, each one telling us people had died.

Eventually, they opened the gates and members of the crowd spilled onto the pitch, to ease the pressure. What a sight. I'd seen dead bodies before but nothing like this, it was carnage. If I live to be 100, I will never forget what I saw that day.

Some fans started placing bodies onto advertising hoardings and carrying them up to the Main Stand. Instinctively we helped. Time stood still, I have no idea what time we left the ground, but can remember a local giving us a cup of tea and letting us phone home to let our loved ones know that we were safe.

The journey back to Liverpool lasted an eternity. We were very quiet. As days passed, Liverpool opened Anfield so that people could pay their tributes to the 96. As I entered Anfield, tears ran down my face, we walked up to the Kop to our usual spec, and just stood and stared; the full horror of Hillsborough struck home."