Today marks 70 years since the Burnden Park disaster, one of the darkest days in football history.
While Ibrox, Valley Parade and Hillsborough dominate the landscape of British soccer tragedies, Burnden Park – where 33 people lost their lives at an FA Cup game between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City – is considered by many to be football’s forgotten disaster.
Not this year, however, as Bolton, who played their last game at the stadium in 1997, mark the occasion with a series of tributes to the fans who lost their lives that day.
Flags at the club’s Macron Stadium have been at half mast since Saturday, while last night’s clash with Ipswich saw the sale of a special programme – filled with memories from the tragic day – and a minute’s silence before the game.
At a pitch-side service at 3pm today, a book of remembrance dedicated to those who lost their lives will be placed in the stadium’s reception.
And on Saturday, when Bolton host Preston North End, players will wear a memorial shirt, featuring the names of the 33 who passed away that day.
The disaster, which also resulted in more than 400 injuries, was the worst loss of life at an English football ground before the 1980s and Bolton Wanderers club chaplain Phil Mason is determined to ensure it is not lost in the annals of history.
“The Burnden Park disaster is often seen as the forgotten disaster within the football world,” he told the BBC. “So it is very important that on the 70th anniversary we mark it in a significant way.”
Flags are today being flown at half-mast at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park in memory of those who lost their lives at Burnden Park.
