logo
Everton fans celebrate in style to mark end of an era at Goodison Park

Everton fans celebrate in style to mark end of an era at Goodison Park

The Guardian18-05-2025

The La's song There She Goes captured the mood perfectly, sparking a mass sing along before the second world war siren kicked in and Everton's men emerged to the sound of Z-Cars for one last time at Goodison Park. Then the PA system cut out and Z-Cars spluttered to a halt. Not now, please not now. A sign from the stadium gods? A little reminder that this iconic feature of English football is 133 years old and all the affection in the world can not hide the wrinkles? Perhaps, but it can still say goodbye in style.
On a beautiful day in L4 4EL, under pale blue skies darkened by plumes of royal blue smoke from the flares outside, Everton delivered as its history demanded and departed with a win. Iliman Ndiaye danced through the Southampton defence twice and etched his name into Goodison folklore as the final goal scorer in the stadium's Premier League history.
Nottingham Forest's Horace Pike has the honour of scoring the first league goal here in 1892. Legends, glory, torment, passion, misery, the School of Science, Dogs of War and so much more have filled the years in-between. The history is inescapable and Everton – club, team and fans alike – staged the perfect send-off on a poignant and emotional afternoon.
Ndiaye took the match-ball home after delivering victory for David Moyes's team. He didn't get a hat-trick but no one cared. It was some achievement by the Everton team to get inside the stadium and perform at all. The call to greet the team coach as it made its way along Walton Lane and Goodison Road was answered by tens of thousands of Evertonians. The area around Spellow Lane and Goodison Road, where the statue of Dixie Dean stands, was impassable by 9.30am.
On the quieter Bullens Road and Gwladys Street, families stood outside their usual turnstiles to have their photographs taken. Outside 29 Gwladys Street, bedecked in Everton paraphernalia, the elderly owner sat in a deckchair and held court with passersby.
A few doors along a brave neighbour had decorated their house in Liverpool flags. They were not sat outside to welcome visitors. Once around the corner at St Luke's Church, Goodison Road was gridlocked with fans waiting to welcome Moyes's men. It was so packed that the coach couldn't get through and had to make a detour to drop the players off in the Bullens Road car park. Hundreds of fans without tickets remained outside for the duration of Everton's 2-0 win.
Everton scarfs had been draped over every seat and supporters made their way inside the ground as soon as the gates opened. Just like old times. Moyes broke away from his team's pre-match warm-up to hug Wayne Rooney as the boyhood Evertonian made his way around the pitch with his son. The Gwladys Street ran through its old songbook as Ndiaye ran amok through the Southampton defence. Alan Ball, Super Kevin Campbell, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill all got a mention.
From the current squad, Seamus Coleman and Jordan Pickford were serenaded frequently. Moyes had given Coleman the fitting honour of captaining Everton's men in their final appearance at Goodison. A lovely touch, although it backfired to a degree when the 36-year-old pulled up injured and had to be replaced in the 18th minute by the soon-to-be-released Ashley Young.
After the final, final whistle there was a 15-minute delay while club staff put seats and stages in place for 'Operation Farewell Goodison'. It was a moment to reflect on what it has taken for Everton to get to a point where leaving its cherished home for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock is met with excitement more than regret.
Everton's house move has been more complicated and stressful than most. There was the proposed relocation to a 60,000, £100m super-stadium at an unidentified location under Peter Johnson in the late 1990s. That one never got off the ground.
Goodison's final game would have been staged 22 years ago had Everton made the transformative move to a prime waterfront site at King's Dock. Bill Kenwright's refusal to cede boardroom power to the former director Paul Gregg put pay to that scheme. Then came the awful plan to move to Kirkby as part of a giant Tesco retail development.
Sign up to Football Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
'A glorified cow shed built in a small town outside Liverpool,' as it was described at the time by the former Liverpool city council leader Warren Bradley. That cheap and unambitious project was rejected by the government after a public inquiry prompted by the Keep Everton In Our City campaign. The debt that present and future Evertonians, plus present and future owners, owe the KEIOC founders Dave Kelly, Colin Fitzpatrick, the late Tony Kelly and the late Anthony AJ Clarke among others is immeasurable.
But that is the past. Everton's farewell to Goodison could have morphed into a sombre memorial but was pitched perfectly. Goodison would get one last rendition of Z-Cars after all. In the penalty area where Dean scored his record-breaking and still unmatched 60th league goal in 1928, a lone violinist played a heart-wrenching version of the club's adopted anthem.
A series of goodbye tributes then appeared on the giant TV screens from Carlo Ancelotti, Sir Alex Ferguson, Thomas Tuchel, Mikel Arteta, Tim Howard and Roberto Martínez. There were also messages from Dame Judi Dench, an Everton fan and honorary patron of the club's charity, Jodie Comer, whose dad, Jimmy, had been the club's masseur for decades, and Sylvester Stallone.
Centre stage was eventually and rightly given to former players, many of whom are responsible for Goodison's greatest moments. Joe Royle, Bob Latchford and Johnny Morrissey led the first wave. The great 1980s team followed.
The legendary goalkeeper Neville Southall looked resplendent in a floral shirt. Graeme Sharp, who stayed away for two years due to protests against the club's former board, was welcomed home with a fine reception. Peter Reid took to the mic and apologised for his dreadful sunglasses. 'I was on the lash last night,' he said. Next to him stood Andy Gray, who remarked: 'We are all leaving Goodison but Goodison will never leave us.'
Bill Ryder-Jones, co-founder of The Coral, closed proceedings with a moving version of In My Life. 'There are places I remember, All my life.' Evertonians could not have loved Goodison more.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

England ‘not good enough' but won't panic
England ‘not good enough' but won't panic

Rhyl Journal

time2 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

England ‘not good enough' but won't panic

Three days on from an underwhelming 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Andorra, Thomas Tuchel's side were again booed off by fans. Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly inflicted England's first defeat to an African nation following Kane's early opener at the City Ground in Nottingham. 'Again, not really good enough,' Kane told ITV Sport. 'We had again moments; just with and without the ball we aren't quite clicking, aren't quite finding the right passes, finding the right tempo. 'One v one, we're losing duels, we're losing just that aggressive nature that we've had and we got punished, we're playing against a good side. We just weren't good enough today. 'We're not going to panic. But for sure we know we need to do better.' Defeat for the #ThreeLions against Senegal in Nottingham. — England (@England) June 10, 2025 England thought they had levelled late on through Jude Bellingham but his effort was ruled out on review for an adjudged handball by Levi Colwill. 'If you know the rules, it's not handball,' said Kane. 'It obviously puts us back in the game at 2-2 and maybe we go on and win the game so it is quite a big moment. 'But that's something to discuss with them (the match officials) afterwards.' Defeat for England was a first in four matches since the appointment of manager Tuchel. The German coach, who was unhappy with the decision of French referee Stephanie Frappart to disallow Bellingham's effort, said: 'Of course, a disappointing result, not sure if we did not maybe deserve a little bit more result-wise. 'But I felt again we were a little bit frozen, not active enough for a long time of the match. '(We) defended quite well for a long period in the first half, then our best period came when we were 2-1 down. 'We conceded the first two goals, very easy goals that we need to defend better. 'The reaction was good after we were down. I felt suddenly we were more active, more free, more fluid, more aggressive towards the opponent's goal. 'We had big chances to equalise, we 'equalised' (Bellingham's disallowed effort) and couldn't get the last one.'

England booed off after shock defeat to Senegal
England booed off after shock defeat to Senegal

Rhyl Journal

time2 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

England booed off after shock defeat to Senegal

Three days after being jeered following a poor World Cup qualification win against minnows Andorra, Tuesday's alarming display raised further questions a year out from their bid for glory in North America. Harry Kane had got England off to a fine start against Senegal by continuing his run of scoring in every game under Tuchel, who was critical of his side's efforts in Barcelona and spoke of his desire for the team to play with a smile. But happiness was in short supply in Nottingham, where Anthony Gordon wasted a glorious chance shortly before Ismaila Sarr capitalised on poor defending by debutant Trevoh Chalobah and a sleeping Kyle Walker. Senegal, ranked 19th in the world, were always going to be Tuchel's toughest test since taking charge and Habib Diarra went on to fire through the legs of Dean Henderson, who had made some important saves on his second start. Substitute Jude Bellingham thought he had levelled late on, only for Levi Colwill to be adjudged to have handled upon VAR review, and second-half introduction Cheikh Sabaly added another for the visitors in stoppage time. This was England's first ever defeat to an African side, having gone unbeaten in the previous 21 encounters, and looked possible from the outset with Idrissa Gueye and Nicolas Jackson denied early on by Henderson. But Tuchel's side struck the first blow with just seven minutes on the clock in Nottingham. Eberechi Eze did well to win the ball, with Conor Gallagher helping it wide for Gordon to get away a shot that former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy could only spill into the path of Kane to turn in from six yards. Senegal responded well to that setback, with Henderson denying Diarra from distance before stopping Crystal Palace team-mate Sarr's powerful header. Gordon should have settled England's nerves in the 28th minute by applying the finish Walker's low cross merited, with that glaring miss under pressure at the far post proving costly. Henderson stopped Gueye but poor defending allowed Senegal to level in the 40th minute. Chalobah failed to stop Jackson hooking over a cross that Sarr beat a switched-off Walker to turn home. The rusty-looking right-back was booked for a foul soon after his role in the first goal conceded under Tuchel. England were breathing a sigh of relief five minutes later when Diarra lashed over, with Nottingham Forest favourite Morgan Gibbs-White's introduction bringing a huge cheer. Kane was among those withdrawn as part of that triple change but Ivan Toney was left on the bench, leaving England without an out-and-out striker. Something needed to change from Tuchel's perspective, but unfortunately it was the scoreline. Diarra all too easily got behind left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly and ran on to drill through Henderson from a tight angle in the 62nd minute, sparking wild celebrations from the pockets of Senegal supporters. England were denied an almost immediate leveller as Eze smartly flicked on for Gibbs-White to test Mendy. The pair linked up brilliantly again soon after, with Saka denied expertly by Mendy's right hand. Henderson stopped Jackson scoring from distance and Pape Gueye struck narrowly wide as home fans became increasingly frustrated. England looked to have been rescued in the 84th minute by substitute Bellingham, who took a touch and stabbed home from close range. But referee Stephanie Frappart was sent to the pitchside monitor and ruled the goal out for a handball by Colwill in the build-up. Toney was finally introduced but the only other goal would come from a Senegalese boot as Lamine Camara broke and played across for Sabaly in stoppage time.

England booed off after shock defeat to Senegal
England booed off after shock defeat to Senegal

North Wales Chronicle

time2 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

England booed off after shock defeat to Senegal

Three days after being jeered following a poor World Cup qualification win against minnows Andorra, Tuesday's alarming display raised further questions a year out from their bid for glory in North America. Harry Kane had got England off to a fine start against Senegal by continuing his run of scoring in every game under Tuchel, who was critical of his side's efforts in Barcelona and spoke of his desire for the team to play with a smile. But happiness was in short supply in Nottingham, where Anthony Gordon wasted a glorious chance shortly before Ismaila Sarr capitalised on poor defending by debutant Trevoh Chalobah and a sleeping Kyle Walker. Senegal, ranked 19th in the world, were always going to be Tuchel's toughest test since taking charge and Habib Diarra went on to fire through the legs of Dean Henderson, who had made some important saves on his second start. Substitute Jude Bellingham thought he had levelled late on, only for Levi Colwill to be adjudged to have handled upon VAR review, and second-half introduction Cheikh Sabaly added another for the visitors in stoppage time. This was England's first ever defeat to an African side, having gone unbeaten in the previous 21 encounters, and looked possible from the outset with Idrissa Gueye and Nicolas Jackson denied early on by Henderson. But Tuchel's side struck the first blow with just seven minutes on the clock in Nottingham. Eberechi Eze did well to win the ball, with Conor Gallagher helping it wide for Gordon to get away a shot that former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy could only spill into the path of Kane to turn in from six yards. Senegal responded well to that setback, with Henderson denying Diarra from distance before stopping Crystal Palace team-mate Sarr's powerful header. Gordon should have settled England's nerves in the 28th minute by applying the finish Walker's low cross merited, with that glaring miss under pressure at the far post proving costly. Henderson stopped Gueye but poor defending allowed Senegal to level in the 40th minute. Chalobah failed to stop Jackson hooking over a cross that Sarr beat a switched-off Walker to turn home. The rusty-looking right-back was booked for a foul soon after his role in the first goal conceded under Tuchel. England were breathing a sigh of relief five minutes later when Diarra lashed over, with Nottingham Forest favourite Morgan Gibbs-White's introduction bringing a huge cheer. Kane was among those withdrawn as part of that triple change but Ivan Toney was left on the bench, leaving England without an out-and-out striker. Something needed to change from Tuchel's perspective, but unfortunately it was the scoreline. Diarra all too easily got behind left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly and ran on to drill through Henderson from a tight angle in the 62nd minute, sparking wild celebrations from the pockets of Senegal supporters. England were denied an almost immediate leveller as Eze smartly flicked on for Gibbs-White to test Mendy. The pair linked up brilliantly again soon after, with Saka denied expertly by Mendy's right hand. Henderson stopped Jackson scoring from distance and Pape Gueye struck narrowly wide as home fans became increasingly frustrated. England looked to have been rescued in the 84th minute by substitute Bellingham, who took a touch and stabbed home from close range. But referee Stephanie Frappart was sent to the pitchside monitor and ruled the goal out for a handball by Colwill in the build-up. Toney was finally introduced but the only other goal would come from a Senegalese boot as Lamine Camara broke and played across for Sabaly in stoppage time.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store