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Mansfield mark 96 empty seats with the names of Hillsborough victims for match against Liverpool

Dirty Tackle

To honor the 96 victims of the 1989 Hilllsborough disaster and show support for the growing campaign for justice, non-league side Mansfield Town have marked 96 seats that will be left empty at their Field Mill ground for their FA Cup third-round tie against Liverpool. Cards bearing the names of each person who died at the FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest have been attached to the empty seats that will separate the home and away fans at the 7,574-capacity ground for a poignant show of respect and support.

From Mansfield's official website:

Our operations director, Paul Broughton, explained: "We wanted to do something in light of what has happened this year in terms of Hillsborough and as it's been so long since the two sides met.

"One of our fans suggested we place a name on each of the empty seats in the segregation section of the stadium. The idea sent shivers down my spine. It was an amazing idea.”

So what was already to be a special day for a small club hosting one of the country's biggest in the world's oldest club competition is made even better by a unique show of hospitality and camaraderie.