Hillsborough crowds incident during Newcastle tie a near miss, council told

Newcastle United fans raised safety concerns during an FA Cup clash at Hillsborough last year

A safety incident at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium last year has been labelled a "near miss" after a licensing body investigation.

Newcastle United fans complained of overcrowding during an FA Cup third-round tie in January 2023.

There were 4,500 Newcastle supporters in the Leppings Lane End for the game.

Matt Proctor from Sheffield City Council said changes had been made at the stadium following feedback from away fans following the "near miss".

Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died after a crush at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough.

According to the Reuters news agency, footage on social media from last year's game showed congestion around the exit to the tunnel in the Leppings Lane End, with a number of Newcastle fans claiming there was a lack of stewarding before kick-off.

Concerns were also raised with Sheffield City Council about fans being directed through the wrong turnstiles.

Reduced capacity

There were no reports of any injuries.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Proctor, the council's sports grounds and events lead officer, told a meeting: "The initial concerns were raised by a journalist's photograph and we actually reached out to Newcastle United supporters to give their insight into exactly what their actual concerns were about being at that particular end of that particular stadium."

He added: "When we received responses from Newcastle supporters they raised different issues to the issues raised by the journalist and we carried out a full investigation.

"We classed it as a near miss and alterations have been made to the operation of that particular stadium as a result of the feedback."

In response to the story, Peter Scaff from the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance told the BBC the Leppings Lane End where the 1989 crush occurred was "still extremely dangerous."

He added: "That section of the stadium needs to be pulled down and rebuilt. It's a disaster waiting to happen."

Sheffield Wednesday has been approached for comment.

The Championship side had its capacity in the away end Upper and Lower West stands reduced following the incident.

Mr Proctor said the council would "fully investigate any complaints that we receive" regarding supporter safety.