LFC fans pay tribute to Rhys

Aug 29 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

FOOTBALLING rivalry was put aside last night as Liverpool FC fans gave a standing ovation in honour of murdered 11-year-old Everton fan Rhys Jones.

In an unprecedented tribute, the stadium fell silent and fans wept as the anthem of Rhys's beloved Everton FC – the Z Cars theme tune Johnny Todd – was played for the first time at Anfield.

Rhys’s family stood pitchside in Everton’s blue strip against a sea of red, united with rival fans in shock and grief at the death of their son, who was callously shot in the back of the neck in Croxteth Park.

As the music played and the teams left the tunnel for the Champions’ League qualifying game against Toulouse, commentators explained that Rhys’s mother Melanie, 41, said the thought of Z Cars being played at Anfield would have really made the football mad Broad Square pupil smile.

Before a minute’s applause in tribute to the schoolboy’s life, Liverpool FC’s theme tune, You’ll Never Walk Alone, was then played and Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez embraced Mrs Jones, her husband Stephen and eldest son Owen before kick-off.

The uncle of Rhys also welcomed the tribute to the murdered youngster by players and fans.

Neil Jones told the Liverpool Football Club website: “When I told Rhys’s parents about the proposed tribute at Anfield, Melanie said playing Johnny Todd at Anfield would be a unique event, a complete one-off, just like Rhys, and a fitting tribute to him as it was his favourite tune.

“Melanie is also pretty sure Rhys will have a little mischievous grin on his face at the thought of being the cause of it.”

Liverpool fan Phil Smart, 28, of Broadgreen, said all Liverpool fans had been shocked to learn of Rhys’ death and wanted to be able to pay their respects. He said: “Hearing Z Cars at Anfield was very odd but it was the right gesture from the club.

“It shows the rivalry between the two clubs is founded on football and football alone.

“The welcome for Rhys’s parents when they came to the pitch was really heartfelt.”

Tomorrow marks a week since Rhys was shot outside the Fir Tree public house in Croxteth.

His best friend last night said he will miss him for his “whole life”.

Michael Edge, 11, described Rhys as funny and lively and told how the pair had enjoyed playing football together.

He said: “He was my best mate. And I miss him. And I’ll miss him for my whole life.

“I just always remember him. Me and him both, we always wanted to play footie.”

And he described his shock at hearing his friend had been killed.

Michael said: “I was more upset the next day because I was just shocked and it felt like a dream when I first heard it.”

He said he no longer wanted to go out and play, adding: “It’ll be boring now because he was the funniest person to play with out of all of them.”

Michael’s mother Ann told how her husband Tony, the coach of the boys’ football team, Fir Tree Under-12s, had been unable to make practice that day.

She said he had received a call at home telling him what had happened and then raced off to Rhys’s house, where he broke the devastating news of the shooting to Rhys’s mother and then drove her to the “horrific” scene.

Mrs Edge said: “They should just come forward. They shouldn’t be frightened because you know this kind of thing can’t happen.

“If everybody’s too frightened to say anything, then is this what life’s going to be like living in this country? You can’t just keep quiet. Somebody must know something.”

SPORT: PAGES 34-36

carolineinnes