A lifelong Liverpool fan has appealed for help to find a Tottenham Hotspur fan who offered her his condolences in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.

As football fans across the country come together to remember those who died in the Hillsborough disaster on April 15, 1989, Cathy Long has begun her search to find a Spurs fan known only as “Eric”.

She met him briefly at Anfield Park in 1989 while paying her respects to those who lost their lives but said he left a last impression on her.

Ms Long, now head of supporter services at the Premier League, said: "I was at Anfield, as were so many others, to tie my scarf on the Kop in memory of the friends we'd lost and to show support for those who had survived.

"A guy came over to say hello and apologised for the fact that he was tying on a new scarf, freshly bought from the LFC shop.

"He felt it didn't mean as much as our old, worn, familiar scarves but explained that he was a Spurs fan and so he had to buy one.

“His name was Eric and he told us that being a Spurs fan meant he understood what had happened.

"My friend and I told him that this meant a lot to us, just the fact that he had come all the way to Anfield and bought a scarf.”

Ms Long said Eric told her he was in North Wales for a meeting at the time and took the opportunity to travel over Liverpool to pay his respects.

He wrote a message on the new scarf he bought in order to personalise it.

Ms Long added: “In the months afterwards, I began volunteering in the Hillsborough Appeal shop on a Saturday.

"LFC would send over enormous sacks of scarves and other items from Anfield to the shop for us to sell to raise money for the appeal.

"We'd upturn them and thousands of items would fall on the floor for us to sort out.

"The first scarf I picked out one day wound itself around my wrist and I couldn't shake it off.

"I still have it and it is one of my most prized possessions. I won't even wear it to a match in case I lose it.

"I have no doubt that this is the same scarf that Eric left as I instantly recognised the inscription. I've felt a bond with Spurs fans since the day I found it.

The Liverpool fan added that she has felt a deep bond with Spurs fans since she found the scarf.

She said: “It always seemed so extraordinary as there were tens or even hundreds of thousands of scarves left by fans from all over the world.

“I don't know what the odds were of that happening and I've often wondered what Eric is doing now."

If you have any information about who Eric might be, email Spurs at contactus@tottenhamhotspur.com