Very nearly didn’t.
I’d been on nights all week and was 50/50 about just not turning up, texted the old man and he was the same, I replied ‘it’s either going to be the worst night or the best let’s just go’.
Turned up at the railway about 5, a strange buzz in the air, people laughing and joking about the situation, same buzz felt walking down towards ground, not one sad face, people going with intent. Got in to the fanzone for a quick one before heading in, hear hey Jude ringing out round Hillsborough, there’s an actual atmosphere, I can’t describe it but it felt weird, people knew. Got in to the T1 on the back of DM’s screen message to the almighty roar and that weird feeling just got stronger. The roar after the huddle and the ‘come on’ roars after each goal, each tackle, each corner won.
I got home about 1am (Doncaster) and I didn’t sleep a wink that night, I went to the bathroom about 5am and my pupils were like the black snooker ball from pure adrenaline.
Don’t get signal in Hillsborough either and to walk out to hundreds of messages in my group chats, work and other football fans, dozens of messages on Facebook.
I can never properly articulate everything I felt that night, never been one for putting emotions in to words, but the entire night blew me away.
How lucky are we?