By James Robinson

IT was a tragic day that would shock and change the football world forever.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans, some as young as ten, who had travelled to watch their beloved team play in an FA Cup semi-final would never return home.

This week, after decades of tears, emotion and dogged determination, the families of the Hillsborough disaster victims finally got what they deserved – justice.

Nine independent jurors dismissed claims by South Yorkshire Police that drunkenness and misbehaviour were responsible for the crush before and during the match against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.

Instead the panel highlighted a catalogue of police errors and ruled that all 96 victims were unlawfully killed.

Yet those affected by the worst tragedy in a British sporting stadium were not confined to Merseyside and Sheffield.

The effects of that fateful match were felt far beyond, both then and still today.

Less than a year after the disaster Lord Justice Taylor released a report highlighting overcrowding as well as the police’s response and “blunder” of opening a gate as a contributing factor in the horrific crush.

Lord Taylor also recommended a major overhaul of English football stadiums in the conclusion of his report, listing 76 changes which were later adopted by the Football League.

Terraces were stripped out and slowly replaced with all-seater stadiums while measures we take for granted today involving crowd control and safety were all made compulsory.

In the wake of the Taylor Report, Southampton’s former home, The Dell, was converted into an all-seater stadium to comply with incoming Football Association guidelines.

As a result of the changes The Dell’s capacity dropped from around 34,000 to little over 15,000 – the fourth lowest in top division league history.

Talk soon turned towards a move away with the Daily Echo saying that same year that if Saints “are to remain a First Division club of any status then we want a new ground”.

Southampton soon began the search for a new ground and in 2001 moved to the newly built St Mary’s Stadium, leaving behind their old home of 103 years.

Today each of the 20 Premier League teams are required, by league rules, to have all-seater stadiums.

Daily Echo:

One of those present on the day of the tragedy was Southampton’s 1976 FA Cup winning manager Lawrie McMenemy.

He told the Daily Echo: “I was there with the FA at the time in a directors box next to Jack Charlton.

“We were just looking forward to a big game.

“Not long after it started we could see people climbing on to the pitch.

“Nobody realised how serious it was at the time.”

Lawrie knew Hillsborough well from his early coaching days and decided to go down to the dressing room to meet with friend and Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough.

“By the time I had got down their the message had come through that the game had been abandoned.

“We never dreamt that what actually happened was going on.

“I’ve heard since that the Liverpool team only got the message through about the deaths on the bus home.”

Lawrie, who stayed in Sheffield overnight, revisited the scene of the disaster the next day.

“I looked around and could see that the barriers were bent forward.

“That just shows you the force because you could never bend those.

“After that I went down to the gym and that’s where I saw the bodies laid out. It was something I will never forget.”

Hillsborough was the primary catalyst for major change but campaigners have pointed to top flight football in Germany and other major sports such as rugby union to argue that “safe standing” should be re-introduced.

The Football Supporters Federation is leading the charge with the backing of 27 clubs, including Premier League teams Sunderland, Crystal Palace and soon to be relegated Aston Villa.

The organisation claims that nine out of 10 football fans backed “safe standing” in a national survey conducted by the group in 2012 and believe that terracing, with the correct safety measures, could be implemented back into the Premier League.

Perhaps crucially however, Liverpool Football Club has not backed the idea. A 2013 survey showed it was the only club to completely oppose standing at top-level football games.

Only last year Hillsborough campaigners refused to back calls for standing sections.

After 27 years of grief and injustice, it’s easy to understand their opposition.