Edit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39081173
Stevens remains were found this morning, Hopefully his family can be at peace now
None of us will ever forget the events of 2005.
From the staggering first 25 minutes against Juventus, to the deafening roar of the Kop as Eidur Gudjohnsen shot wide for Chelsea in stoppage time, to those six sensational minutes which changed history in Istanbul... those were memories that will live with us forever.
My mate Chris Cook was in Turkey for the final, with his brother Steven. As a pair of passionate Reds, I can't think of anything better for two siblings to have experienced together. I wish my brother had been with me in the Ataturk stadium. I'm sure it meant the world to them.
Just say the year 2005 out loud and you can't help but grin. It brings a smile to the face of any Red. All those images, all that emotion, all that joy, flooding back like it was yesterday.
He's never said this to me, but when Chris looks back on 2005, I imagine that isn't the case now. And that's what this post is all about.
For those who don't know, Steven went missing on the first night of a holiday in Malia, Crete on September 1, 2005. He was 20-years-old. He hasn't been seen since.
There is a lot more information at
www.findstevencook.co.uk, but to summarise briefly, Steven was a popular, happy lad, about to enter his final year at university. He had no apparent reason to run away, and was just enjoying a trip with a group of mates.
They went out on a bar crawl from a hotel, the Frixos, and around midnight Steven and his friend Andy decided to head back for some kip and maybe a bit of food. On the way up the street they stopped at a bar to get one last pint. It was busy, and they lost contact. Not being able to find Steven, Andy went back to meet up with the group they had left earlier.
Between 00.30 and 01.00 Steven was seen outside a pub asking two girls for directions to the Frixos. Not being able to help, one of them, a PR rep, saw Steve head left in the opposite direction on the main street towards Sisi.
He has not been seen since, yet he would have only had around 30-40 euros left and only had one bank card on him at the time. No cash has been taken out of his account since his disappearance. He had also left his mobile phone in his room.
This Monday, May 9, at 9.15am on BBC1, Steven's story will be told on the Missing programme. The show has helped to successfully resolve dozens of missing persons cases over the years and the family hope that this fresh appeal will help to sharpen the eyes of those visiting Crete this year as well as the memories of those that were there in 2005.
You may have noticed on my signature there is a message which reads:
“If you are visiting Crete this year or any of the Greek islands please take a minute to visit this website
www.findstevencook.co.uk and learn about a good Red who needs your help. Thank you.”
If you get the chance to watch the programme, please do. If not, please just have a read of the website, and maybe mention it to people you know heading off on holiday in the next few months. Or give this a bump and get it back to the top of the forum.
Chris and his family still believe Steven is out there somewhere and that it will just take one good person to help them find him and get him home.
It would be great to think that somebody reading RAWK could be that one good person.
Cheers
Neil
[Edit: The show aired this morning, you can watch it here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01178dh/Missing_2011_Episode_1/Thanks for all your help]
