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40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 1:17 pm
by Vegas Claret
Truly awful, never forget those that lost their lives going to a football match.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 1:34 pm
by Herts Clarets
Remember the day so well. I went to Barbon Hill climb with my Dad and as we passed through Barrowford heading towards Blacko saw a workmates car smashed into the wall. Not the best start to his birthday. Sure Burnley were away at Walsall that day as we were relegated to the bottom division for the first and only time in our history. It was only when I got home i saw the news and the horrific events at Valley Parade,a ground i had been to only 3 weeks prior to watch Burnley. So many families lost more than one generation that day. Also a young lad was killed at Birmingham v Leeds due to serious crowd trouble. RIP to those who went to support their team and never came home.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 2:26 pm
by ClaretTony
An awful day for football and for Bradford City and their opponents Lincoln.
It’s heartbreaking to see the names on the list with so many families suffering more than one loss.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 4:08 pm
by Vegas Claret
ClaretTony wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 2:26 pm
An awful day for football and for Bradford City and their opponents Lincoln.
It’s heartbreaking to see the names on the list with so many families suffering more than one loss.
It's horrible

Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 5:18 pm
by IanMcL
The most horrendous TV pictures I have seen. People going up in flames.
It wasn't long after that we played at Molineux and a car caught fire outside their old stand. Black smoke. Looked like the stand was on fire.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 6:18 pm
by strayclaret
I was there in that very stand for our game, a month before. I clearly remember commenting on the amount of rubbish there was below and yes probably put my stubbed out cigs through the gap between the planks of wood, which formed the floor.
There’s an article in today’s Telegraph by Jim White and I quote
“The wooden Valley Parade main stand, designed by the great stadium architect, Archibald Leitch, opened in 1907. Unusually, it was built on a hill, so the entrance turnstiles were at the top. By 1985, it had reached the end of its life and City’s board had sought local authority permission to replace it with a steel structure.
When the planning officer came to visit, he noted the pile-up of rubbish in the hollow beneath the wooden seats. While he was happy to authorise the new building, he told the club the debris was a fire hazard and should be removed immediately. Nothing was done.”
One word for it CRIMINAL.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 6:41 pm
by giveusaB
Unforgotten:The Bradford City fire documentary is on BBC2 tonight at 9pm.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 11:50 pm
by fidelcastro
giveusaB wrote: ↑Sun May 11, 2025 6:41 pm
Unforgotten:The Bradford City fire documentary is on BBC2 tonight at 9pm.
It's a hard watch, but it shows how far we've come in terms of ground safety.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Mon May 12, 2025 7:26 pm
by ecc
One of the darkest days in British football history. No words can begin to sum up how bad it was. I had been to see Birmingham v Leeds where the away fans started a riot which resulted in the death of a fourteen-year-old lad. The city was in gridlock after the match and I had to walk home as roads were blocked. And upon getting in I saw the pictures from Bradford.
These things shouldn't happen.
RIP all the victims.
Re: 40 years today
Posted: Tue May 13, 2025 8:47 am
by Herts Clarets
I watched the documentary yesterday evening, a very difficult programme to watch with input from the survivors and bereaved families. I wasn't aware of the history of the Bradford chairman at the time, Stafford Heginbotham and his 8 previous insurance claims for various businesses that had all burned down.....