Goodbye to Goodison, a place of magic
It might not have an HD jumbotron, world-class hospitality suites or even a VIP cheese room – Tottenham Hotspur, in case you were wondering – but it’s one of the few grounds where you can watch the sport and feel a true connection to the past.
You sense it as soon as you step out of Stanley Park and get your first glimpse of the corrugated iron stands – and the world turns blue.
Walk down the last stretch of the East Lancs Road and cross over and you see Dixie Dean’s statue, surrounded by floral tributes to Everton supporters who have passed away, while huge murals of greats like Joe Royle and Graeme Sharp tower over the neighbouring Victorian red-brick terraces.
It’s not just a football stadium, it’s a church (there literally is one – St Luke’s – on the corner of the Gwladys Street End), a cemetery, a community hub for the people who’ve been turning up here every other Saturday for 133 years.
The Grand Old Lady holds a special place in my heart too, as it was the venue for my first-ever game of football, aged six, in 1999.
