bluemoonmatt
Well-Known Member
I come from bradford (ashamed to say) the city is a dump but there will always be a little bit of me that is Bradford City, Really pleased they won the play off today.
That day was horrific, my mum lost her dad that week and i think wanted some space. My dad took me and my older brother to watch the game, but it was a celebration day they had won the league and the place was packed. You could pay on the gate back then but dad would only go in the main stand (only stand that was seated) cos I was only 9, I remember the people around it was heaving. We ended up walking into town and getting some new school shoes instead, I remember throwinf the mother of all tantrums. Talk about lucky. We got the bus home what must have been close to four o clock (the fire started 3:40) and the bus to Baildon (a little town north of Bradford where I come from) goes right past Valley parade. It didnt that day, we got diverted down Lumb lane (a road which is synonymous with ladies of the night but a road which runs adjacent to manningham lane). We looked in the direction of the football ground trying to understand why we had been diverted and saw the flames arcing up into a sky blackened by smoke. It will never leave me and I dont mind admitting I always spare a moment on 11 may and often spend a tear. For some reason it remains visibally raw with so many bradfordians, If anyone knows look north (local news in west yorks) their weather guy is a Bantam and a few years back when it was the 25 years anniversary he was in tears and could barely present his weather slot. I can't imagine how hard it is for those who were there.
Its right and proper that football as a whole embraces the justice that the victims of hillsborough are now getting, but every April there is widespread rememberance yet May 11th passes without barely a mention and that saddens me. This tragedy was different to H/boro granted, there was no police cover up, no government conspiracy and didnt involve what was at the time probably the biggest club in the world. This was a just little club, but people still died. I think the facilities we enjoy nationwide today owes as much if not more due to changes enforced in the wake of Valley parade than what happened at hillsborough.
I'm really pleased for Bradford today, its a desperate city divided like no other in the uk, at least no other i've been to.
That day was horrific, my mum lost her dad that week and i think wanted some space. My dad took me and my older brother to watch the game, but it was a celebration day they had won the league and the place was packed. You could pay on the gate back then but dad would only go in the main stand (only stand that was seated) cos I was only 9, I remember the people around it was heaving. We ended up walking into town and getting some new school shoes instead, I remember throwinf the mother of all tantrums. Talk about lucky. We got the bus home what must have been close to four o clock (the fire started 3:40) and the bus to Baildon (a little town north of Bradford where I come from) goes right past Valley parade. It didnt that day, we got diverted down Lumb lane (a road which is synonymous with ladies of the night but a road which runs adjacent to manningham lane). We looked in the direction of the football ground trying to understand why we had been diverted and saw the flames arcing up into a sky blackened by smoke. It will never leave me and I dont mind admitting I always spare a moment on 11 may and often spend a tear. For some reason it remains visibally raw with so many bradfordians, If anyone knows look north (local news in west yorks) their weather guy is a Bantam and a few years back when it was the 25 years anniversary he was in tears and could barely present his weather slot. I can't imagine how hard it is for those who were there.
Its right and proper that football as a whole embraces the justice that the victims of hillsborough are now getting, but every April there is widespread rememberance yet May 11th passes without barely a mention and that saddens me. This tragedy was different to H/boro granted, there was no police cover up, no government conspiracy and didnt involve what was at the time probably the biggest club in the world. This was a just little club, but people still died. I think the facilities we enjoy nationwide today owes as much if not more due to changes enforced in the wake of Valley parade than what happened at hillsborough.
I'm really pleased for Bradford today, its a desperate city divided like no other in the uk, at least no other i've been to.