Ipswich Town left-back Aaron Cresswell would love to provide a goal-scoring tribute on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.

All games across the top six tiers of English football will kick-off seven minutes later than the original scheduled times this weekend as a mark of respect and remembrance for the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the early moments of an FA Cup semi-final match against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.

And for Cresswell – born in Liverpool and from a family of passionate Reds fan – the minute’s silence preceding Town’s Championship game against Doncaster Rovers at Portman Road will be particularly poignant.

“I was born in the December and it had happened in the April,” said the 24-year-old former Tranmere Rovers player. “When you go back to the city it’s always talked about. People remind me that I can’t do interviews for certain papers. It’s a massive thing back home.

“My dad still speaks about it. He wasn’t at the game, but one of his best mates was and I’ve asked him about it. He just says it was horrific and didn’t really want to talk about it.

“Ninety-six people going to a football match and not coming home... It was such a sad, sad day.”

The defender, who will be fit to line-up against Doncaster after coming off with a groin problem in Tuesday night’s 2-0 win at Huddersfield, continued: “Maybe if I was a bit older I would have been there.

“I was always at Anfield as a kid and my little brother still goes to the Liverpool games every week. That really puts it into perspective for me; I can’t even imagine what it was like.

“It’s great that Liverpool could win the league this season and I’d love to be able to dedicate something to the 96 families on Saturday. I don’t score very often, but if I do this weekend it would mean a lot to me.”