Away Day Tales: Episode 8 - Hillsborough (11th Jan 2003)

the-gorilla (74)memberin World Of Football ⚽ • 3 years ago

Last night, I had the strangest dream... I went to watch Reading away to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. It was only £6 to get in and when going to my seat, the steps suddenly ended and there was a 6 foot drop. This was strange but dreams being dreams, I somehow managed to navigate it and find my seat. the-gorilla-mum, the-gorilla-brother and the-gorilla-sister were all there (which didn't seem strange at the time but the-gorilla-mum loathes football) and we found our seats. Whilst seated, we couldn't see the pitch. So I got up to try to find a better spot but you couldn't see the pitch from anywhere in the stand. This probably explains why the tickets were only £6. Then, I woke up and walked into a radiator vowing to write an Away Day Tale about my visit to Hillsborough on 11th January 2003.

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Ever since I was a child, I have been in awe of Hillsborough - it was the home of big football matches, big occasions and as an 8 year old, I watched one of the biggest disasters in English Football unfold in front of me on the TV. At the time, I was too young to really understand what was happening but the repercussions are still being felt to this day.

On the 11th January 2003 (as I mentioned in previous articles, the season that I went to every match home and away), it was time to visit this great stadium for a Division One clash following my beloved Reading.

We were going well in the league, sitting in 6th but had only won 1 of our last 5 games so didn't really know what to expect. Sheffield Wednesday were at the wrong end of the table, sitting 2nd to bottom and at danger of getting relegated.

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Whereas my Away Day at Preston was dominated by the journey, I can't remember my journey to or from Sheffield so it must have been pretty good.

I can remember a bit about the game though. The 1st half was incredibly one-sided. Reading were totally dominant and goals from Nicky Forster and Martin Butler had seen us go in 2-0 up. It was too easy and when a game is as easy as this, you fear for half time and the chance for Sheffield Wednesday to regroup.

One of the great things about away days is seeing how different opposition fans behave and react when things are and aren't going their way. Half Time saw their fans rally, and their players respond.

If we dominated the 1st half, Sheffield Wednesday destroyed us in the 2nd. The atmosphere was without doubt one of the best I have ever experienced and their players smelled blood and were ruthless. From 2-0 up, we went on to lose 3-2 bringing my record of Away Day Tales to Won 1, Drawn 1 and Lost 6.

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We went on to finish 4th that year, losing to Wolves in the play-offs whereas things didn't improve for Sheffield Wednesday, ultimately finishing 22nd and getting relegated to Division Two.