Final game at Goodison - confirmed Sunday 18 May, 12PM


scullhed said:
It's a difficult one this noon kickoff. I've always been against stupid kickoff times and preferred traditional times, but this is not a traditional football day. It's the end of an era and needs to be celebrated by as many people as possible. The privileged 40k who get in might moan about the change to the weekly routine, but many more of us would give their right arm to swap places.

We'll be bringing my old man back to Liverpool where he's been going to Goodison since 1957. I personally have gone since my first home game in 1975. My sister and daughters are traveling back to just be near the ground they first went to aged 4 & 5.

None of us have a hope of getting in but just want to be in the city and as near Goodison as possible on the day. So we booked to be there for the whole weekend. Just soaking up the atmosphere which thankfully will be relaxed due to our great recent resurgence.

Nights at Goodison are incomparable. But as many people as possible sharing a historic moment binds the Everton community and is part of the move that takes the club forward.

Anyone who doesn't want to go to a 12:00 Sunday game, I'll take your ticket for my Dad!
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Yeah mate it’s those of us who pay our money and turn up week in week out, in all sorts of weather to watch all manner of terrible games who don’t deserve to go to the last one so people who quite fancy the odd derby or a big occasion like this can go. You’re dead right.
 

I don't know if it's been mentioned (probably) but why don't they televise the game in the fan plaza at BM for all the folks who show up to Goodison just to be there but don't have a ticket? Could act as another test event for similar events we should be holding in there.
 

Jacko93 said:
29th November, 2017.

My eldest lads 1st game. West Ham at home. We won 4-0 against a David Moyes led opposition.

About a week earlier, Everton had their Irish night at the ground, an opportunity to meet an Irish former player and a bit of a sport memorabilia sale. Myself and my Dad got an invite through some friends and we gladly obliged. The Irish player that night was a certain Gareth Farrelly..

A few days after that, I had completed some gratis work for Steve Binns retirement (volunteer who ran tours of Liverpool landmarks and was blind from birth, a truly remarkable man, look him up) and due to that I was interviewed on BBC Northwest tonight.

Anyway. The morning of the game arrives, and my Dad phoned me. "Listen Son, Im not feeling too great, and not sure about today's game. Im going to walk for the paper, and if I can get there and back, I can do the car to the Anfield Hotel. I'll have a rest, then we'll walk from there. I'll let you know."

He couldn't make it past the corner of his road, so I took my eldest lad on his ticket, to his first ever game.

We'd been drinking at the Anfield Hotel for over a decade at this point, maybe 15 years, and the girls there were absolute Queens, I appreciate every single one of them. Anyway, I walked in with my lad, and they couldnt believe it. This was the thing I missed the Chelsea game for back in December 2012, here he was, they were meeting him. They made such a fuss of him, gave him sandwiches, drinks, crisps and bought him sweets. He couldn't belive his luck.
I walked into the back room and one of the lads tapped me on the shoulder. "Eh. Lad, we're you on the box last night? I said to my missus, I know him". My lad looked at me like, what on earth is going on, but with a huge grin across his face. I felt 10 foot tall. In that moment I felt like I was a rock star to him.

We left the pub and walked to the ground, we bought a programme on the way up. His First ever match needed to be marked with a programme. We watched the game, 4-0 Everton, and fantastic performance, and great atmosphere. Plenty asking where my Dad was by the way.

We made our way home afterwards, a very tired, but happy boy in the back seat, he had spaghetti Bolognese for tea and I put him to bed. His last words to me that night was "Dad, that was the best day ever" and I cant lie, I shed a tear.

It turned out that my Dad couldn't make it, as he was actually experiencing a heart attack. His weakness and inability to walk, or breath really, that morning was due to his heart giving way. He was taken to the heart and chest at Broad Green where they worked their magic. I went to see him the next day and took along the programme ( which I hadn't really looked at). I opened it up to show him and on the first page I opened, there was a picture of my Dad and me, stood with our arms around Gareth Farelly.

The three of us go together these days, and no matter what happens from now until eternity, that single day will never be forgotten by me. A day when all could have been lost, but so much was gained. A day when the kindeness of Liverpool people ingrained itself into my sons heart, and the excellence of others saved my Dads.

Goodison park is a simple bystander in the whole of this story. But it is the place which holds the memory tightly. A place that I will forever attach this experience to.
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Lovely this mate. Truly.
 

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