End of an Era: Goodbye Goodison Park!
- Spirit of The News
- May 17
- 21 min read
Everton vs Southampton is far from another match; it is a farewell to a cathedral of football for the Evertonians who have soared with triumph and wept with heartbreak over the past 132 years. From the first fixture in 1892 against Bolton Wanderers to now, the last ever congregation of the Toffees inside Goodison Park, and that being on Saturday against Southampton.
Marching down the Goodison Road for the final time, a lot more earlier than usual, just to take in the sights you have taken for granted since your first visit to the Grand Old Lady, as soon it will look a little different. As all four sides of the historic ground rise in celebration for all that has been achieved on that turf, tears of joy and sadness will disperse as the same chants are sung as those that came before; the raw emotion of each individual knowing a segment of their lives is about to change for good, whether that be positive or negative, is subject to their will, but all us Toffees know the legacy we have left behind since the creation of this hallowed turf situated in L4. In the late 19th century, Everton Football Club was founded by a group of churchgoers at St Domingo’s Church; however, in 1880, the Methodists decided to change the name to Everton Football Club, unknowingly beginning a foundation for one of the world’s most decorated clubs. 4 years later, Everton moved from Priory Road to Anfield Road after the Blues’ victory against Earlestown in the Liverpool Cup Final in 1884, which not only established the Toffees as a serious team in the local area but also brought lots of fans in to watch the games at Stanley Park. Owner of the land, Mr Cruitt, told the club to find a new ground due to the sheer amount of noise, and that would turn out to be current city rivals Liverpool's stadium, Anfield, before the Red side of Merseyside was created in 1892.
Although crowds of up to 20000 people collectively formed in the 1890/91 season, the same campaign the Blues won their first championship, John Houlding, Everton’s chairman then, bought the land to extract even more rent for himself, expecting 250 pounds rent, a huge increase from the 100 pounds before the ownership of the land had been carried over. The club was only willing to pay a slight increase, so George Mahon, who was involved with the club’s hierarchy too, bought Mere Green Field, later becoming Goodison Park, due to George Goodison, an engineer who was called in to map a sewage network for the area. Following Mahon’s passing in 1908, the Liverpool Mercury, a local newspaper between 1811 and 1904, described Mahon as “the mastermind who carried through negotiations that have resulted in the acquisition of one of the finest football sites in the country and the formation of what is practically the most prosperous organisation of the kind in the world.”
Mahon’s decision would mean the Toffees’ new ground would be the first purpose-built football stadium, the first stadium to host a league match, the first stadium to have four stands, the first stadium to install a scoreboard, the first stadium with under-soil heating, the first stadium to host a World Cup match in Britain (5 matches in the 1966 World Cup), one of the first stadiums with floodlights and the first stadium visited by a reigning monarch, with King George V travelling to partake in a royal tour of Liverpool to support working-class causes and local accomplishments! But not only did Goodison Park’s creation generate success for the Toffees, it also sparked some achievements for the red side of the city, as Liverpool Football Club was created as a result of the incident at Anfield in 1892. Perhaps looking back at it, the unintended creation of Liverpool FC has stolen the spotlight in the city pretty much ever since, but the divided area has provided the people with many moments in history – elation for some, disaster too – but I don’t think anyone would change it for the world. The Merseyside Derby is one of the most anticipated and fierce matchups in not only English football but for the world too. Last-minute winners, red cards – you are almost guaranteed some sort of drama, and that definitely occurred at Goodison Park this season, as the rearranged fixture, due to Storm Darragh, the last one at the Grand Old Lady…
The Goodison Park atmosphere had been brewing both prior to kickoff and throughout the duration of the game. An organised coach meet-up had been sorted to greet the Everton bus, consisting of players and staff, to create a hostile atmosphere and to provide a strong helping hand, which ended up being extremely necessary. Everton, out of nowhere, had opened the scoring. In the 11th minute, Jarrad Branthwaite had taken a free kick in the area between the halfway line and the penalty area, and a swift, unexpected through ball had fooled Van Dijk and had fallen into the path of Beto, who had slotted it home, sending Goodison into pandemonium.
However, the lead hadn’t lasted long for the Blues, as only 5 minutes later, a cross in by Premier League top scorer for that season and Egyptian winger Mohammed Salah had fallen onto the head of an unmarked Alexis MacAllister, who had desperately attempted to send the ball into the bottom left-hand corner, soon paying off as Jordan Pickford had been inches away from saving the shot, but it had trickled in, equalising the game and giving the Reds some hope that they would manage to claim a result in tough conditions.
At half-time, there had been a mixed reaction, including both applause and boos, towards the direction of the officials, mainly referee Michael Oliver, who, according to a lot of fans, had had an abysmal refereeing performance. The referee had had a huge job on his hands in the second half, especially with the super-tight offside call in the last moment of the match; however, before this, there had been some more drama…
On the 73rd minute mark, a poor clearance from James Tarkowski had fallen inside the box to Curtis Jones, who had taken a shot in an attempt to curl it around Pickford in the Park End net. Although Pickford hadn’t seemed to be getting there, Jarrad Branthwaite had been there to clear it. Unfortunately for David Moyes and his team, the ball had fallen to Salah, who had had a half-empty net to strike into, doing just that and giving Liverpool the advantage and what had looked like the three points.
Then out of nowhere, a moment of magic at Goodison Park had occurred. Fans had been leaving to beat the traffic; time-wasting had been taking place; substitutions to slow the game down, and overall fatigue from both sides had created a miserable mood, the away end being an exception, as they had sung in unison, “We’ve won the league at Goodison Park.” In an attempt to lock the home section’s chant from the victory the season before: “You’ve lost the league at Goodison Park.” Within the five minutes of additional time, Jarrad Branthwaite and new signing Charly Alcaraz had collided, forcing a stoppage in play due to head injuries. Alongside this, Alisson had been time-wasting, forcing the referee to stop the clock altogether, allowing extra time on top of the initial extra time!
The last attack had been in the face of a decent ball in by Ukrainian fullback Mykolenko, who had booted it high and long into the midst of the six players, three for each. The Liverpool defence had somehow let the ball bounce in the penalty area, with Tim Iroegbunam, returning from injury, flicking on a backward header into the path of none other than Everton captain James Tarkowski… And the rest was history.
In the 98th minute, Tarkowski had had the opportunity to save the Blues a point in the last minute of the last Merseyside Derby at Goodison. On the first-time volley, Tarkowski volleyed the ball at extreme velocity before absolutely thumping the back of the Gwladys’ Street net, sparking pure havoc! A selection of fans had pitch invaded; flares had been set off, emerging a cloud of blue; and that hadn’t even been the full story! After Michael Oliver had blown his final whistle, Abdoulaye Doucoure had been caught celebrating towards the Liverpool away end, causing Curtis Jones to lose his temper and lash out, starting the hustle and bustle that had continued for a couple of minutes. Both Doucouré and Jones had received yellow cards during the incident, and as both players had already been booked, both had been sent off the field of play. Also, Arne Slot had been seen arguing with the officials, therefore receiving the same punishment as his midfielder.
One of the best ways to have capped off Merseyside derbies at Goodison Park had been with David Moyes stating that “it had been mayhem all game; it had been a bit of an old-fashioned throwback all game. The bit after the game, I could have told you about it, but the truth is it’s not really what we should be talking about… What I did know was Doucouré had got a yellow that led to a red, which I had been disappointed with, as we had been short of players. The place had been boiling hot all night, emotional; it had been an incredible atmosphere inside the stadium.” On the other hand, due to receiving the red card, Liverpool manager Arne Slot had not been required to partake in any media work, such as interviews on radio or television, therefore leaving the job to captain Van Dijk, who had said, “To concede an equaliser that late is always disappointing. We saw the celebrations they had in the end, so we knew how much it had meant for them, but the fact is it had been disappointing for us.” This result epitomised Everton Football Club in terms of fighting spirit and the pure chaos that emerged too. These nights will be missed by everyone involved with the club, and the legacy of the fan’s spirit, I am sure, will be carried on to the new ground on the banks of the River Mersey, but there have been greater occasions at Goodison Park throughout history, with some not including Everton at all!
On 23rd July 1966, Goodison Park hosted the quarter-final of the 1966 World Cup between Portugal, their first appearance in the World Cup, and North Korea. At the time, North Korea based themselves in Middlesbrough for their preparations for the competition, winning over the hearts of locals so much that it is expected that over 3000 people visited Goodison on the day to cheer on North Korea. However, a tough test in Portugal awaited, and what happened next was arguably one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history, with Eusebio at the heart of it all, with Bobby Charlton, the Manchester United legend, stating that it “was one of the best individual performances you’ll ever see.”
Portugal’s lineup: Jose Pereira, Morais, Alexandre Baptista, Vicente, Hilario, Jaime Graca, Mario Coluna, Jose Augusto, Eusebio, Jose Torres, Antonio Simoes.
Korea DPR’s lineup: Li Chan-myung, Lim Zoong-sun, Shin Yung-kyoo, Ha Jung-won, Oh Yoon-kyung, Pak Seung-zin, Im Seung-hwi, Han Bong-zin, Pak Doo-ik, Li Dong-woon, Yang Seung-kook.
A stunning start for Korea DPR meant they were 3-0 inside 25 minutes at Goodison Park; however, one of football’s most prestigious strikers in history, Eusebio, hadn't given up hope just yet, even after the match, explaining that “I remember very clearly what Antonio Simoes (Portugal teammate) said when we were 3-0 down: ‘As long as we don't go four goals down, we're still in with a chance.’ And he was right.” 2 goals before halftime for the 3rd highest goalscorer in Portuguese national team history, including a penalty just before the break, meant Portugal were strong contenders for a miraculous comeback, as Korea DPR’s 1-0 shock win in the round before against Italy meant this game would be extremely tough, and so it proved to be! Another 2 goals from Eusebio in the second half, including another penalty in the 61st minute, as well as an extra goal for security for Jose Augusto, who made 37 appearances for Portugal in 10 years, late on in the game confirmed Portugal’s entry into the semifinal of the World Cup, where they were beaten by England, with Eusebio scoring a penalty and Charlton grabbing a brace at Wembley Stadium on Jul 26th 1966, with England going on to win the competition, the last major trophy the England national team has won for (closing in on) 59 years. However, it wouldn’t be the last time Goodison Park was the centre stage for a European upset…
In 1985, Howard Kendall, arguably the best manager in the history of Everton FC, was in charge, carrying the Toffees through one of the most successful periods. Everton had reached the semi-final of the European Cup Winner’s Cup, playing, at the time, one of the most difficult teams to put up against in Bayern Munich. In the first leg of the semi-final, the Toffees travelled away to the Olympiastadion München, holding 69,000 fans at the time, Bayern Munich’s stadium before transitioning to the Allianz Arena in 2005. A tough occasion, especially away from home, but the rigid set-up consisting of some of the most memorable the club have ever had – Neville Southall, Peter Reid, Andy Grey and many more – battled it out for a goalless draw, an amazing result putting the second leg in Everton’s favour at Goodison Park!
On April 24th, the decisive leg at Goodison was, some would argue, the best game ever at the Grand Old Lady.
Everton’s lineup: Neville Southall, Gary Stevens, Kevin Ratcliffe, Dave Watson, Derek Mountfield, Kevin Sheedy, Peter Reid, Trevor Steven, Paul Bracewell, Graeme Sharp, Andy Grey
Bayern Munich’s lineup: Jean-Marie Pfaff, Hans Dorfner, Klaus Augenthaler, Ludwig Kögl, Andreas Brehme, Lothar Matthäus, Dieter Hoeneß, Wolfgang Kraus, Thomas Strunz, Roland Wohlfarth, Norbert Nachtweih
Despite the first goal of the game, and the whole leg, falling to Bayern Munich through Dieter Hoeneß. Ludwog Kogl received the ball, playing a pinpoint curved lob through all into the path of Hoeneb, who, after some scrambling about following a save from Southall, forced it into the back of the net, in front of the Gwladys Street End. However, 20 minutes later, Everton grabbed an equaliser! A long throw-in from Gary Stevens was flicked on to the back post by Andy Grey into the path of Graeme Sharp, who headed it into the bottom left corner past Bayern Munich and Belgium goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff. Goodison was yet again sent into pandemonium as, in the 74th minute, Stevens threw another accurate throw-in from a similar position. Pfaff, who came out to punch the ball away, missed the opportunity to prevent a second goal, falling to Andy Grey, who had the simple job of tapping it in to put Howard Kendall and Everton in the driving seat for a European final. It got even better though, as in the 86th minute, a counterattack for the Blues left a 2 on 1, with Graeme Sharp squaring it into the path of an on-running Trevor Stephen, who slotted it home, sending the whole of Goodison into absolute pandemonium. The result sent the Toffees into the cup final, comfortably beating Rapid Vienna 3-1 in Rotterdam.
Although the triumph should have given Everton the chance to play in the European Cup the following season, this didn’t happen. The Heysel Stadium disaster, where Liverpool faced Juventus in the European Cup Final in 1985, began in the neutral section, as Liverpool fans charged towards the opposition supporters, causing a wall to collapse, killing 39 people and causing 600 more injuries. As a result, English clubs were banned from European competitions, with the restriction lasting for 5 years. Which could be argued to cause Everton’s fast decline into a relegation-stricken side.
Many key individuals, including Howard Kendall, who left to manage Athletic Bilbao in 1987, Gary Lineker, Trevor Steven and Peter Reid, to name a few, left the club, with the main point being the attraction of European football. After Kendall’s exit, 3 managerial appointments were made in 7 years, including Colin Harvey, Howard Kendall again, whose reign was unsuccessful, and Mike Walker, who was in charge for the incredible comeback against Wimbledon. On the final day of the 1993-94 campaign, the Premier League, which had 22 teams, had a relegation battle that was unbelievably tight, with two points separating five teams: Sheffield United, Everton, Southampton and Oldham Athletic, with both 21st and 20th places the positions to stay far away from.
Everton's lineup: Neville Southall, Gary Stevens, Kevin Ratcliffe, Dave Watson, Derek Mountfield, Kevin Sheedy, Peter Reid, Trevor Steven, Paul Bracewell, Graeme Sharp, Adrian Heath
Wimbledon's lineup: Dave Beasant, Terry Phelan, Eric Young, Dennis Wise, John Fashanu, Lawrie Sanchez, Vinnie Jones, Mel Sterland, Dave Carroll, John Scales, Alan Cork
Everton needed to win and hope another team in the midst of it all would drop points. With all the pre-match hype around the fixture, it was disappointing for the fans in the ground to see Dean Holdsworth put Wimbledon in front within the first 5 minutes of action from the penalty spot after Anders Limpar’s handball. The situation would be even worse in the 20th minute of action, whilst Gary Ablett attempted to make a last-gasp clearance from a shot heading in before swooping the ball into the Everton net, doubling Wimbledon’s lead, and it seemed the Toffees were going down, with Graham Stuart, who ended up scoring a double, stating that “The atmosphere at Goodison was absolutely electric — you could feel the tension in every corner of the stadium. When we went 2-0 down, it felt like the worst day in Everton’s history was unfolding. But the fans never stopped believing, and neither did we. That final goal... it still sends shivers down my spine.” Stuart got one back 4 minutes after Ablett’s own goal from the penalty spot in front of a mid-construction Park End Stand.
The Toffees were still alive in the fixture and in terms of being a Premier League club too. In the 67th minute of the game, Barry Horne picked up the ball from some distance out with the opportunity to smash it on the volley. A missile of a strike headed straight past Wimbledon and Dutch goalkeeper Hans Segers, sending Goodison into pandemonium, with even Neville Southall stating that, “When Barry Horne scored that rocket of a goal to make it 2-2, the place erupted. That day showed what Goodison Park really means to this club.” The game wasn’t over… As for Stuart, again he picked up the ball from outside the box and lunged for the ball during a duel with the opposition, luckily into the bottom left-hand corner, fooling Segers, who was not expecting the shot. As the full-time whistle blew, Everton had retained their Premier League status for another year, with manager Mike Walker explaining that “that match was the most intense game I’ve ever been involved in. The pressure on the players was immense, but they showed tremendous character. The fans really lifted the team — Goodison’s spirit was the difference.”
But again, history repeats itself, as that game wouldn’t be the last time Everton somehow turned over a two-goal deficit to stay in the league, as in 2022, Everton were in desperate need of a miracle.
Everton's lineup: Pickford, Holgate, Keane, Coleman, Mykolenko, Doucoure, Gomes, Iwobi, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Gordon
Crystal Palace's lineup: Butland, Mitchell, Anderson, Guehi, Clyne, Eze, Schlupp, Hughes, Ayew, Zaha, Mateta
A coach welcome and the pre-match atmosphere that was brewing, like Wimbledon, was silence as Jean-Phillippe Mateta opened the scoring in the 21st minute. Eberechi Eze whipped a ball in from a free kick, perfectly placing the ball to land on unmarked 6’4” striker Mateta, who headed it home, with Jordan Pickford’s palm not enough to resist the power of the header. Luck seemed to be going in the favour of the South London side, as Jordan Ayew perhaps should have been sent off for a shin-high tackle of Anthony Gordon, with VAR deciding it was not liable for the Ghanaian international to be dismissed. As well, a moment of madness from Seamus Coleman meant he was dispossessed by the goalscorer Mateta, leaving Patrick Vieira’s side on the counterattack. A whipped ball in and a poor clearance from Pickford meant the Everton defence were in bits, and after a scramble, with many of the defence watching on to see Mykolenko and Ayew duel right next to the goal line, the 32-year-old tucked it in at home, stretching Palace’s advantage to two, with Frank Lampard later revealing, "Part of managing is acting. You hide your inner thoughts. I’m thinking, because the game wasn’t going our way, the second goal was so bad for us."
However, Everton came out of the tunnel from the intermission fired up. In the 54th minute, Michael Keane was up for a free kick from a dangerous position. A headed knock pack following a cross from Ukrainian footballer Vitalii Mykolenko meant Keane had the opportunity to have a shot, doing so toe-poking it into the right-hand side of the Gwladys Street End, emerging a glimpse of hope! The crowd carried the Toffees into a second goal not long after when Dele Alli picked up an overhit cross from Coleman, having a shot towards goal blocked by Danish defender Joachim Andersen, landing perfectly for Brazilian attacker Richarlison, who desperately chipped the ball into the opposite side of the net, giving Everton the equaliser, whilst Goodison erupted!
Nerves were kicking in as the game dragged on, closing in on possibly the final attack of the game. In the 85th minute, Grey had the opportunity to whip the ball in from a free kick from the left-hand side. Although the pressure was sky-high, Grey crossed it in perfectly to a mid-air diving Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who headed it home, putting Everton 3-2 up and set to stay in the league for at least another year. As Grey and Richarlison fell to their knees, the Brazilian international spoke about the number of injections he took to temporarily heal from an injury he had picked up. Everton fans flooded the pitch, and as referee Anthony Taylor blew the full-time whistle, the green turf transformed into a sea of blue, with a long night of celebration, with manager Frank Lampard at the heart of it all, standing on the roof of the sponsor boxes, singing along. Dominic Calvert-Lewin commented on his goal and the occasion overall, agreeing with everyone in attendance that "it was unbelievably special. The amount of pressure that we were under, going two goals down and then getting to 2-2, I just felt that another chance would come. I just had to make sure I was in the right area. It was an incredible experience… It's why we love the game; it's why the fans love the game. You don't want to be in the position we were in, but then it produces moments like this. You can go from low to high so quickly. It is the biggest weight in the world that has been lifted!"
The creation of the Toffees’ new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock began all the way back in 2017-2019, when plans to build a new ground were confirmed, and American architect Dan Meis was confirmed to be the key man who delivered the blueprint. The 52,888-capacity arena was frowned upon at first, with a Liverpool fan arriving at the site to make a mockery of the plans that would soon create one of the most prestigious stadiums in the world by pointing the camera to a cone on the site, stating, “I’m sure there’ll be another cone by next year.” I'm sure whoever he is will be hiding now! Even the club has made a reference to this now, with Everton in The Community releasing a children’s book where “Cones” discover the new ground and talk about the journey there in an appropriate way for the younger generation. Also with the stadium, Liverpool, as a city, unfortunately was stripped of its UNESCO World Heritage Site status due to the docks now being regenerated. However, after all the planning, the execution/manufacturing was down to construction company Laing O’Rourke, who have been behind many projects outside of the footballing world, including Sydney Central Station Metro and Hinkley Point in Somerset, providing electricity for approximately 6 million homes. Construction continued all throughout the years, ending in late 2024, ready to hand over the keys to Everton. However, throughout construction, a life was lost. In August 2023, Michael (Goodison) Jones was working as usual on the ground, playing his part in such a monumental piece of construction; being a Toffee as well would have given Michael even extra motivation to work each day when disaster occurred. The 26-year-old from Kirby was working with a scissor ladder and became trapped inside the beam and machinery. Although being transferred to Aintree Hospital, Michael unfortunately died in hospital due to the large amount of head injuries. To mark Michael’s work, Everton have built a permanent memorial in his tribute outside of the new stadium inside the fan plaza.
The fan plaza is set to hold many other social events outside of a place for Toffees to congregate on matchday, including concerts! That is the hope for the stadium as a whole too… Already, even before Everton have played their opening first-team game there, Everton have confirmed that the ground will host England vs Australia in the Rugby League Ashes event on the 1st of November 2025, perhaps just the beginning to provide economic development not just for the club but for the surrounding areas too. With the stadium having the possibility for its capacity to be extended to up to 60,000, Everton’s future is looking bright, certainly in comparison to what Evertonians have had to suffer through for the past few years! Although, in hindsight, there have been far too many occasions when many of us have exited Goodison Park cold, wet, and with a gob on after being battered, the reality is these nights make Everton what we are. The fact we also go back, no matter the result, no matter who’s in charge, no matter what we watch on the pitch, we are there, always.
To look back on all the legacy of Goodison Park, the club has a lot of special events in the works that have been revealed. Prior to kickoff, the 1878s, a fan-based group who organise the flag displays around the ground, will be organising a coach welcome for the Everton team bus. With this not being their first rodeo, they set up the same pre-match atmosphere against Crystal Palace and Leeds United a couple of years ago now. Furthermore, every fan inside the stadium will be gifted a commemorative scarf, and after the final whistle is blown, marking the last kick of the ball for the men’s team at the Grand Old Lady, all the fans in the ground will be able to witness the “End of an Era” ceremony. The club plans to bring on Tony Bellew, who has been interviewed and said that “the club has done everything possible to make it as enjoyable as possible on Sunday… as sad as it’ll be… It’ll be a day to remember, and I can’t wait to be part of it.” Bellew will be alongside Welsh television presenter Gethin Jones, who has explained how excited he is to be given this opportunity and that “anyone reading this will know the stats and the 133-year history of the Grand Old Lady and its place as the cornerstone in the cultural fabric of the city… It’s going to be some send-off come Sunday – emotional, for sure, with some incredible memories to reflect on.” Both Bellew and Jones will welcome former and current players, introduce special content on the big screens, and have musical performances too.
The ceremony will last an hour, and Toffees will be able to purchase and consume alcohol and food within the stands even after the game has concluded, with bars in the stadium closing at 2:45pm. Certainly one man all the Toffees will be hoping to hear from is Seamus Coleman, who has spoken to Everton in a chat that will be the main interview in the matchday programme for the final game. However, some of the club legend’s words have been revealed, with the cult hero stating that “Goodison has been amazing to me, and just stepping on it once is an incredible feeling… it’s like a home from home for me. I think it’s easy to feel the atmosphere when you’re there, even when it’s empty—the Saturday three o’clock, the night-time kick-offs under the lights… There are so many emotions that I've had at Goodison, playing well and playing badly, but you can say for absolutely certain the fans will stick with you to the very end if they see someone who’s given it their all. I find myself staring around and thinking less about my own experiences and more about what it means to people and all the stories of the past.” Moyes has confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Coleman will “be part of the group… one way or the other”.
There is the question of whether Coleman will stay for another year or not, as the fullback’s contract is set to run out at the end of the season. Is it time to hang up the boots and potentially pursue a career in management and coaching, which he already has, managing for the first time after Sean Dyche’s sacking a couple of hours before Everton’s FA Cup fixture against Peterborough, with the Toffees coming out with a 2-0 win, with both Coleman and Leighton Baines in the dugout? There is also the potential of a lot more players leaving the club in the summer, with all of Jesper Lindstrøm (loan), Carlos Alcaraz (loan), Armando Broja (loan), Orel Mangala (loan), Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Michael Keane, Idrissa Gueye, João Virgínia, Ashley Young, Séamus Coleman and Asmir Begovic set to leave the club, but due to the new structure at the club set out by new owners The Friedkin Group, perhaps finding a better replacement, will be easier, as just this week new CEO Angus Kinnear has been confirmed, with the new backroom staff addition stating that, “It is a tremendous honour to be joining Everton as Chief Executive Officer. This is a club with a huge and passionate fanbase, steeped in a proud history and with enormous potential thanks to the vision of our ownership and the move this summer to an awe-inspiring new stadium. I am excited to work with my colleagues at the Club, our partners, and our fans as we strive together to deliver a successful and sustainable future for Everton, both on and off the pitch.”
Although many tears may be shed regarding Goodison, all is not bad, as this week it was confirmed that Everton Women will move from Walton Hall Park to Goodison Park, making it the permanent home of the women’s side from the 2025/26 season. Kinnear has stated on the matter, stating that “This decision honours Everton’s rich history while looking firmly to the future. It reflects our commitment to women’s football and ensures that a beloved stadium continues to inspire the next generation of Blues.” Also, the current Everton Women manager, Brian Sorensen, has explained that “our players will now have a stage that matches their potential, our fans will have a place to build an even stronger matchday culture, and young girls across Merseyside will see that this is a club where dreams can grow and come true.”
David Moyes has spoken in his pre-match press conference in the lead-up to the final game at Goodison Park, with the questions being highly focused towards the ground for obvious reasons. The Scottish manager, who had an 11-year spell between 2022 and 2013, stated that "Goodison's been brilliant for us. For everybody who has been here. Great for getting results and a brilliant stadium to play in." There were also a few questions about the summer, regarding a potential overhaul and who will be staying. Moyes revealed that there may be some announcement prior to the game on Sunday, and there was just the day after his press conference, with Everton confirming that Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia will leave the club when their contract expires at the end of June, with Moyes stating that “We also have five players on loan, and we will let them know their situations in due course.” Moreover, the reintroduction of Jake O’Brien seems imminent, as the Irish defender missed out on the Toffees' 3-1 win away at home, at Craven Cottage, on Saturday 10th May, with English defender Michael Keane, who scored Everton’s second goal of the afternoon, directly replacing the 24-year-old in the starting lineup. Tarkowski, Lindstrom, and Mangala remain out for the last home game of the season at Goodison. The potential of Seamus Coleman starting for the last fixture at the Grand Old Lady is something that has come into Moyes’ thinking, as he explained in his press conference.
Premier League Matchweek 37:
Friday 16th May:
Aston Villa 2-0 Tottenham
Chelsea 1-0 Man United
(Saturday 17th May: FA Cup Final - Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City)
Sunday 18th May:
Everton 12:00 Southampton
West Ham 14:15 Nottingham Forest
Brentford 15:00 Fulham
Leicester 15:00 Ipswich Town
Arsenal 16:30 Newcastle
Monday 19th May:
Brighton 20:00 Liverpool
Tuesday 20th May:
Crystal Palace 20:00 Wolves
Manchester City 20:00 Bournemouth
Thank you for reading my pre-match article!
(This will be the only article regarding the fixture)
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