“THEY appear to be very ordinary people who suddenly become quite extraordinary.

“In some ways, they become even more extraordinary when they tell you what happened to them that day.”

Bradford City fan Paul Firth thought he knew the story of that day in question, May 11, 1985, when he wrote a book on the Valley Parade disaster.

But the author of Four Minutes to Hell admits that a new film to commemorate Monday’s 30th anniversary has brought a new and even more personal perspective.

One Day in May by BT Sport portrays the nightmare that unfolded during City’s game against Lincoln through the words of those affected; the players, the police, the fans, the hospital staff – normal, innocent people dragged into a Hell of nobody’s making.

It is 75 minutes of compelling viewing; shocking, poignant and desperately sad but also just as uplifting as you admire the sheer will of the human spirit to overcome such adversity.

Listening to these survivors talk so personally – some clearly for the first time in public – it graphically hits home what they have been through. There are sensitively cut TV clips from the fire but it is the personal recollections that really get the message across.

“We commemorate with quiet dignity,” said Firth, who acted as programme advisor, “and this film is quiet and dignified. You can’t help but be moved.

“There were times when I was thinking ‘is this the way I would like it portrayed and how I believe others would’ and the answer was always yes.

“It is a very human story. My eyes weren’t opened; they were full of tears.

“It’s not an easy watch; it’s not an easy listen. You’ve got to sit there from beginning to end.

“There’s that proper explanation of how people were affected – and are affected to this very day.”

It is narrated by sports broadcaster Gabby Logan, who was among three generations of the family at Valley Parade that afternoon to celebrate City’s promotion with dad Terry Yorath.

Gabby had just turned 12 at the time, wearing a new outfit for the planned post-match party. Her father was assistant manager to Trevor Cherry.

There is a very emotional scene when father and daughter talk over the dinner table and she leans across to touch his arm as the tears begin to flow.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard,” he said.

“It never goes away?” “No.”

The film makers were keen to avoid setting any kind of agenda. They are not trying to make a point but to humanise a tragedy that had almost become forgotten beyond West Yorkshire.

“It wasn’t going to be an expose,” said producer Caj Sohal. “We weren’t looking for some angle – we just wanted to tell the story.

“We’re all football fans and for those of a certain age, this was almost a JFK moment. You know exactly where you were when you heard about the fire.

“Everyone could relate to it. That could have been any ground at the time.

“You’re aware of how this can look like with a group coming from London to make this documentary about something that has been a very personal tragedy. We did learn a lot.

“There is a tremendous honesty about what is being said. People are opening themselves up and, as another human being, that’s something you latch on to very quickly.”

What comes across, for those who did not witness the fire at first hand, was how quickly it took hold. That was a message those interviewed wanted to stress.

“They’ve got to show what we were up against,” one survivor said during filming.

“If you don’t get over how quickly and ferociously this fire spread, you’re not doing justice to what happened.”

Police constable Glynn Leesing, who was the first to spot the blaze, had never spoken about it until now. He recalls his guilt in the aftermath at not being able to persuade more fans to follow him on to the pitch rather than trying to escape at the back of the stand.

He said: “I choose not to remember. But I will never forget.”

There are lighter recollections, like the occasion when hospital staff treating the burns victims agreed to stop the medicine one night and allow their patients to get drunk on the beer that kept flooding in from well-wishers.

Matthew Wildman, who was twice pulled to safety by another fan Dave Hustler, also remembered how volunteers literally came in off the street to help the over-worked nurses.

“We’d be fed lunch by a traffic warden and then tea-time by a lollipop lady.”

The close bond between the two supporters is caught on camera and again vividly demonstrates the good that can emerge from such terrible circumstances.

“There is no interpreting,” added Firth. “We don’t need any drama.

“It’s there in the voices, in the faces, sometimes it’s just in the pauses.

“The way those people relive 30 years ago in front of your eyes, it’s as though it was yesterday.

“That’s the essence to me. It gives those people that opportunity to have their story put over.

“I do think it’s fitting for the city.

“Without painting big letters, it says this is how we ‘the people of Bradford’ dealt with it.

“It doesn’t apologise or say we hope you approve. This is just what we did.”

* One Day in May: the story of the Bradford City Fire airs on BT Sport 1 on Monday from 9.30pm. The BT Sport film will be made available free to all online at btsport.com and on TV via Sky and BT TV.