Hillsborough: Warnings from Wolves missed

An inquest into the 1989 disaster has been shown footage of the 1981 match between Wolves and Spurs, where fans were seen scrambling over fences to avoid a crush.

Thirty-eight fans were injured in the incident at the Leppings Lane end of the Sheffield stadium. Today, Wolves fans who were there said it had been an 'unheeded warning'.

A seven-minute clip of footage from the match was shown to jurors showing Spurs fans spilling on to the side of the pitch, with hundreds fleeing the terrace.

The inquest in Warrington heard that the 1981 crush arose within a few minutes of the match – attended by 50,174 – kicking off.

Four minutes in, Spurs scored in front of the Wolves supporters at the opposite end of the ground, which causing the Spurs fans to surge forward.

Footage showed fans climbing the perimeter fence, while one shot showed a St John Ambulance worker carrying a stretcher to assist an injured fan. Sheffield Wednesday said it received reports that 38 people sustained injuries, the inquest heard.

Referee Clive Thomas could be seen speaking to officials about overcrowding nine minutes into the game.

One unnamed Spurs fan said: "I spent two hours crushed onto a barrier and had to elevate my chest above it to avoid breaking my ribs. It was the scariest two hours of my life. Sadly, the lessons were never learned."

Some were taken to hospital for treatment with two people suffering broken arms and one breaking a leg.

Wolves fans – who were mostly housed in the Spion Kop at the other of the stadium – today recalled their memories of being there. Chris Sheen was aged 15 at the time. Now 48, the Cradley Heath resident said: "There were about 200 of them lined up on the pitch after they had spilled out. Pitch invasions were regular in the 1980s and at first we thought it was Wolves fans in the home end and they were trying to get away.

"No one made a big deal of it after the game. But we played Wednesday in a league game a couple of years later and we were in the Leppings Lane end.

"We deliberately went into the side pens and not the main pen. I said 'I'm not going in there because of what happened with Spurs'. The fans heeded the warning but the authorities didn't."

Paul Richards, 53, from Hednesford, said: "There was a lot of Spurs fans coming onto the pitch. We could see them climbing over fences. Stewards told us during the game that there had been a crush and some people had been injured."

At half time, fans ran across the pitch towards the opposite end containing the Wolves supporters before they were eventually corralled by police to sit in front of the north stand.

Between 100 and 250 fans were estimated to have moved out of the terrace following the 1981 crush, the jury was told. Following the match, it emerged that the stipulated capacity may have been exceeded by 335.

During the game a number of Spurs fans who had obtained tickets among the Wolves fans on the Spion Kop were transferred to the Leppings Lane end. Among concerns voiced in later talks involving the authorities was that the capacity of 10,100 for the Leppings Lane terrace was "too high". Evidence concerning the 1981 semi-final will be explored in greater detail later in the inquest.