Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield admitted misleading FA officials when he said a gate to the ground had been forced, his retrial has been told.

The 75-year-old, who denies the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool supporters at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, admitted at the public inquiry led by Lord Justice Taylor a month after the disaster that he had not told the truth in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

On Thursday, the jury in his trial at Preston Crown Court was read transcripts from the Taylor Inquiry.

At the inquiry in May 1989, Duckenfield agreed he had told FA chief executive Graham Kelly that a gate to the ground had been forced when he came to the police control box after the match was stopped at 3.06pm.

The court has heard Duckenfield ordered exit gates to the stadium be opened as crowds built up outside the turnstiles, allowing fans to head through exit gate C and down the tunnel to the central pens where the fatal crush happened.

The retired South Yorkshire Police officer told the Taylor Inquiry: “I may have misled Mr Kelly.”

He also said he had not told the assistant chief constable of his own force, Walter Jackson, that he had given the order to open the gates until later on that day.

Duckenfield admitted he had gone to a meeting with club officials in the boardroom of the ground without telling them the truth of what had happened.

Edwin Glasgow QC, representing Sheffield Wednesday at the inquiry, said: “I am not suggesting that you told them a lie, what I am complaining about is that you did not tell them the truth.”

Duckenfield replied: “Sir, you are correct.”

He told the inquiry he had not wanted the crowd to know the gate was opened on police orders as it may have led to “major public disorder”.

Andrew Collins QC, counsel to the inquiry, said: “I am wondering why you thought it would be less likely to lead to disorder to tell the true position than to imply that it was the fault of the fans.

“Some might say or might think that would be more likely to create disorder?”

Duckenfield said: “Sir, with hindsight today we can all look differently at that situation. I acted as I believed to be correct in a crisis moment.”

The jury also heard audio recordings from the inquests into the deaths in 2015.

Duckenfield told the inquests he had not been concerned about taking on the role of match commander when he was promoted just a few weeks before the match on April 15 1989.

He said with hindsight he should have thought about his “limited knowledge” of the role.

Duckenfield said: “Probably I wasn’t the best man for the job on the day.”

Ninety-six men, women and children died following the crush on the Leppings Lane terrace at the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Under the law at the time there can be no prosecution for the death of the 96th victim, Anthony Bland, as he died more than a year and a day after his injuries were caused.