Remembering Warrington's four Hillsborough victims

Four people from Warrington were killed during the FA Cup semi-final clash between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Sheffield ground on April 15, 1989.

They included 19-year-old Ian ‘Ronnie’ Whelan, of Duckworth Grove, Padgate, David Benson, aged 22, of Hall Nook, Penketh; 19-year-old Colin Ashcroft, of Strawberry Close, Locking Stumps; and Eric Hughes, aged 42, of Barmouth Close, Callands.

Below is the beautiful statements read out by family members remembering their lost loved ones at the inquests into the tragedy held in Birchwood.

Ian Whelan

The father of Warrington victim Ian ‘Ronnie’ Whelan was one of the first to speak at the hearing in Birchwood and said his son was not a ‘football hooligan’ and he had been defending his name for the past 25 years.

Father Wilf Whelan, from Padgate, said the 19-year-old left two red roses on his girlfriend Joanne’s door step before leaving for the FA Cup semi final in 1989 because he knew she would be getting ready for work and did not want to make her late.

Born at Warrington Hospital in 1970, Ian was the first of two children and Mr Whelan said both youngsters always looked out for each other.

The former St Oswalds RC Primary and St John RC High School student was nicknamed Ronnie by his friends after his Liverpool hero.

Mr Whelan added: “His friends would call on the phone and ask for Ronnie.

“At the beginning it was really confusing for his mum and I.

“He was constantly playing football in the back garden while commentating on himself...and he was a son that any family would have been proud of.”

Ian got his own season ticket at Liverpool in 1986 and was described as a ‘young man who was just beginning to get on his feet in life’ and a ‘typical teenager’ with interests in music, computers, football and drawing.

The jury heard Ian would often draw caricatures of footballers and send them to Anfield asking for players to sign them and send them back which most of the players did.

After leaving Priestley College, Ian worked at British Nuclear Fuels where he met his girlfriend.

Mr Whelan added: “One of his highlights was passing his driving test first time just after he had turned 18-years-old.

“His other love was music, especially U2, and Joanne told us he insisted on sitting near the largest speaker in the cinema when he took her to see the U2 film Rattle and Hum and would sing it to her most mornings on the way to work and on the way home again.”

He added Ian unexpectedly leaving red roses on his girlfriend’s door step was an example of his good nature.

Mr Whelan finished by saying: “He was not a football hooligan.

“He attended mass of his own free will every Sunday without fail.

“My family feel they have had to defend his good name over the past 25 years and I would like to thank the coroner for this opportunity to do so again.”

David Benson

THE mum of a 22-year-old Hillsborough victim said his grandchildren have been brought up to know all about him even though they were ‘cruelly’ never given the opportunity to meet him.

David Benson, of Hall Nook, Penketh, was one of 96 football fans who never returned home from Liverpool’s FA Cup semi final at Hillsborough.

David’s mum Gloria said her most precious memories with her son was time spent in their caravan in North Wales.

She added the keen fisherman played football in the Runcorn open-age league which still plays for the David Benson Memorial Trophy every year.

After leaving school, David worked as a commercial trainee in a timber company in Widnes.where he met his partner Lesley.

Their daughter Kirsty was two-years-old when David died.

Mrs Benson added when Kirsty got married, her first dance was with her uncle Paul (David’s twin brother) to Luther Vandross 'Dance with my father again'.

Mrs Benson said: "Kirsty is now 27 and has two children of her own.

“David would have been so proud of his daughter and his grandchildren.

"To this day, David is sorely missed by all his family.

“Cody and Finn, his grandchildren, are being brought up to know all about Hillsborough and their granddad, David, who was so cruelly taken away before they even got a chance to meet and know him."

Colin Ashcroft

THE family of Hillsborough victim Colin Ashcroft said the Birchwood teenager had a great future ahead of him and is greatly missed by his family.

The 19-year-old headed to Hillsborough on a supporters coach as his mum was worried about him getting to the ground.

The former Green Lane pupil was born in Colchester weighing 4lb 3oz and had a number of health problems growing up including epilepsy.

Speaking during the inquest, Mum Janet Russell said: "It was six weeks before we could take Colin home from hospital and he was behind with his milestones.

"But once he started talking he made up for lost time."

The family moved to Golborne and Colin was assessed and initially sent to a mainstream school before the family moved to Birchwood and after struggling at school was re-assessed and eventually moved to Green Lane in Padgate.

Mrs Russell, who was supported by her husband Keith and Colin's brother Gary during the statement, described her son as gregarious and said he made lots of friends in his new school and neighbourhood.

She added: "He had a great sense of humour and most adults found him charming.

"He did have a bad temper but it didn't last for long."

With an interest in politics, the jury heard Colin enjoyed watching Question Time and thought Margaret Thatcher was the 'best thing since sliced bread'.

He loved watching football and started off supporting Manchester United like his father and brother until his allegiances switched to Liverpool during a period of United not 'doing so well'.

"I don't know if it was because he was disappointed in United or because, being Colin, he wanted to be different from everyone else", Mrs Russell added.

"He was very loyal to Liverpool and Colin loved to keep reminding his brother of the fact they were the top team in the land such was his sense of mischief."

After completing a course at Warrington tech college, Colin found a job through a Government training scheme helping gardeners at Padgate college.

At 18 he asked about watching Liverpool play at Anfield but his mum told the inquest she was dubious and told Colin if he saved up for a season ticket he could go.

She added: "He was determined to go and see his team play and saved the required amount.

"When Liverpool got through to the semi final naturally he was keen to go and by then he had been going for a year.

"I was worried but didn't want to stand in his way. "

She added she was happier to know he would be taken directly to the ground with other fans on the coach and decided he wanted to be behind the goal for the game.

She added: "He was a well liked, mostly cheerful, well-rounded young man who overcame his difficulties to be as independent as he was able.

"He was becoming thoughtful about other people and much more level headed and had a great future ahead of him.

"He is greatly missed by his family."

Eric Hughes (Pictured on the right)

Eric George Hughes was a married father-of-two when he died at Hillsborough.

This is the full statement to the inquests from his son, David Hughes:

My dad, Eric George Hughes, was born in Liverpool on 28 October, 1946. He was the son of Frank and Nancy Hughes. He had an older brother, Frank, and a younger brother, Billy.

My dad lived in Speke and from an early age, like a lot of young boys from Liverpool, he played football and began to follow Liverpool Football Club.

During the 1960s, Liverpool were fast building a reputation as one of the top sides in the country.

My dad would often tell me stories about how good the Liverpool players were during the 1960s and 70s and, like most supporters, he had his favourites: Ian St John, Roger Hunt, Emlyn Hughes, Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish.

It was in 1967 at the Peppermint Lounge in Liverpool that my dad met my mum, Pat Maxwell, and in 1970 they got married at the Sacred Heart Church in Kirkby.

My mum tells me that it was not long after they were married that my dad was due to have a football trial with Tranmere Rovers.

On the day of the trial, Liverpool were playing at home and he decided it was more important to go and watch the Reds rather than pursue a career in football - fair play to him.

Football played a major part in my dad's life and when I was just six years old he took me to my first Liverpool game, on 8 April, 1978: Liverpool v Leicester City. We won 3-2.

Being so young, I couldn't understand what all the noise and cheering was for, but after a year or two of following Liverpool Football Club, the love and desire my dad had for this club soon became clear to me.

My dad was a devoted father to his two children: myself, David, born in 1971, and my sister Nicola, born in 1972.

As I understand it, my dad wanted to name me after the Liverpool player Emlyn Hughes, but my mum was completely against the idea and flatly refused to allow him to name either of us.

He would take me all over the country to watch Liverpool. We both loved watching the Reds. It was more important to us than anything else in the world.

He would take me to places such as London, Bristol, Leeds, Stoke, Birmingham, and Manchester. The list goes on and on.

Watching Liverpool was what my dad and I did together. It was like a religion to us, and we loved it and we loved spending time together.

After my mum and dad separated, there was nothing better than seeing my dad pull up in his car to collect me and we would drive away and go to the Liverpool match.

His friends Geoff, Dave and 'Spud' would be there a lot of the time too. They used to call him 'Eric the Red'. He even had a beer tankard in his local pub with the nickname printed on it.

Nicola remembers, when she was eight years old, saving her pocket money to buy dad a box of cigars with his name on it. He liked the present so much that he kept it in his living room after he moved out of our family home.

My dad was a quiet, patient man. Over the years he had a number of jobs, including being a lorry driver, a taxi driver and, when he died, he was a life assurance salesman.

Dad was a friendly and helpful man. He would do anything to help anybody. When my mum took my sister and me to Barry Island for a week's holiday, he took us down then and then came back and picked us up.

A man that meant everything to me, he was my hero. I loved my dad so much. I idolised him.

I think my dad would have loved some of today's technology, especially sat navs. He was forever getting lost going to all the places we visited watching Liverpool - going to Wembley, we had to ask the rival West Ham fans the correct way.

On holiday with my mum and my sister, we went to the Lake District and we couldn't find the camp site so we ended up staying at a different one.

My memories of my dad are 99 per cent Liverpool-related. He was always got me tickets for the games. I went to Wembley with him in '81, '82, '83, '84, '86, '87 and '88.

I relied on my dad to get me tickets and he never let me down, so it came as a shock when, in 1989, for the semi-final at Hillsborough on 15 April, he didn't have a ticket for me.

The last game I went to with my dad was against Sheffield Wednesday the previous Saturday. Strangely, as with the first ever game I went to with my dad, the last ever game was on 8 April as well.

After he brought me home from that match, I gave him a video of the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest game which he had been meaning to take for months.

We then spoke about the match and the next week's semi-final at Hillsborough. I then watched him walk down the street and get into his car. We waved to one another and he drove home. That was the last time I saw my dad alive.

A man that meant everything to me, he was my hero. I loved my dad so much. I idolised him. My life and going to matches would never be the same again.

Both my dad and I have missed out on so much. I was 17 years old when he died. The opportunity to develop our relationship further as I became a man was taken away from me.

He never had the opportunity to meet my fiancé, Lorraine, and his four beautiful grand-daughters, Amy, Katie, Chloe and Kallie.

I never even got to buy my dad a pint. I will forever miss you, Dad. You'll Never Walk Alone.