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Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton fans celebrate in style to mark end of era at Goodison Park
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. Related: 'Goodison Park has been part of saving my life': Everton fans mourn club's Mersey move 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. '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. Related: Everton fans on the end of a Goodison era: 'I'll be thinking about my dad, my brothers, my son' 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.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Operation Farewell Goodison' could not have been scripted any better
Nobody wanted to leave Goodison Park when the end finally came. The commemorations were over, club anthem Z-Cars had just been performed sombrely by a lone trumpeter, and the gathered congregation felt unsure where to look and go. Many craved the chance to capture a lingering image of that pitch, glistening in green save for the assortment of Everton icons scattered around. The legends were reciprocating the wistful glances from the stands, a community seemingly gathering private thoughts; of the family, friends, managers, chairmen and ex-players departed, the losses mourned on and off the pitch which are as integral to the fan experience as those cherished victories. They have shed tears of jubilation here during the years when trophy collecting was a habit, and of relief when Goodison Park's ferocity was the means of Premier League salvation. The emotions now were of a sort of euphoric sadness. Over two hours after the final whistle, and another 30 minutes beyond the hyper emotional closing ceremony, the venue began to clear to the sound of a distant bagpipe. This was really it. Everton's men's side will never walk out to a full, vibrant Goodison Park again. 'I'm going to miss this place so much. It will never be the same again,' said a younger, female fan reluctant to head for the exit. It had been the longest of farewells, of course, at least 20 years in the making when tracing the origins of the club's plans to locate a new home, most of them ill-conceived before Bramley-Moore delivered on the promise. There was no chance Everton and its fans would deliver anything but the perfect send-off. They had begun gathering at Goodison Park shortly after dawn, not so much as supporters as pilgrims embarking on a final mission. Once more to the great football cathedral; one last bus journey, one last pint, one last bag of chips, one last win and one last bundle of memories to share and savour. The adjoining streets were as jammed as the Gwladys Street and Park End Stands hours before the players arrived, the tsunami of blue so overwhelming the scheduled noon kick-off seemed more optimistic than those without a ticket hoping they might still find a way in. Everton's team bus had no need to run on petrol, the passion of those roaring it along providing enough fuel to have provided an unstoppable surge for any of those who performed here for the past 133 years. Somehow it all began on time, the noise such it must have reverberated through the ages, a reminder of what is being left behind while bellowing out aspirations for the future. That was the balance Everton sought, the potent cocktail they have been trying to sip for decades; that ceaseless search for a retro inspired upgrade, revering the past without deferring to it, reaching out for former glories to inspire the next ones. Many of Everton's footballing heroes first lined-up pre-match as the club anthems, old and new, stirred the soul. Before the game, none felt more profound than a rendition of The La's classic There She Goes – an inspirational choice by the resident DJ capturing the mood which was occasionally a dance-a-long party and in other moments a memorial. With the side comfortably beating Southampton, the Evertonians spent most of the 90 minutes chanting about their legends, Kevin Ratcliffe and Alan Ball chief among them, the crescendo building towards full-time until referee Michael Oliver ended an era. 'Go and get yourself a pint and settle back down here,' Evertonians were then urged. The sentimentality was intoxicating enough. Post-match began with a gag courtesy of the matchday controllers, whose mid-match security protocols have for decades elicited groans, but on this occasion prompted warm laughter. 'Standby for Operation Farewell Goodison,' was yelled over the tannoy. Next came the violinist with a rendition of Z-Cars so rueful, the stadium was momentarily reduced to eerie silence before humming along. One felt the fans joined in to halt their tears. Some sorrow was inevitable, but the overriding mood was of elation as over 70 former players participated in what became a carnival; the cheers for Bob Latchford, Joe Royle, Neville Southall, Peter Reid, Graeme Sharp, Andy Gray and Duncan Ferguson were audibly louder. Reid, the epitome of Liverpool football passion, apologised in advance if he sweared. There is nobody who captures the depth of feeling as authentically as him. 'Apologies for the sunglasses, but I was on the lash last night,' he said. One would never believe it when listening to him pay tribute to the club's heart and soul. As other ex-players shared their memories, there was even time for some well-intended Mancunian baiting as Wayne Rooney accepted the applause. 'Manchester is full of sh**,' they chanted. 'I am from Croxteth by the way!' he smiled back. The note-perfect musical direction continued. John Lennon never professed himself an Evertonian, but the Beatles masterpiece In My Life, offered another flawless soundtrack as the fireworks exploded. 'Of all these friends and lovers, there is none compares to you… I will never lose that affection,' sang Bill Ryder-Jones from Liverpool band, The Coral. Some club anthems will need an update, however, not least The Spirit of the Blues, with its call to arms to 'come on and get down to Goodison Park'. Manager David Moyes must sense the spiritual connection with his club more than ever. A year ago he must have imagined himself here as one of the honorary guests, joining in the laps of honour as a representative of a previous age. It felt fated for him to be back here as the leader and guide, his words a comfort blanket to assure everyone it will be alright in pastures now. "Over the years you've been disappointed, now is the time to make you happy" 💙David Moyes gives an emotional thank you to the fans that have supported Everton during their time at Goodison Park📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 18, 2025 'It felt like a big family but it looked a bit broken and felt a bit broken. It does not feel like that anymore,' said Moyes. 'The reception outside was unbelievable. The support has always been amazing, but now you have to bring it to the new one. 'Goodison Park is about the people. You made it, and you can make the next stadium. We know how much it meant to all supporters [to win today]. We didn't want to let anyone down.' Oh yes, a game of football was taking place here too, relegated to a trivial sideshow, aside from the yearning for Everton's modern incarnation not to let down the greats so synonymous with this arena. Iliman Ndiaye duly delivered after six minutes, a goal worthy of conjuring memories of Trevor Steven, Kevin Sheedy or Johnny Morrissey in their heyday, dancing through Southampton's defenders before picking his spot. The perfect start! 🙌Iliman Ndiaye opens the scoring for the toffees 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 18, 2025 He followed up on the stroke of half-time, timing his run to dribble past Aaron Ramsdale and guarantee Everton's grand farewell would be triumphant. The magnitude of the moment guarantees Ndiaye historic status. 'All clear operation farewell Goodison,' was the last message, at which point it was impossible not to believe that, perched in a box seat somewhere above Goodison Park, Everton's impresario was in floods of tears. The late chairman Bill Kenwright, could not have choreographed it any better, and he would have approved of the most emotive epitaph of all delivered by Gray. 'We may all be leaving Goodison Park, but Goodison will never leave us.' As Tony Bellew comes out to narrate a potted history. We'll leave it there. Duncan Ferguson predictably receives the loudest cheer. Then its other 90s favourites including Peter Beardsley and Tony Cottee. After them come the stalwarts of the Noughties, Tim Cahill receiving the biggest cheer, louder than Wayne Rooney. Led by Neville Southall. The parade begins with Tony Kay, back in the fold, Bob latchford, Ronnie Goodlass, Martin Dobson, Duncan McKenzie et al And sings It's a Grand Old Team to Play For and as a lifelong fans he includes the unofficial 'Red S----' line beloved of the terraces. Now it's I Guess Why They Call Us the Blues. With the Z Cars themw, Johnny Todd, played by a violinist. People are hugging each other in the stands and weeping... and then join in with the 'Ner, ner, ners.' It's the Farm's All Together Now, now: I had to look beyond all the things that have gone on today. I thought we had to focus on the game and we did that for the first half, not so much in the second half. but we got the win and the clean sheet. I'm not sure [was Doucouré waving goodbye?], maybe he was just waving at them but there's nothing sorted with his contract. We started really well in the game. I was impressed by the atmosphere. It was great at times. Everyone as one together. We've still got a bit to go, we got the job, three points and got ourselves in a good position now. I've been here a while and know what it means. It's been a great stadium. And now Evertonians will celebrate their 133 years there by paying tribute to their heroes, present and past. Farewell Goodison Park. Harrison shapes an inswinging cross with his left from the right to the back post, looking for Beto but Stephens cranes his neck to head it away. Songs of pride and joy ring out. Lots of tears. First boos of the day ring round Goodison as a massive file of police officers circle the pitch. Keane keeps pace with Archer to blcok his cross and turn it behind for a corner. Garner boots the corner away. Iliman Ndiaye is named man of the match. The fourth official signals four minutes of stoppage time. Huge waves of applause breaking out at Goodison as a huge file of Everton legends make their way down the stairs for the post-match party. You wonder how many of the travelling Southampton fans regret not selling their tickets to ticketless Everton supporters, with some fan sites claiming people were prepared to pay over £1000 just to be inside Goodison. Smallbone bends a cross in from the right and Stewart dips across O'Brien to fire a header over from 10 yards. Pickford's excellent save at the near post when Robinson did Mykolenko down the right with a dip of the shoulder and a burst to the byline stops the possibility of the last men's goal being scored here by an opposition player. The sub pulled it back to Archer who connected with venom and Pickford blocked it smartly from close range Smallbone can't convert the rebound Kayi Sanda → Harwood-Bellis And Layi Sanda makes a vital intervention with his first tiuch to block Keane's flick on reaching Calvert-Lewin. Harwood-Bellis is injured and the game stops for treatment. Everton break with Beto played down the left by a well-judged Gueye pass. Beto gallops on to it and bends it into the box for Calvert-Lewin but Archer has tracked his run, traps his hand between his won elbow and ribs and makes sure he can't wriggle free to meet the pass with a shot. Branthwaite is injured. Keane → BranthwaiteCalvert-Lewin → Ndiaye Branthwaite looks like he has pulled his hamstring, which will usher Michael Keane onto the pitch. He has a habit of popping up with significant Goodison goals in the final stages. Get down to the bookies quick and get a few quid on the defender heading Goodison's last goal. Branthwaite twangs his hamstring chasing a long ball. That looks like him out of the England squad for the summer fixtures. He makes the revolving motion but then walks back on to the field? A phantom twang? The attendance os announced as 39,201. Beto feeds Alacaraz to storm through the middle. Harrison cuts in off the right and runs across Stephens but Alacaraz neither shoots nor plays the pass early enough to tee up Harrison and the move judders to a halt. Robinson → Dibling. Ally and Big Dunc both agree that Walter Smith's widow, Ethel, being there along with his former assistant, Archie Knox, has made their day. Welington boots Mykolenko's cross away. That looked suspiciously like a permanent Everton goodbye from Doucoure as he was subbed - one of those players out of contract at the end of the season. We shall await the official statement (probably in eight days time) with interest! Harrison → McNeilAlcaraz → Doucouré. Standing ovation for Doucouré whose contract is up and a new one not yet signed. On come the two loan players, Alcaraz, of course,a former Saint. Wonder what the future holds for Jacky 'Harradona'. Not many Leeds fans would welcome him back after two years away on loan. But he does have three years left on his contract. Everton switch off for a momenta nd Young's hooked attempted clearance spins over to the left where the substitute Stewart is lurking and works a shooting chance from an angle of about 40 degrees to the left post that Pickford stops smartly with his feet. Young whips a cross over that Garner meets with a near-post peel but applies to much brow when he needed to flick it. Smallbone → AriboArcher → WoodStewart → Sulemana. Now Young delivers another menacing cross from the right and Harwood-Bellis nips in front of Beto to thwart his diving attempt. Beto spins and gives the ball to Doucouré who slips it to his right and Garner drives his foot through it. Ramsdale throws his hands up and blocks the shot with his right palm. McNeil whips a cross back in from teh right and Beto leaps at the back post to head it powerfully but too close to Ramsdale. McNeil loses concentration and lets a pass run across him and into touch. Cue mass groans. Let's not forget that as well as all the positivity this crowd has historically generated, it can't half be narky too. Harwood-Bellis is OK and gets a good reception when he stands up. Wood takes a while longer but is passed fit to continue. Wood and Harwood-Bellis bang their heads when trying successfully to stop O'Brien heading a cross. The ref stops the game. Southampton have hung on to possession for as long a spell as they have enjoyed all match. Fernandes is played down the right and he faces up O'Brien then opens his body to lay it back to Aribo on the 18-yard line and the former Rangers midfielder makes a complete mess of his connection, scuffing and dragging it. Everton kick off and immediately earn a free-kick on the right. McNeil whips it to the back post and Southampton manage to scramble it away after three or four attempts to do so. Downes eventually wriggles free to begin a move that plays it up to Dibling. This match is all about saying farewell to Goodison, but Everton fans will take great delight in the fact that if the scoreline stays as it is, the Toffees will definitely finish above Manchester United and Tottenham in the Premier League – an extraordinary upturn in fortunes for the club under David Moyes. It was always going to be a stroll for Everton, riding the wave of emotion to victory. But Southampton have been typically dreadful defensively and it has been even easier than expected. Ndiaye lighting up this final Goodison day. Whatever happens in the new stadium, Moyes will be making him a focal point of his evolving side. He is quite the talent. Everton 2 Southampton 0 (Ndiaye) VAR check but he looked onside. Yes, he was onside. Fernandes had tried to wrap his leg round the ball as McNeil was dribbling forward and it spooned the ball back towards his own goal. Ndiaye ran down the inside-left channel but Ramsdale was favourite to get there. Inexplicably he goes with his feet first when he had time to dive on top and Ndiaye dinks it past, rounds him and steers it into the empty net. Don't think Ramsdale has done enough this season to justify that £18 million fee even given the derelict defence in front of him. Iliman Ndiaye bags a brace for Everton 🎯📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 18, 2025 Beto's flick on sets up a chance to knock the ball over the top for Ndiaye but it's overhit and Ramsdale races out to grab it. Testimonial pace now, as Darren Fletcher says. Southampton seem resigned to their fate as today's patsies. They've just shown the replay and Downes did have a fistful of shirt but not enough for Ndiaye to bunny hop in the air and plant his face in the turf. The crowd is running through its repertoire of songs: 'Feed the Yak and he will score.' Ndiaye hits the deck in the box, going down like a bag of hammers. But there was no real contact. Southampton enjoy a spell of possession but actually lose ground as they nurse the ball back to the centre-backs until Harwood-Bellis chips a long ball up the right for Bree to gallop after. But Mykolenko gets in front of him and the ball so the forner Lutin defender shives him over. Duncan Ferguson questions why Southampton have not varied their attacking tactics with a ball over the top. Sadly they have been an irrelevance for most of this season and never more so than today. Beto scores from an offside position. A diving, near-post header from Doucouré's cross from the right after a free-kick on the left was headed away by Wood. Touch of the Pippo Inzaghi about Beto, dangerous and prepared to pay the price of having goals chalked off by consistently lurking on the shoulder, knowing he''l bag enough to make it worthwhile in the long run. Garner's shot from 15 yards, a side-footer after latching on to Beto's pass is blocked as he tried to thread it through a crowded box. But back come Everton down the right with Ndiaye feeding a cross around Stephens and Wood fro Beto to turn past Ramsdale… from a starting position that was at least 18 inches offside. Sulemana hooks a bouncing ball over O'Brien, runs round him and Garner's there to make a vital tackle. Young, after a moment's hesitation, knocks it long up the right… Ramsdale races out but can't get there. Beto is too wide with Ramsdale stranded and by the time Doucoure strides within range, there are enough defenders back to block his scuffed shot when Beto cuts it back. Southampton have been neat and tidy but will need significant investment to be a Championship force up front... unless they commit 100 per cent to wingers, crosses and Tall Paul Onuachu. An early departure for Coleman, which is a shame. He'll be back in the new stadium having just signed a one-year deal. Ashley Young comes on for his farewell. Sorry Ashley, but your goodbye will be somewhat overshadowed. Ndiaye pierces the inside-left channel as Southampton retreat and he sweeps a pass to Beto who tries to wrap his instep around a shot and bend it in at the right post but it hits a defender and goes behind for a corner. At that moment TNT Sports had thrown to Duncan Ferguson for his views and he took over commentary duties which consisted of 'Go on son, right foot. Oh... Up the Toffees!' 'First time I've ever been out co-commentatered while I'm co-commentating,' quips Ally McCoist. Young → Coleman. Young has been given a free transfer so this will be his final home game as an Everton player. Glorious reception for the club captain but he'll be devastated to leave the party so early. Dibling and Sulemana combine in the middle around the edge of the D until a misunderstanding by Dibling pushes the return [ass too far ahead of his team-mate and too close to Pickford. Seamus Coleman has not proved as durable as he had hoped and will have to be replaced. Ashley Young has been sent out to warm up rapidly and is now stripped. An early ovation it will be, extremely early. There is a desperation for Goodison legend Seamus Coleman to score today, but the fans who just shouted 'shoot' when the skipper took possession in his usual right back spot 40 yards from goal may be taking it a bit far! Downes dribbles forward down the right of centre but his pass is picked off by Garner who switches it to his right and Coleman plays a fine ball over the top for Beto to collect. None of his team-mates are quick enough in support, though, so he has to park it in the corner for a while and Southampton swarm around him, killing the momentum. Coleman is showing he's not a sentimental pick in the sense that he can't really run anymore. He's doing fine so far on the right. Don't know how long he'll last but if anyone deserves an earlyish substitution for a standing ovation it's him. The director keeps picking out familar faces in the crowd: Sharp, Rooney, Snodin, Royle so far. A goal worthy of Everton's great wingers; Trevor Steven Kevin Sheedy and Johnny Morrissey would have been proud of that opening goal, Ndiaye's dancing feet and finish confirming why is a contender for the club's player of the season. 'I think there's a player in that Sulemana,' says Ally McCoist. Me too. He has pace and excellent control. Everton 1 Southampton 0 (Ndiaye) The roof comes off. Brilliant goal, good enough to adorn any occasion. He took the ball from O'Brien, spun and played it to McNeil who is block-tackled. Ndiaye pounces on the loose ball, right of the D, swaggers through five yards then uses Wood as a screen to bend a left-foot shot into the bottom left corner. The perfect start! 🙌Iliman Ndiaye opens the scoring for the toffees 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 18, 2025 Sainst make a mess of defending the corner but Ramsdale comes to the rescue wwith a fine crouching block with a tungsten right wrist crucial to block Beto's left-foot shot from seven yards. McNeil drives inside on the right and then sends the pass outside and towards the byline for Coleman who shifts his legs and gets there first, stabbing a cross that hits the charging Stephens and out for a corner. Ndiaye takes the ball up the left, doubles back and passes to Garner who tries a deep cross to the back post, looking for McNeil but it drifts too long and out for a goal-kick. Southampton, in yellow and black, kick off, attacking from left to right. The noise is cacophonous on this gorgeous late spring day. For years, Evertonians have yearned for The La's classic 'There She Goes' – written by Evertonian musical genius Lee Mavers – to be adopted as a club anthem. Finally, today, Goodison Park has obliged and the whole stadium joined in. Quite magnificent, stirring stuff. An emotional day for everyone — including this legend. 💙#EndOfAnEra — Everton (@Everton) May 18, 2025 AKA the Z Cars theme. Rapturously received as the players come out. Bert Lynch RIP. Broad smiles as well as plenty of tears. 'Bittersweet' epitomised. Everton will do well to get this game kicked off at noon as thousands have descended upon the stadium and there is gridlock on the nearby roads. Stadium is pretty full now as the scheduled kick-off time approaches, however, so the stewards must have done their job. Suffice to say, the noise is already deafening inside. Getting seriously crowded outside Goodison. Warnings to ticketless fans to not to turn up appear to have gone unheeded. And interviews an already well-refreshed Peter Reid. He is choked by emotion as well as his liquid breakfast and is charmingly effusive without a great deal of coherence, but is suitably pithy at first: 'This is the best place in the world with the best people in the world.' Also on the pitch are most of the 1984-87 heroes, Big Dunc, Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, Wayne Rooney and assorted blue luminaries. And, of course… It's a hugely symbolic day at Goodison, a moment to remember history and the ghosts of sporting Gray and Tyler have been reunited. — Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) May 18, 2025 Football clubs love to position themselves as the heart and soul of their community. For some, it is a dubious claim soaked in superficiality. There is no such artifice at Goodison Park. For passers-by native and new, there is an idyllic wonder at the quaintness of a Premier League venue set among the narrow streets and terraced houses that could have been a set design for Z-Cars, and where the local pub, The Winslow, is literally a hop – or on the most celebrated nights, possibly a stagger – to and from turnstile seven. Everton's great cathedral stands between the 310 yards of Goodison Road separating the Salop Chapel Free Presbyterian Church and that of St Luke the Evangelist, theologians left to ponder which of the three is the more sacred place of worship. It was only right, my dad brought me to my 1st game at Goodison that I should bring him to the last💙 — Baz (@Barry1878) May 18, 2025 Everton Pickford; Coleman, O'Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; McNeil, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Beto. Substitutes Virginia, Patterson, Keane, Calvert-Lewin, Harrison, Chermiti, Young, Alcaraz, Iroegbunam. Southampton Ramsdale; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Stephens, Welington; Downes, Aribo; Dibling, Fernandes; McCarthy, Manning, Smallbone, Stewart, Sugawara, Archer, Ugochukwu, Sanda, Robinson. Referee Michael Oliver (Ashington) An historic stadium, a place where we have fought against one another and stood with each other. Highs, lows and so many end of an era at Goodison Park and the beginning of a new one. — Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 18, 2025 It's really sad we're leaving this great place. A really emotional day and a tough one for everyone. All our memories are here. Scoring my first goal here, against Liverpool [is my favourite memory], any goal against a top side, goals against Manchester United… who used to be a top side. Aribo replaces Ugochukwu and Wood comes in for Bednarek from the side who shut up shop and deserved their point from the draw with Man City: Your yellows ✊ — Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 18, 2025 Your Toffees for the final #PL game at Goodison! 🔵#EVESOU #EndOfAnEra — Everton (@Everton) May 18, 2025 Ian Snodin's been elected as Pope. It is often said you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Evertonians could not be more appreciative of what they are losing when they relocate from Goodison Park. The groundsman's biggest worry at full-time this Sunday might be a waterlogged pitch because of the number of supporters overwhelmed at the thought of watching a top-flight game there for the last time. The same is true of the most celebrated players. 'I'm not really an emotional person, you know, Jamie. But I think I will be this weekend,' Everton legend Kevin Sheedy tells me as we meet at the stadium to share our Goodison memories. 'I'll not just be thinking about the games I played here and the brilliant times. I'll be thinking about my mum and dad coming to watch me, all the people who work here who I've met over the years. I'm still involved with the club doing stadium tours and meeting supporters in the club lounge and I was with a few fans the other day. 'They were all telling their personal stories; going to Goodison for the first time with their dad or grandad, remembering the result and who scored. As they were talking they all started welling up and the tears came. I think it's going to be that sort of day on Sunday.' Thousands of Everton fans heading to the Goodison area without tickets. Among them is dog groomer Terri Gifford (pictured below), originally from Ohio, now from London, who travelled up with me on the 2am coach from Victoria 'just to soak up the atmosphere.' Nev Drumm and his son Sam, from Redditch, joined the coach at Birmingham. They will watch the game at any pub that is open because 'we want to be part of history. So, after 133 years it's finally time to say goodbye to Goodison Park. Farewell, then, to St Luke's and Old Ma Bushell's Toffee House, farewell to Johnny Todd, Bullens Road, Walton Lane, Goodison Road and Gwladys Street, farewell to the field where bullocking Dixie frolicked, Duncan McKenzie dazzled, the Golden Vision gilded, Brian Labone strained every sinew, Big Dunc battled, the Holy Trinity were worshipped, where Tommy Lawton scored 70 goals before his 20th birthday and Wayne Rooney shook up the world at 17. It's a world of royal blue, the Mersey Millionaires, Bob Latchford and his five grand cheque, of eternal questions such as 'what the hell is Hafnia?', Le Coq Sportif and white bibs, Big Andy and Inchy, Sharpie and Sheeds, Reidy and Brace, Stevens and Steven, the Rat and Degsy, Bails and Psycho Pat, Rico, Harpo and the imperishable Nev. It's the popping of corks in Howard's office, stern Harry, Eusebio, the Black Pearl, going berserk at 3-0 down to North Korea and banging in four, Haller and Beckenbauer in a World Cup semi, where two teams in black and white stripes won FA Cup finals. Football clubs have moved stadiums without a backward look before and both Middlesbrough and Sunderland have had some glorious moments in their years away from Ayresome Park and Roker Park. Football clubs are more than lumps of ground, they are confederations of memory, tradition, of the hopes and emotions of millions of people over more than a century who have carried them in their hearts. That will not change away from Goodison but something will be lost because it has been, since the moment Archibald Leitch laid down his T-square, the perfect football stadium with a unique atmosphere. Those who mourn its passing are not Luddites or romantic simpletons out of tune with a hard-nosed corporate league rapidly colonised by plutocrats. They know its time has come but hope it can be given the send-off it deserves.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton fans celebrate in style to mark end of era at Goodison Park
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. Advertisement Related: 'Goodison Park has been part of saving my life': Everton fans mourn club's Mersey move 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. '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. Advertisement 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. Related: Everton fans on the end of a Goodison era: 'I'll be thinking about my dad, my brothers, my son' 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.
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Goodison goodbye shows real power of football as love for Everton shines through
Expected goals, corporate hospitality, set-piece coaches, projects, technical directors, podcasts, low blocks, mid blocks. Subscription television, padded seats, transitions, choreographed celebrations, tunnel clubs, double pivots, false nines. And every other item of modern football paraphernalia you can think of. You can have them all. Enjoy them. But under a royal blue sky on Merseyside, the real power of football - not the commercial power, not the political power, not the macho power - was laid bare. The tears of the men, women and children inside Goodison Park were not for the cameras, they were for a way of life. They were for fathers, for mothers, for grandfathers, for grandmothers, for ancestors, for friends never forgotten, for bonds never broken. And they were for history, as in real history, not Premier League history. And if you know your history, it's enough to make your heart go … etc, etc. You know the tune. When the players from eras dating back to the Sixties were called onto the pitch at the start of the farewell ceremony - bookended by the likes of Joe Royle and Wayne Rooney, Roger Kenyon and Tim Cahill - it was a truly special reminder that the Grand Old Lady is the home of a grand, old club. The different generations of supporters gave special cheers for their own favourites - for Royle, for Peter Reid, for Duncan Ferguson, for the incomparable Neville Southall, for Cahill. And through the tears and cheers, there was, inevitably, humour. Big Dunc brought the house down when he addressed the Gwladys Street end but when, perhaps ill-advisedly, Rooney took to the microphone, the mass response was immediate. 'Oh Manchester is full of s***,' they sang. Forgiven but not forgotten. 'We've had our ups and downs,' smiled Rooney. In the case of the mens team, the ups and downs of Goodison Park will now be only memories and their fortunes will unfold at Bramley-Moore Dock. And after a 2-0 win over Southampton made sure of the perfect Goodison finale, David Moyes struck the perfect note to link the past with the future. He said: 'We might be a club that is coming back together. Before, there was a real break-up of a love affair between the players, the supporters, the owners. We are all trying to get back in bed together, if you know what I mean. 'If we can take what we had today to the new stadium, it really will be something. The scenes outside the stadium were incredible. It felt like a club which needs some big days in the future, so let's hope this is the start of it.' And under Moyes and the ownership of The Friedkin Group, inside a state-of-the-art venue, there could well be some big days ahead. But then again, this is a community of fans that have experienced many false hopes and this day was overwhelmingly about knowing your history. And with the afternoon's third rendition of Z-Cars, the closing ceremony drew to an end. It was almost fitting that the blue fireworks barely raised a sparkle and the sound system struggled to make itself heard. Goodison Park has never been about the gimmicks. You can have them. Enjoy them. 'We are leaving Goodison Park,' said Andy Gray. 'But Goodison Park will never leave us.' And THAT is what Goodison Park is about. In an often-phoney world, a truly special day.
The Advertiser
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Farewell, Goodison: Everton win last game at famed home
Everton have made an emotional farewell to Goodison Park, their home of 133 years, with a 2-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League in front of dozens of the club's greatest players and a tearful, scarf-waving crowd. Iliman Ndiaye will go down as Everton's final scorer in their atmospheric, long-time ground in Liverpool, with the Senegal forward grabbing both goals in the first half and walking off with the match ball on an occasion that turned into a party for the team's fans. "Very special," Ndiaye said. "I wanted to give them something today." Everton will move from one of English soccer's classic stadiums to a 53,000-seat waterfront arena at nearby Bramley-Moore Dock for the start of next season. Goodison Park was going to be demolished but, after a feasibility study, will continue to operate instead in the women's game as the new home of Everton Women from next season. Plumes of blue smoke filled the air around the streets outside Goodison as fans gathered before kickoff. Inside, Wayne Rooney and Tim Cahill were among about 80 former Everton players invited to attend the game at the ground some refer to as the "Grand Old Lady." Some supporters were in tears and many swung their scarves above the heads as the club's adopted pre-match anthem — the theme from Z-Cars, a British TV series from across the 1960s and 1970s — played around Goodison to greet the teams emerging from the tunnel to a sea of blue. The party really got going in the 2791st Everton game there when Ndiaye curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner in the sixth minute. He rounded Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the second minute of first-half stoppage time for his second and what Everton said was the 5372nd goal at the ground. Fans hugged each other and choked back tears after the final whistle. "We'll go down in history as the last team to win at Goodison," Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said. "That's what the manager asked of us today. "We've got a challenge ahead of us but let's enjoy this moment." And Everton did, holding an "End of an Era" show after the game featuring, among other things, video messages on the big screen from the likes of former manager Carlo Ancelotti and former player Mikel Arteta. Everton have made an emotional farewell to Goodison Park, their home of 133 years, with a 2-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League in front of dozens of the club's greatest players and a tearful, scarf-waving crowd. Iliman Ndiaye will go down as Everton's final scorer in their atmospheric, long-time ground in Liverpool, with the Senegal forward grabbing both goals in the first half and walking off with the match ball on an occasion that turned into a party for the team's fans. "Very special," Ndiaye said. "I wanted to give them something today." Everton will move from one of English soccer's classic stadiums to a 53,000-seat waterfront arena at nearby Bramley-Moore Dock for the start of next season. Goodison Park was going to be demolished but, after a feasibility study, will continue to operate instead in the women's game as the new home of Everton Women from next season. Plumes of blue smoke filled the air around the streets outside Goodison as fans gathered before kickoff. Inside, Wayne Rooney and Tim Cahill were among about 80 former Everton players invited to attend the game at the ground some refer to as the "Grand Old Lady." Some supporters were in tears and many swung their scarves above the heads as the club's adopted pre-match anthem — the theme from Z-Cars, a British TV series from across the 1960s and 1970s — played around Goodison to greet the teams emerging from the tunnel to a sea of blue. The party really got going in the 2791st Everton game there when Ndiaye curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner in the sixth minute. He rounded Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the second minute of first-half stoppage time for his second and what Everton said was the 5372nd goal at the ground. Fans hugged each other and choked back tears after the final whistle. "We'll go down in history as the last team to win at Goodison," Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said. "That's what the manager asked of us today. "We've got a challenge ahead of us but let's enjoy this moment." And Everton did, holding an "End of an Era" show after the game featuring, among other things, video messages on the big screen from the likes of former manager Carlo Ancelotti and former player Mikel Arteta. Everton have made an emotional farewell to Goodison Park, their home of 133 years, with a 2-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League in front of dozens of the club's greatest players and a tearful, scarf-waving crowd. Iliman Ndiaye will go down as Everton's final scorer in their atmospheric, long-time ground in Liverpool, with the Senegal forward grabbing both goals in the first half and walking off with the match ball on an occasion that turned into a party for the team's fans. "Very special," Ndiaye said. "I wanted to give them something today." Everton will move from one of English soccer's classic stadiums to a 53,000-seat waterfront arena at nearby Bramley-Moore Dock for the start of next season. Goodison Park was going to be demolished but, after a feasibility study, will continue to operate instead in the women's game as the new home of Everton Women from next season. Plumes of blue smoke filled the air around the streets outside Goodison as fans gathered before kickoff. Inside, Wayne Rooney and Tim Cahill were among about 80 former Everton players invited to attend the game at the ground some refer to as the "Grand Old Lady." Some supporters were in tears and many swung their scarves above the heads as the club's adopted pre-match anthem — the theme from Z-Cars, a British TV series from across the 1960s and 1970s — played around Goodison to greet the teams emerging from the tunnel to a sea of blue. The party really got going in the 2791st Everton game there when Ndiaye curled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner in the sixth minute. He rounded Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the second minute of first-half stoppage time for his second and what Everton said was the 5372nd goal at the ground. Fans hugged each other and choked back tears after the final whistle. "We'll go down in history as the last team to win at Goodison," Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said. "That's what the manager asked of us today. "We've got a challenge ahead of us but let's enjoy this moment." And Everton did, holding an "End of an Era" show after the game featuring, among other things, video messages on the big screen from the likes of former manager Carlo Ancelotti and former player Mikel Arteta.
