The match commander on the day of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has admitted that in "hindsight", he was not the "best man" for the job.
David Duckenfield was in charge of policing for the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest almost 26 years ago.
The former match commander gave the order to open the gates at the Leppings Lane End, which eventually led to a crush and the death of 96 Liverpool supporters.
During today's inquest hearing in Warrington, Duckenfield said: "With hindsight, I should have thought about my limited knowledge of the role of a commander in a major event that was an all ticket sellout, when I had not been responsible.
"After 25, 26 years and knowing what had happened, all I would say is this - after a period of, shall we say, I'm older, hopefully, wiser, probably I wasn't the best man for the job on the day.
"It did not cross my mind that the semi-final was something I couldn't deal with, with those very skilled people around me."
Inquests have been taking place in the North-West of England after the accidental verdicts were quashed following the emergence of new evidence.
Danielle Joynson
