1 In order to make some personal observations I hung back until midnight so the 50th anniversary of the #ibroxdisaster is past. Like every Scottish football fan of the time I knew people who were at the game. Fortunately all the ones of my acquaintance returned home safely

66 supporters didn't. The worst disaster in Scottish football history & in terms of fatalities surpassed in the UK only by Hillsborough.

3 But although in the 1980s the horrors of Bradford, Heysel & Hillsborough were all captured live as the tragedies unfolded that wasn't the case at Ibrox in 1971. It took time for its sheer magnitude to become clear

4 The Evening Times hit the streets of Glasgow at 5pm with no mention of what was unfolding at that very moment.

5 The 'stop press' on the back page gave the first intimation to the wider world that something awful had taken place. On its own this would read horrifically. In the light of what became clear in the coming hours it looks sadly optimistic

6 My brother and I were at the #Killie v Ayr United game the same day & on the way out of the ground we heard the first intimations something horrific had occurred via transistor radio

7 By the time we got home it was clear there had been deaths but at that stage no one knew how many. TV programmes weren't interrupted, there was no rolling news channel. You got updates on hourly radio news

8 Along with friends we carried out our usual Saturday night ritual - bus to Troon, to the cafe for coke & chips, play the jukebox, look for a friendly older face to go to the off-licence for us

9 A scene that would be playing out in every town in Scotland. But the grim news was seeping through every town as well. There was only one topic of conversation that evening

10 Sadly, what we now call 'fake news' was in full operation half a century ago though it was described as the 'rumour mill' & those rumours spread like wildfire that night

11 There had been 30 killed was one. Hundreds was another. Grotesquely there was speculation on the affinities, sporting & religious, of the victims.

12 It might seem hard to believe but it happened. People wanting to know what end the disaster had taken place - if the victims were 'ours' or 'theirs' Casual 'discussions' along these lines shocked at the time. They're no better in retrospect

13 By the following morning the full extent of the horror was known by all

14 In the immediate aftermath Willie Waddell led a dignified Rangers response making sure players attended every funeral (except IIRC one who didn't want any club presence). Every player no matter how young did their duty by the fans. Derek Johnstone e.g. was just 17

15 It's perhaps surprising now but just one Rangers game & no Celtic ones were postponed. Ibrox hosted a league game just two weeks after the disaster

16 Another thing that would shock now was how swiftly the disaster faded from the headlines. Just five days later Glasgow's press had found other matters to focus on

17 At the same time there was a hope - sadly unfulfilled - that the disaster may bring people together, that ancient enmities forged in hate & fuelled by continuing bigotry would be seen to be worthless relics of the past. At first the signs were hopeful

18 The Old Firm put together a joint eleven to take on a 'Scotland' side & over 80,000 turned up at Hampden with the proceeds going to the disaster fund