Everton’s Goodison Park set for emotional last Merseyside derby

LONDON – Goodison Park, home of Everton since 1892, plays host to the Merseyside derby for the final time on Feb 12 as the Toffees aim to derail Liverpool’s English Premier League title charge.

Everton will move to a new state-of-the-art 53,000-capacity ground on Liverpool’s Bramley-Moore Dock next season when they finally leave behind England’s first major football stadium.

The origins of Goodison gave birth to the rivalry between the city’s two clubs.

Everton, formed in 1878, once called Anfield their home before a dispute over rent between their landlord John Houlding and the club’s board. Rather than meet Houlding’s demands, Everton moved to new land just across Stanley Park, approximately 1km away.

Left with a stadium but no team, Houlding, a local businessman and politician, decided to form his own – Liverpool.

Goodison was a ground-breaking development. It twice hosted the FA Cup final in 1894 and 1910 and allowed Everton to become the richest club in England at the time, thanks to bumper crowds.

“Behold Goodison Park!” The Out Of Doors publication reported in October 1892.

“No single picture could take in the entire scene the ground presents, it is so magnificently large.”

A series of developments ensured it remained among England’s leading stadia for over a century, playing host to more games than anywhere but Wembley during the Three Lions’ World Cup triumph in 1966.

Everton’s golden era arrived in the 1980s, winning two league titles, the FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup between 1984 and 1987.

They still sit fifth for most English top-flight titles, behind only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City. But the last of those came 38 years ago and Everton have not won a trophy since the 1995 FA Cup.

“It’s a place that is steeped in history. You can feel it and that brings that added bit of bite to the atmosphere,” Peter MacFarlane of Everton fan podcast The Blue Room told AFP.

“As an Evertonian there aren’t many people who follow us because they are glory hunters, especially over the past 30 years. We go there because we love the football club and that translates from us into Goodison. It’s not just any game, it means a lot to us, especially the derby!”

The club’s grand old ground has mirrored the decline on the pitch.

At the time of the latest major development, with the opening of the Park End stand in 1994 to bring the capacity to 40,100, it was surpassed only by Old Trafford and Anfield. Now it sits 10th.

But as Everton have battled relegation over the past three seasons, the Goodison atmosphere has been crucial to maintaining a 71-year uninterrupted stay in the top flight.

The return of David Moyes as manager in January has steered the team towards safety once more, amid hope for a fresh start in a new home.

“We’ll all miss Goodison. It is where my granddad went, my dad went. It is all we know, but it is time to move on,” added MacFarlane. “It doesn’t matter where Everton play, Evertonians will still be there.”

A long and emotional goodbye has only seven games to go.

Putting a spanner in the works of leaders Liverpool’s bid to match United’s record of 20 English titles would be the perfect farewell for long-suffering Toffees fans.

Jarrad Branthwaite, for one, has said that Everton must go into the final Goodison Park derby believing they can win.

“It is the Merseyside derby, another game that we are looking to win, that’s it,” the Toffees’ defender told beIN Sports.

“If you build it up too much, then you can fall under pressure. So I think for us as players, we are going into it with the belief that we can get a result like last season (2-0 win).

“The fans, they create the atmosphere for us to go out there and do a job. We need to go out and perform.” AFP