“It has taken 8,551 dark days…" Thousands attend Hillsborough memorial service

The annual service was the first held since the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel laid bare a shocking cover-up which attempted to shift the blame for the tragedy on to its victims.

The Liverpool supporters died in a crush at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium on April 15 1989 where their team were to meet Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final.

During the service the names of the 96 dead were read out and a candle was lit in memory of each victim in front of the Kop.

LFC chairman John Henry and his Everton counterpart Bill Kenwright gave readings and a minute’s silence was held at 3.06pm, the moment when the game was halted as officials realised fans were being crushed on the terraces.

The crowd, which filled the Kop end, cheered loudly as Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, made an emotional speech calling for justice for the 96.

To loud cheers and applause, Mrs Aspinall said: “So the truth has finally been revealed and now justice must follow.

“I call on the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) to conduct their investigations as fast and as thoroughly as possible, leaving no stone unturned.

“All of us are getting older and some have been diagnosed with incurable illness. Delays are not acceptable under any circumstances.”

She added: “It is a great honour that I stand in front of you today as chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group and be able to say after nearly a quarter of a century, the real truth is out.

“A truth that is now printed in black and white. A truth that finally puts the record straight.

“The Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report that was published on September 12, 2012 has swept away all the established myths, lies, and prejudices that have been thrown our way, time after time.

“It has taken 8,551 dark days and a report consisting of 395 pages to finally expose to the world what we all knew from day one: the fans were not to blame.”

The crowd which filled the Kop end cheered loudly as stars from the first team entered the ground, joined by players from the past such as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and Kevin Keegan.

The memorial was also attended by Everton manager David Moyes.

There was a particularly loud cheer for Anne Williams who attended in a wheelchair.

Mrs Williams, 62, campaigned tirelessly to uncover the truth for over two decades after losing her 15-year-old son Kevin in 1989 and was diagnosed with terminal cancer just six weeks after the Independent Panel released its report last autumn.

It was initially thought that her worsening condition would stop her from being at the ceremony.

After reading a psalm, Liverpool owner John Henry told the crowd it was an “honour” to be marking the occasion with them.

He said: “In my time at Liverpool I have come to understand the importance of the 96 to the club and I have been honoured and humbled by the dignity and persistence of the families in their search for truth and justice.”

He added: “Now there is a real belief that justice will be served.”

Mr Henry said the club “will always cherish the memory” of the family and friends who were lost 24 years ago.

“They will forever be a part of Liverpool Football Club,” he said.

The service, which was attended by around 7,000 people, is organised by the Hillsborough Families Support group.

Yesterday, two new memorials, dedicated to the victims and their relatives’ campaigns for truth, were unveiled in Liverpool.

A seven-foot bronze monument will stand in Old Haymarket in Liverpool city centre and an antique clock was placed in the town hall. The sculpture carries the names of each victim and features the words “Hillsborough Disaster – we will remember them”.

The timepiece, made by renowned clock maker John Clifton, will stand with the time frozen at 3.06pm.

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright was warmly received by the crowd during a lengthy speech in which he paid tribute to the families of the 96 and to ``Liverpool mums'' and the way they fought for their families.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he ended his speech saying: “I appreciate the pain that you would have felt on that day but let me tell you, the 96 are here with you today as much as they have always been, and I hope that by next year – the 25th anniversary – you will be celebrating the greatest victory that any team in this country has ever had, not just in football but in life.”

Professor Phil Scraton, who played a major role in the independent panel report, paid tribute to the 96, the bereaved and the survivors in a poem, Their Voices Will Be Heard.

The service concluded with the singing of You’ll Never Walk Alone and the release of 96 red balloons into the blue skies above Anfield.