Eight boys left to watch a football match, but only three returned home that night

[theonlywayisup]

As it happened whilst I was young, I had heard about the Ibrox disaster, but wasn't really aware of the stories behind it.

The link below talks about eight teenage boys leaving Markinch to walk to Glenrothers talking excitedly about their day ahead. Their supporters’ buses will ferry them to Glasgow for the Rangers versus Celtic match. The group are tight - their homes are just yards from each other - so the only real division is the colour of their teams. For three it’s the green of Celtic, for the other five the blue of Rangers. By the end of the day, only three of the boys returned home to Fife.

The five boys who didn’t come home (bbc.co.uk) (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/B0cJMZS3B1/Fiveboys)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/B0cJMZS3B1/Fiveboys

[Greenbeard]

I have always thought, and still believed to this day, that the crush was caused by early leavers hearing the cheers for the Huns late equaliser and trying to get back up the stairway. Seems that is a myth and the crush started well after the final whistle.

[Keith_M]

There was an interview on TV recently (STV news, I think) with one of the remaining guys and it really was heartbreaking.


They mentioned during the programme that there had been numerous scares at that part of the stadium, including one death about ten years before, but that the club hadn't done anything about it.

When you only have two exit stairways for ~60k fans, that in itself is criminal negligence.

[Eyrie]

Read that article earlier.

The first photo of the stairway looks fine, but as you read on you realise just how easily it happened. Good to read the debunking of the story about fans turning back, which never quite sounded logical to me as the final whistle was supposed to have gone.

[h1bs4life]

Was very young at the time , can remember that the news went live to the scene.
Half those that died were under 20 , the youngest being the same age as myself at the time 9
I loath anything to do with that particular club but no one should leave home to go to a football match and not return home.
An absolute tragedy , can't believe it will be 50 years on 2/1/21

[Pretty Boy]

What you have to remember is that none of these incidents were unforeseen. There was a similar crush at Ibrox on the same staircase a few years before and almost nothing was done about it. Likewise 8 years before Hillsborough dozens of fans were injured due to crushing in the Leppings Lane end when Wolves played Tottenham. The ref stopped that game to allow fans to be moved out of the pens and watch the game from pitchside. Of course that incident, much like Hillsborough or Ibrox, saw the fans blamed. The crushing was caused by a 'surge after a goal'. See also 'fans rushed back up the stairs' or 'fans without tickets stormed the gates'. Forget all the factors that contributed to so many people being crammed into archaic stadia and blame the fans instead.

Football fans were treated like crap for years. It was institutional with the clubs and authorities complicit. They simply didn't care. Reading stories like the one linked shows the human cost of those attitudes. These weren't 'unavoidable tragedies'. It was a lack of investment in facilities, non existent health and safety and complete disregard for the well being of fans that caused such incidents.

[Alfred E Newman]

I remember meeting a guy many years ago who was on stairway 13 that day. He was also caught in the crush and was only saved by a barrier that by shear luck had wrapped itself around him and given him some protection. He told me he looked behind him and all he saw was a wall of faces 6 or 7 feet high coloured from blue to white. I would imagine that scene would have haunted him all his life.

[hibby rae]

What you have to remember is that none of these incidents were unforeseen. There was a similar crush at Ibrox on the same staircase a few years before and almost nothing was done about it. Likewise 8 years before Hillsborough dozens of fans were injured due to crushing in the Leppings Lane end when Wolves played Tottenham. The ref stopped that game to allow fans to be moved out of the pens and watch the game from pitchside. Of course that incident, much like Hillsborough or Ibrox, saw the fans blamed. The crushing was caused by a 'surge after a goal'. See also 'fans rushed back up the stairs' or 'fans without tickets stormed the gates'. Forget all the factors that contributed to so many people being crammed into archaic stadia and blame the fans instead.

Football fans were treated like crap for years. It was institutional with the clubs and authorities complicit. They simply didn't care. Reading stories like the one linked shows the human cost of those attitudes. These weren't 'unavoidable tragedies'. It was a lack of investment in facilities, non existent health and safety and complete disregard for the well being of fans that caused such incidents.

There was a really good article in the Guardian by a survivor recently, who also happened to be a journalist.

I believe there had been two previous incidents on Stairway 13 in the recent past before this one. The Rangers board were well aware of the issues and chose to do nothing about it.

One judge criticised them but was pilloried for it by his peers. Basically it seems the Establishment closed ranks whereas these days you would expect manslaughter investigations.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/dec/03/rangers-football-forgotten-tragedy-ibrox-stadium-disaster-glasgow

[CMurdoch]

Football stadiums were total dumps until the Taylor report forced clubs to drastically improve them and slashed the ground capacities from the ridiculous numbers they had previously been allowed to admit. It's amazing there wasn't loads of disasters in the large football grounds of the UK, all crumbling relics from a bygone era in the early part of the century.
I have a clear memory of attending Parkhead as a 14 year old for a European Cup game against Olympiakos, standing in the jungle at Parkhead and being shocked at the slum conditions around me. This was the great institution of Celtic. European Cup winners 7 years previously and finalists a few years after that yet playing in a ****hole. It was unbelievable, watching Kenny Dalgleish, the epitome of the modern footballer, on the pitch from a piss smelling glorified tin hut.
The money men at football clubs never thought about the comfort or safety of fans which eventually had brutal consequences.

[Pretty Boy]

Football stadiums were total dumps until the Taylor report forced clubs to drastically improve them and slashed the ground capacities from the ridiculous numbers they had previously been allowed to admit. It's amazing there wasn't loads of disasters in the large football grounds of the UK, all crumbling relics from a bygone era in the early part of the century.
I have a clear memory of attending Parkhead as a 14 year old for a European Cup game against Olympiakos, standing in the jungle at Parkhead and being shocked at the slum conditions around me. This was the great institution of Celtic. European Cup winners 7 years previously and finalists a few years after that yet playing in a ****hole. It was unbelievable, watching Kenny Dalgleish, the epitome of the modern footballer, on the pitch from a piss smelling glorified tin hut.
The money men at football clubs never thought about the comfort or safety of fans which eventually had brutal consequences.

One of my earliest football memories is the LC final v Rangers at Celtic Park.

The Hibs support was packed in like sardines that day. There are highlights on YouTube and you can see how tight the Hibs end is when we equalise. As a child I vividly recall being uncomfortable and my Dad lifting me up at one point to alleviate my discomfort. That was 4 or 5 years after Hillsborough and well after the Taylor Report had been published as well.

I also vaguely remember a bit of crushing exiting Tynecastle when we used to get the Gorgie Road end. I think there were bucket seats screwed into benches at the time but that was a token gesture.

I daresay a few fans, visiting or otherwise, could recall similar at ER as well.

[Billy Whizz]

One of my earliest football memories is the LC final v Rangers at Celtic Park.

The Hibs support was packed in like sardines that day. There are highlights on YouTube and you can see how tight the Hibs end is when we equalise. As a child I vividly recall being uncomfortable and my Dad lifting me up at one point to alleviate my discomfort. That was 4 or 5 years after Hillsborough and well after the Taylor Report had been published as well.

I also vaguely remember a bit of crushing exiting Tynecastle when we used to get the Gorgie Road end. I think there were bucket seats screwed into benches at the time but that was a token gesture.

I daresay a few fans, visiting or otherwise, could recall similar at ER as well.

Tynie was like that a couple of seasons ago for Hibs supporters, just after they built the new stand
The Roseburn stand is still in my opinion, still far from safe in the concourse

[Pretty Boy]

Tynie was like that a couple of seasons ago for Hibs supporters, just after they built the new stand
The Roseburn stand is still in my opinion, still far from safe in the concourse

Was that the night they had no external lights on and the Police ushered everyone into the fenced area before the turnstiles? That was scary, a lady in front of me fell and but for the quick thinking of a couple of young lads would have been trampled.

Whilst far from ideal the queueing in front of the old school now is preferable to what happened that night.

[Billy Whizz]

Was that the night they had no external lights on and the Police ushered everyone into the fenced area before the turnstiles? That was scary, a lady in front of me fell and but for the quick thinking of a couple of young lads would have been trampled.

Whilst far from ideal the queueing in front of the old school now is preferable to what happened that night.
Yeah that night and a few times after as well
Think we were sent towards the turnstiles, but an outer gate hemmed us in, quite scary at the time
We now queue a mile along the road to get in

[CMurdoch]

One of my earliest football memories is the LC final v Rangers at Celtic Park.

The Hibs support was packed in like sardines that day. There are highlights on YouTube and you can see how tight the Hibs end is when we equalise. As a child I vividly recall being uncomfortable and my Dad lifting me up at one point to alleviate my discomfort. That was 4 or 5 years after Hillsborough and well after the Taylor Report had been published as well.

I also vaguely remember a bit of crushing exiting Tynecastle when we used to get the Gorgie Road end. I think there were bucket seats screwed into benches at the time but that was a token gesture.

I daresay a few fans, visiting or otherwise, could recall similar at ER as well.

I used to go to the football with my grandfather in the very early 70's. After the Ibrox disaster he was under strict instructions from my mum to take me into the stand which was generally at Easter Road or Tynecastle. Many years later I had to study the Bradford disaster and couldn't help but feel the wooden main stands I had been placed in to keep me safe were in fact the most dangerous parts primed as they were for fire whilst all around smoked and discarded cigarettes.

[hibby rae]

I used to go to the football with my grandfather in the very early 70's. After the Ibrox disaster he was under strict instructions from my mum to take me into the stand which was generally at Easter Road or Tynecastle. Many years later I had to study the Bradford disaster and couldn't help but feel the wooden main stands I had been placed in to keep me safe were in fact the most dangerous parts primed as they were for fire whilst all around smoked and discarded cigarettes.

I remember sitting in the main stand at Tynie for the 2016 League Cup semi and I was surprised that the floor was wooden. I also remember how crammed in every one was as we arrived through the tight turnstiles and said to my brother that I now knew how the third class passengers on the Titanic felt.

[Mikers110]

Sadly ER was no better. I did the the annual structural report back in the late eighties. Absolute waste of time as nothing was done regarding my recommendations from one year to the next. Finally convinced my boss to give up doing it as the fee was not worth the hassle or the worry.

[Sylar]

Even today's modern stadia aren't immune to this.

I attended a college football game in Michigan against arch-rivals Ohio State - there were around 115k people in the stadium and with so many tailgate parties taking place after the games, fans are prone to rushing out once the game finishes. Normally this is OK, because the result rarely goes to the wire in College games but this particular game was decided with the last play of the game. Place goes mental, everyone then rushes toward the exits and a full-on surge occurs, pushing you up and out the stadium (which is a bowl that you enter at street level). We could see it happening and stayed in our seats but there were a lot of folk laying/sitting around outside the entrances when we got out recovering from their ordeal (no major injuries/deaths but a scary experience).

The story of the Markinch boys is particularly tragic given their age, the momentous occasion and the fact that they were all friends. There's talk of new streets in Markinch being named after the boys in tribute.

[CMurdoch]

Sadly ER was no better. I did the the annual structural report back in the late eighties. Absolute waste of time as nothing was done regarding my recommendations from one year to the next. Finally convinced my boss to give up doing it as the fee was not worth the hassle or the worry.

Didn't go in the stands at Easter Road and Tynecastle after I became a teenager early in 73' but my memories before that of walking up to the seats in the stand from the turnstiles was akin to going up a big loft. All overhanging beams etc. Glorified sheds if you will. Would give anything to be able speak to my grandfather about all that stuff.

[CMurdoch]

Even today's modern stadia aren't immune to this.

I attended a college football game in Michigan against arch-rivals Ohio State - there were around 115k people in the stadium and with so many tailgate parties taking place after the games, fans are prone to rushing out once the game finishes. Normally this is OK, because the result rarely goes to the wire in College games but this particular game was decided with the last play of the game. Place goes mental, everyone then rushes toward the exits and a full-on surge occurs, pushing you up and out the stadium (which is a bowl that you enter at street level). We could see it happening and stayed in our seats but there were a lot of folk laying/sitting around outside the entrances when we got out recovering from their ordeal (no major injuries/deaths but a scary experience).

The story of the Markinch boys is particularly tragic given their age, the momentous occasion and the fact that they were all friends. There's talk of new streets in Markinch being named after the boys in tribute.

There are less excuses these days given it should be able to monitor every aspect of a crowds movements using CCTV in modern stadiums and communicate emergency information over the public address system as necessary, however, it's more difficult to deal with peoples thoughtlessness and stupidity as described in your example. Much to be said for waiting for those folk to clear out first. Certainly no chance of this happening to Hibees in the East. I'm sure some folk are home with their feet up long before I ever get out of Easter Road.

[hibby rae]

There are less excuses these days given it should be able to monitor every aspect of a crowds movements using CCTV in modern stadiums and communicate emergency information over the public address system as necessary, however, it's more difficult to deal with peoples thoughtlessness and stupidity as described in your example. Much to be said for waiting for those folk to clear out first. Certainly no chance of this happening to Hibees in the East. I'm sure some folk are home with their feet up long before I ever get out of Easter Road.

To give an example of how people not thinking, outside of football but relevant, when I was at uni the corridors would be jam packed as lectures spilled out. Often one of the double doors would be open and the other closed, although not locked. 99.9 per cent of people would all try and file through the open door, making it really congested, rather than pushing or pulling open the closed one.

[DIXIHIBS]

Didn't go in the stands at Easter Road and Tynecastle after I became a teenager early in 73' but my memory of walking up to the seats from the turnstiles was akin to going up a big loft. All overhanging beams etc. Glorified sheds if you will. Would give anything to be able speak to my grandfather about all that stuff.
I remember as a young lad about 10 years old my old man took me to hibs v rangers in the early 70s. Think it was scottish cup replay but may be wrong and there was about 50,000 at the game. Absolutely crazy. I was on the top deck of the terracing and the sea of bodies below me was terrifying. We didnt stay . My old man dragged me home. Changed days.

[CMurdoch]

I remember as a young lad about 10 years old my old man took me to hibs v rangers in the early 70s. Think it was scottish cup replay but may be wrong and there was about 50,000 at the game. Absolutely crazy. I was on the top deck of the terracing and the sea of bodies below me was terrifying. We didnt stay . My old man dragged me home. Changed days.

It was madness. Wing and a prayer stuff.

[CMurdoch]

BBC1 2230 hrs tonight 45 minute documentary as we approach the 50th anniversary of the disaster. Will no doubt bring a tear to a glass eye and an anger that it was allowed to happen.

[Is It On....]

As it happened whilst I was young, I had heard about the Ibrox disaster, but wasn't really aware of the stories behind it.

The link below talks about eight teenage boys leaving Markinch to walk to Glenrothers talking excitedly about their day ahead. Their supporters’ buses will ferry them to Glasgow for the Rangers versus Celtic match. The group are tight - their homes are just yards from each other - so the only real division is the colour of their teams. For three it’s the green of Celtic, for the other five the blue of Rangers. By the end of the day, only three of the boys returned home to Fife.

The five boys who didn’t come home (bbc.co.uk) (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/B0cJMZS3B1/Fiveboys)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/B0cJMZS3B1/Fiveboys

Just read that on the BBC website...words can't comprehend how bad that was. They also had another story a few weeks ago about another crush on Gate 13 a few years before that resulted in 2 deaths but tragically Rangers and the authorities did nothing and didn't heed the warning.

[O'Rourke3]

My first visit to Tyne was the 4-1 game after the 0-7. The terrace had one small exit. On the way out I was being crushed against the wall. Managed to get over the wall to trackside to be thrown back in by the police officer.That despite protestations of crushing.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[hibee_nation]

I remember as a young lad about 10 years old my old man took me to hibs v rangers in the early 70s. Think it was scottish cup replay but may be wrong and there was about 50,000 at the game. Absolutely crazy. I was on the top deck of the terracing and the sea of bodies below me was terrifying. We didnt stay . My old man dragged me home. Changed days.

We got in late and couldn't even get onto the terracing it was so packed. We stood on the path at the top beside the cowshed with nothing at your back except a grass slope everytime the crowed swayed bodies were flying down the slope and scrambling up again. I was too wee couldn't see a thing of the game but Tommy McLean was a mile offside for the winner 😀

[Greenbeard]

Despite the current day crowd movement expert on the programme pretty much absolving the Huns of blame and saying you can't expect today's knowledge of crowd movements, surges and cascades to have been considered back then, it strikes me that the Huns dodged a bullet, nay muckle big cannon shell on this given the history of Stairway 13 and previous deaths.
The remedial action taken after the preceding mortal incident, namely the construction of the seven channels on the stairway divided by continuous metal barriers, rather than the previous wide open stairway, may have been well intentioned with the aim of spreading out spectators, but when you look at the corner position of the stairway and it's well documented popularity as the preferred point of egress, it doesn't take a crowd expert to fathom that the right hand side of that stairway is going to be more crowded than the left. Whilst previously descending on the open stairway, spectators could naturally gravitate to the left as congestion built on the right, the barriers now prevented this from happening. Once in a channel you were stuck in it. And the newly reinforced fencing down the side of the stairway prevented any pressure release points there.
I am amazed that more wasn't made of this in the programme i.e far from being a helpful preventative measure, the installation of the metal barriers was actually a significant contributory factor to the 66 deaths. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if there had been some advance legal editorial discussions between the Huns and BBC.

[Scouse Hibee]

Never really knew much about this incident until the documentary last night. It was quite a moving programme to watch, so many lives lost in what was an accident waiting to happen especially after the previous incidents.

[JimBHibees]

Despite the current day crowd movement expert on the programme pretty much absolving the Huns of blame and saying you can't expect today's knowledge of crowd movements, surges and cascades to have been considered back then, it strikes me that the Huns dodged a bullet, nay muckle big cannon shell on this given the history of Stairway 13 and previous deaths.
The remedial action taken after the preceding mortal incident, namely the construction of the seven channels on the stairway divided by continuous metal barriers, rather than the previous wide open stairway, may have been well intentioned with the aim of spreading out spectators, but when you look at the corner position of the stairway and it's well documented popularity as the preferred point of egress, it doesn't take a crowd expert to fathom that the right hand side of that stairway is going to be more crowded than the left. Whilst previously descending on the open stairway, spectators could naturally gravitate to the left as congestion built on the right, the barriers now prevented this from happening. Once in a channel you were stuck in it. And the newly reinforced fencing down the side of the stairway prevented any pressure release points there.
I am amazed that more wasn't made of this in the programme i.e far from being a helpful preventative measure, the installation of the metal barriers was actually a significant contributory factor to the 66 deaths. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if there had been some advance legal editorial discussions between the Huns and BBC.

Would be very sceptical about someone absolving Rangers. One of the family of the dad fans sued Rangers and were successful with the judge presiding very critical of the club and their non-action. The family were awarded 26k with the judge indicating he was cold shouldered by friends to some extent after his apparent disloyalty which seems staggering on the face of it. Would be interesting to know what if any compensation was given to the dead fans families though there was a disaster fund. Rangers initially applied for the 26 k to be paid out of disaster fund which the judge refused. This is all covered here

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/dec/03/rangers-football-forgotten-tragedy-ibrox-stadium-disaster-glasgow

[wookie70]

Despite the current day crowd movement expert on the programme pretty much absolving the Huns of blame and saying you can't expect today's knowledge of crowd movements, surges and cascades to have been considered back then, it strikes me that the Huns dodged a bullet, nay muckle big cannon shell on this given the history of Stairway 13 and previous deaths.
The remedial action taken after the preceding mortal incident, namely the construction of the seven channels on the stairway divided by continuous metal barriers, rather than the previous wide open stairway, may have been well intentioned with the aim of spreading out spectators, but when you look at the corner position of the stairway and it's well documented popularity as the preferred point of egress, it doesn't take a crowd expert to fathom that the right hand side of that stairway is going to be more crowded than the left. Whilst previously descending on the open stairway, spectators could naturally gravitate to the left as congestion built on the right, the barriers now prevented this from happening. Once in a channel you were stuck in it. And the newly reinforced fencing down the side of the stairway prevented any pressure release points there.
I am amazed that more wasn't made of this in the programme i.e far from being a helpful preventative measure, the installation of the metal barriers was actually a significant contributory factor to the 66 deaths. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if there had been some advance legal editorial discussions between the Huns and BBC.

That was exactly my thought process. It didn't need expert knowledge to see the issues and there were surely more that could have been done given there was already one disaster and two very near misses. I'm not old enough to know but were there lots of serious injuries and deaths at other stadiums at the same time. I can remember the East at Hampden was terrible in the late 70s early 80s but I can't remember any serious incidents with exits and lots of fans falling.

[Onion]

I have always thought, and still believed to this day, that the crush was caused by early leavers hearing the cheers for the Huns late equaliser and trying to get back up the stairway. Seems that is a myth and the crush started well after the final whistle.

Exactly what I heard at the time. Crowds of that size were not unusual in those days so something out of the ordinary caused it. That's why the late goal story sounded plausible.

[EI255]

Very sad stuff indeed. Read a big piece on it the other day. Some of the 3D imagery of what the crush would have looked like was truly disturbing. You struggle to imagine the sights on that staircase that day.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

[The Baldmans Comb]

Exactly what I heard at the time. Crowds of that size were not unusual in those days so something out of the ordinary caused it. That's why the late goal story sounded plausible.

It's very standard at the time of a major disaster that immediately a 'comfort blanket" gets thrown around the whole incident and a plausible myth is thrown into the equation to deflect from the enormity of the tragedy.

Its not done on purpose and obviously no one knows immediately the true reason but it frequently happens just to try not to inflame an already traumatized situation.

I used to admire Colin Macrae the rally driver who died along with 2 little children in a helicopter accident. The story at the time was he battled bravely due to engine malfunction whereas the fatal accident enquiry concluded he was flying at dangerously low levels and just lost control.

The Clutha helicopter disaster was another where the pilots wrestled with the stricken malfunctioning chopper and tried to avoid a school whereas the fatal accident enquiry pointed to fuel tank switches being switched off and 10minute fuel warning being ignored.

At the time of the Ibrox Disaster my immediate thoughts were that the sheer weight of numbers on a poorly lit staircase meant that the rotten crash barriers had given way just as they had years earlier and never believed for a minute the supporters were to blame for trying to celebrate a late goal.

The Old Rangers club together with the Scottish Football authorities were 100% to blame for that tragedy though to the Old Rangers part credit they did then knocked down the old stadium and replaced it with a very modern stadium over the next decade.

[kaimendhibs]

I remember one game at Easter Road on the open terracing. It was pouring with rain and the stewards opened the gate into seated enclosure. There was a crush to get in and I was carried along with my feet completely off the ground.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

[flash]

Just wanted to bring this to the front page on the anniversary.
RIP all those who lost their lives and thoughts go out to those left behind.

[JimBHibees]

Just wanted to bring this to the front page on the anniversary.
RIP all those who lost their lives and thoughts go out to those left behind.

Well said. Watched the documentary a couple of days ago and truly heartbreaking. Over half the dead were teenagers. Fans just going to watch their team. RIP.