LiverpoolGround: Anfield Road Visits: 1 Date: 29th October 2008 Match: Liverpool - Portsmouth 1-0 (Premier League) Attendance: 43 378
Pictures: Scroll down! Anfield Road, the home of Liverpool FC since 1892, is one of the most famous football grounds in the world and a ground I have been looking forward to visit for a while. A mid-week match combined with some days off work meant I was finally able to get tickets for a Liverpool home match. This was actually my second visit to Anfield Road, when I visited neighbouring Goodison Park (Everton-Arsenal) last year I made the short walk to Anfield, but with the weather on Merseyside being terrible back then I was hoping for better conditions this time. When I arrived at Lime Street Station, by noon, the forecasted rain hadn´t arrived yet, thankfully, and after checking in at my hotel I boarded bus 17 for the ride to Anfield, to take some pictures.
In April 1989 96 Liverpool fans died at Hillsborough when too many fans were allowed entry to the then terraced and fenced off lower tier of Leppings Lane End. That disaster, which happened during an FA-Cup semifinal against Nottingham, was to be the start of the end of terracing at top grounds in England. In the corner of the Anfield Road and Main Stand there is a memorial, with names and an eternal flame, to honour those who so tragically died at Hillsborough. Although I have no connections to Liverpool or to those who died I was deeply moved by the flowers and messages left by relatives and friends (See picture below).
When I once more made my way to Anfield later in the evening the heavy rain had arrived and with only a couple of degrees above the freezing point I was prepared for one more frozen evening. My seat, in the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand, protected me from the rain though and it was actually not that cold, partly due to the crammed seats and all the people around me. Liverpool won by the only goal, scored from the penalty spot, but they didn´t impress too much. If they want to win the title for the first time since 1990 they still have some hard work to do. Anfield Road is a bit small for a club like Liverpool and with quite a few obstructed views as well I can understand the need for a new ground but in the current financial climate it might take some years still before it is built.
Rear of The Kop
Paisley Gateway
Statue of Bill Shankly
Hillsborough Memorial
You´ll never walk alone
Centenary Stand
The Kop
Main Stand
Centenary Stand
The Kop
Kick-off
View of play
Main Stand
Pano
Pano |