The South Yorkshire police officer in command of the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough, at which 96 people were killed, showed a “lack of leadership” and “poor decision-making,” the court hearing his prosecution for manslaughter has been told.

Ch Supt David Duckenfield failed to prepare thoroughly for the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, according to Douglas Hopkins, a former Metropolitan police football match commander at Arsenal’s Highbury ground, giving evidence for the prosecution.

Hopkins said Duckenfield appeared to conduct himself as if he was just the “titular head” of the police operation at the semi-final on 15 April 1989, attended by 54,000 people, allowing other officers to make the necessary decisions while he would “accept the kudos”.

“Mr Duckenfield at the coroner’s inquest [in Warrington from 2014-16] blamed his errors on inexperience and lack of knowledge,” Hopkins told the trial at Preston crown court. “It’s my contention that it was a lack of thorough preparation.”

A chief superintendent in the role of football match commander could take advice from other officers but was ultimately in control himself, Hopkins said. He told the court: “You’re in sole control, in total control, you need to show leadership … you’re going to be the man who makes crucial, difficult, controversial decisions.”

Duckenfield, promoted to chief superintendent 19 days before the match, should have thoroughly read official guides, did not take advantage of “ample opportunity” to familiarise himself with the layout of the ground at two Sheffield Wednesday home matches and did not play a positive enough part in police planning for the match, Hopkins said.

“He obviously would learn the geographical setup of the Leppings Lane turnstiles [from those visits] but he appears from cross-examination at the coroner’s inquests [from 2014-16 in Warrington] to have failed to notice many of the features of it.”

Hopkins said he had been surprised, when first asked to review the circumstances which led to the disaster, that only 23 turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end had been provided for the 24,000 people with tickets to support Liverpool, only seven of which were for the 10,100 people standing.

Hopkins said it was essential for police to manage supporters’ entry to the turnstiles and filter out people without tickets or with the wrong tickets, because the approach was a bottleneck and queues could build up. Inside the ground, he said the central “pens” of the Leppings Lane terrace had to be monitored for overcrowding and the

tunnel leading to them policed so that people could be directed round to the sides.

Police relied on club systems to count the numbers of people who had come through the turnstiles and Hopkins told the court he was “very surprised” that Duckenfield did not use that system and work with the officer in the club control room who had access to the figures, PC Harold Guest. Duckenfield failed to engage with the Sheffield Wednesday control room and “inexcusably failed” to make contact with the club’s secretary, Graham Mackrell, and the security officer, Doug Lock, Hopkins said.

Asked by Richard Matthews QC, for the prosecution, about the build-up that developed at the turnstiles, leading to the decision to open gate C to alleviate it, Hopkins said: “Sadly it’s the lack of leadership shown by Mr Duckenfield and poor decision-making.”

Of Duckenfield’s failure to tell other officers in the ground that he had ordered gate C to be opened, Hopkins said: “It was a fatal mistake.”

The jury has already heard that about 2,000 people were allowed to enter through gate C, the tunnel leading to the central “pens” 3 and 4 was not closed off and the lethal crush happened in those pens.

Cross-examined by Benjamin Myers QC, representing Duckenfield, Hopkins agreed that some other South Yorkshire police officers made mistakes at the semi-final. Myers put to him that the preparation Duckenfield did was adequate for an ordinary match. “I don’t agree, sir,” Hopkins responded.

Duckenfield, 74, denies gross negligence manslaughter in relation to 95 of the people killed. Mackrell, 69, has pleaded not guilty to two breaches of safety legislation. The trial continues.