A RUNCORN victim of the Hillsborough disaster died in the crush in his father's arms, an inquest heard.

Adam Spearritt's mum Janet addressed the jury at the inquest into the 96 football fans who died in 1989 on Tuesday.

She said her husband Eddie woke up in hospital to be told his 14-year-old son had died.

Janet added she could ‘write a book about what Adam meant to us’ and the heartache the Hillsborough disaster had caused.

She said: “From the moment he could walk he had a ball at his feet and at weekends I would take him to watch his dad play football and he picked things up quickly.

“His first sentence was 'Come on Mickey lad, take it down the line.”

When the family's second son was born the announcement in the Liverpool Echo read 'brother and goalkeeper for Adam'.

The court heard Adam would try to rope in relatives including his grandma to play sport in the back garden with him and even the window cleaner and postman were invited to kick a ball outside with him.

When he was not playing football, mum Janet said he enjoyed reading Roy of the Rovers comics and collecting stickers for his Panini albums.

She added the former St Mary's Junior and Norton Priory pupil was doing well at school and reports always commented on what a polite, hard-working pupil he was.

The teenager, whose heroes were Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen, played for the school team and Bridge Athletic and scored the winning goal in the Cheshire schools semi final but sadly never got to play in the final.

The jury heard his memory lives on through an annual golf tournament played by his friends and relatives and an under 15s football tournament named after the youngster in Runcorn.

The FA Cup semi-final was Adam’s first away game and Janet said Eddie had ‘struggled to forgive himself’.

She added: “Eddie said it was his job to protect Adam and sadly he died three years ago without knowing his efforts fighting for a new inquest had come to fruition.

“Adam was kind, caring and considerate.

“We all loved Adam dearly and he loved us in return but, more than that, he loved life itself."