Liverpool FC fan Arthur Milton: The day Bill Shankly brought me to tears

IF a picture says a thousand words, this one spoke on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Liverpool supporters.This is the moment when Reds fan, Arthur Milton, shared an emotional embrace with Bill Shankly to plead with him to reconsider his decision to quit Anfield.The now iconic image of Milton and Shankly was captured by Echo photographer, Stephen Shakeshaft, at Wembley following the 1974 Charity Shield against Leeds.A 1-1 draw that saw both Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan sent off before Liverpool won 6-5 on penalties dominated the headlines after the fiery encounter.It is this photograph that has stood the test of time, however.'The expression on my face is clear,' says Milton. 'I loved that man from the bottom of my heart.'I thought so much of him to run on to the pitch and hug him like that. Those are real tears.'A couple of pre-match jars in the Torch pub on Wembley Way helped soften him up. Otherwise, it was a spontaneous act of heart ruling head as the distraught Kopite tried to persuade Shanks to stay.'Although I was devastated when Shankly announced his retirement, I had no intention of going on the pitch like that,' recalls Milton from his home in Dongen, Holland, where he's lived for over 30 years.'I remember seeing him coming round the pitch, waving to the fans at the end of the game. That was it. I don't know what came over me. The next thing I knew I was on the pitch with my arms around him saying 'don't go Billy. Please, don't go!'' Don't worry, lad,' he said to me. 'I'm still in Liverpool.'Milton was 28, a full-bearded man reduced to tears before a 67,000 Wembley crowd.What made the scene even more striking was his off-the-wall outfit. With white jumpsuits 'borrowed' from the Thorns Colour Tubes factory in Skelmersdale where he was employed at the time, Milton and a couple of fellow Reds, Ray Buck and Harry Thomas, set about designing their special Reds regalia, complete with home-made top hats.

Source: Liverpool_Echo