Life goes on day after day, Hearts torn in every way . . .

This is the first verse from the song “Ferry Cross The Mersey”, which has special meaning for me. It is sung by Gerry and the Pacemakers, who are probably better known for their other big hit “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. On the banks of the River Mersey sits the magical city of Liverpool. My parents courted on the Mersey Ferry and met each other while working in the Royal Liver Building. Atop this iconic part of the Liverpool Waterfront sit the Liver Birds, mythical creatures which proudly appear on the city’s coat-of-arms and on the Liverpool FC emblem. So this club really has been a part of my DNA from Day 1.

My earliest footballing memory, around age 10, is riding on the back of my Uncle Bobby’s moped, hanging on for dear life and losing my crash-helmet, on the way to a derby game at Anfield. I don’t recall anything about the game, but do fondly remember the witty banter between the Liverpool and Everton fans in the pub afterwards. My parents had to leave Liverpool as my Dad sought new employment, ending up in a town called Crewe, about 50 miles away. As soon as I was able to travel independently, I returned to Anfield, usually by train to Lime Street Station and then on foot to the ground, standing on the Kop thru those glorious days and European nights of the 70s and 80s. My more talented younger brother trained with Bruce Grobellaar before he transferred from Crewe Alexandria to Liverpool, and that connection got us both into the player’s lounge once where we sat amongst such footballing greats as King Kenny, Terry Mac and Bob Paisley. I was at “Anfield South” when Bob picked up his last silverware in the 1983 League Cup Final, then a couple of years later I left for the US, and suffered withdrawal symptoms as the only English game shown over here in those days was the FA Cup Final.

How times have changed. I now have access to more televised/streamed Liverpool games than my friends and family back in England. To have the bonus of a Liverpool bar, the Iron Abbey, on my doorstep to enjoy the games with likeminded fans is the icing on the cake. The turnaround of the club under Klopp and FSG has been amazing. I had come to terms with settling for the memories of titles past, as long as we kept playing the brand of football that had its genus in the Boot Room way back “when we was fab”. But now we are officially the best team on the planet! And we’re never gonna stop!

“Hearts torn in every way” . . . Sadly our family also has a connection to the Hillsborough disaster; my sister-in-law lost her fiancé on that day – Peter Andrew Burkett, aged 24, is one of the 96. “Had a smile that’d warm a person’s soul”. How fitting for Liverpool to lift that elusive trophy on the Kop with 96 points. Centurion champions can be our goal for next year. Never Forgotten.

The last verse of “Ferry Cross The Mersey” goes

We don't care what your name is boy

We'll never turn you away. . .

This is what Scousers and Liverpool FC fans in general are all about. Scouse is an accent, unique to the Liverpool area, but more than that, it represents a people who are easy-going, welcoming to outsiders, witty and fun-loving. They are also the most knowledgeable and appreciative of football supporters. In my early years on the Kop, I though applauding the visiting team’s goalkeeper was what every team’s home fans did. Despite the sometimes blasé reaction of rival supporters to our anthem, you’ll find that You’ll Never Walk Alone really resonates true with this club. If you see me at the Abbey or around town, please say hello from a socially-acceptable distance and we’ll talk Liverpool stuff over a pint or two.