Today 56 football fans died in the Bradford Fire disaster, No one should go to a football match and not return home. R.I.P those 56

Totally agree Bob.
Remember it well Dident realise it was that long ago.
Always RIP to fellow football supporters.

Totally agree with you folks. Back on 15 November 1975, my brother and I and a coachload of Pools fans went to Valley Parade which was one of the most hostile places I ever went following The Pools. We sat in that old wooden stand and Pools went 2-0 up and it turned nasty. The police did nothing as some of them (City fans) attacked us and my brother got a broken rib and had to run down on to the pitch by the dugouts and out of the ground to where he was attacked again in front of coppers who did nothing. He eventually got respite on the supporters coach right outside the ground and I remember Bradford City getting a late goal and we hung on to win 2-1. Very hairy getting out of the city and ever since I have hated BCFC. It pissed down all afternoon. However, that's my memory and it makes me think very sadly of all those fans who died that day. Made me think having once sat in that old stand. I believe there were two Lincoln City fans as well who sadly lost their lives that day. Watched it unfold like most of us did back then on the telly. Very sorry it happened and will always remember that very sad day 34 years ago.

really good post that. sums up my visits to valley parade also where my girl friend was pushed to the ground walking back to the town. a few conspiracy theories have come up since that disaster but nothing proved on the horrendous day for bradford city and their fans who died and didn,t.

I've mentioned my own experience of the dreadful wooden stand at Bradford another time when the fire was discussed on here. Your post got me digging around in my old programme collection because I was pretty sure I was there that day. Sure enough, I saw Pools play at Valley Parade 3 times in the 1970s when me and my girlfriend were living in Leeds - in Sept 72, Jan 75 and November 75.

The seats in the stand were accessed by a narrow wooden staircase. There was steward positioned near the stairs but he made himself scarce when the City fans came piling up. There was no way out and I remember some lads jumping down from the front of the stand to get away. Me and our lass weren't wearing colours but were still bricking it.

In hindsight it beggars belief that the seating area in that stand was ever considered safe, but Feethams for one wasn't much better. It took the multiple disasters of the 1980s to get anything done about it.

The programme cost 12p and the 'Look at Hartlepool FC' described financial problems (£65,000 in debt - the equivalent of half a million today) but said Pools were on a good run with 4 wins in 5 games. Make that 5 out of 6! John Honour was my MoM. Paul Bielby (called Mielby in the programme!) had just signed for us and got on for 10 minutes as sub.

Does my memory serve me well in that when the fire started i was watching Grandstand and the programme went over to the cameras at the ground.
I dont understand now why cameras were there but i do remember seeing the horrendous scenes.

In retrospect it a wonder our old Clarence Road stand never suffered the same fate. Remember it was back in the days when pretty much everyone smoked and did so freely in that stand

Indeed it was. I think the cameras were there as Bradford City had just won promotion. I can remember the first reports as being quite light hearted, with players stood on the pitch in the sunshine with, what appeared to be, a small fire in the Stand. The next report shortly after showed the whole Stand engulfed by flames and the horrendous scenes of people on the pitch in flames. It's one of those moments, like the Twin Towers collapsing, that always remains in your memory.

Yes thanks Bossa thats how i remember it too.
Never to be forgotten.

The ingredients were certainly all there, not least the paraffin heaters in the dressing room. But there was a huge difference in scale compared with the Bradford stand, meaning a much shorter escape path and way fewer people to evacuate. And then the people in there were all posh and well behaved, not like us Rink Enders.

Thanks Accrington Fan, Malcolm Dawes, Mr Irrelevant and others. Your posts all brought back memories. The old Clarence Road wood stand was worse and could have gone up in smoke as you say at any time. Remember there was one old gadge taking tickets to get in it from the terrace leading to the town end and the buses arriving before the end (double decker corportation) parked outside and those upstairs watching the match if the ball came down the town end. The Green Un' on sales with loads of typos after the game. The visiting team under the wooden Clarence Road stand being bollocked and heard through the seating planks. The programme 4d in old money. Some kids at half time puting up metal score boards and raising cheers or groans when Darlo were either losing or winning and then getting some wrong and changing them. Great pop songs from the 60s. The Phythian Mulvaney partnership. Ahh happy days. Going back to that BCFC wooden stand you were right Mally Dawes about that single wooden staircase with one official (before stewards). In the '75 game the Bradford City boys just came and sat amongst the few Pools fans and then started attacking. Got other reasons for hating Bradford City as well but put it down to a personal thing. Oh dear, they are back in the old division Four and within reach of us maybe if we go up. Won't be holding my breath though. Nicky Kamamba is a great start though. Up the Pools!