By: A lifelong Bluenose,  with a Tear in His Eye and a Smile on His Face.

Let’s get one thing straight: leaving Goodison Park is going to hurt. I’m talking about the proper, lump-in-the-throat, can’t-quite-speak kind of hurt. The kind of ache you only get when something that’s part of your very soul changes forever, or when you lose something that has lived with you your whole life.

But before we all drown in sentiment, let’s lace up our boots, take a walk down Memory Lane, and have a chuckle while we’re at it. Because if there’s one thing we Evertonians are good at – besides spotting when the opposition is imminently going to score – it’s finding warmth and humour in even the most bittersweet of moments.

My first game? Oxford United, 1981. I was barely tall enough to see over the head of the fella in front (who, to be fair, was probably wearing a hat with a bobble the size of a grapefruit). Sat in the Main Stand beside my arl fella – my hero, mentor and fellow Blue – I was hooked from the first whistle.

I had an Everton scarf tied around my wrist, not because I was trying to look cool (though I definitely thought I did), but because it meant something. It was a badge of honour, a statement: I belong here.

I remember the walk up to the ground, that growing buzz in the belly. The click of the turnstile, the smell of the hot dogs, and that low murmur of anticipation before kick-off that never left me, and the way your senses kicked in as soon as you hit the steps – the whiff of cigars and pipes as older fellas puffed away. That smell meant it was matchday. That smell meant everything.

And what a ride it’s been since. Two league titles. Umpteen victories over that lot over the park. Big Dunc's header against the Mancs. The Great Escape against Wimbledon and Barry Horne's screamer. The 4-4 Cup games vs Liverpool. The FA Cup marathon with Sheffield Wednesday in 1988.

 Doucoure’s goal against Bournemouth and the heart palps thereafter. Rooney’s arrival with the winner against Arsenal. 4-0 against Man City. Jagielka's thunderbolt. And more recently Tarkowski's equaliser.

The finest team in Europe (even if Uefa bottled it and stopped us proving it). Bayern Munich in 1985 – that night was glorious. The Old Lady shook like it had a soul of its own that night, and maybe she did. I swear Goodison lifted off the ground. She wasn’t just rocking; she was roaring. You don’t make all those memories in bricks and mortar alone. You build them in roars, in cheers, in chants echoing off the blue, cold steel beams.

But she didn’t just serve up the highs, did she? Oh no. There were the terrible nights too – soul-sapping, gut-wrenching, why-do-I-put-myself-through-this kind of nights. Games where the air turned cold with misery and you trudged down the stairs wondering if you’d ever see us score again, let alone win.

But even in those moments, there was something strangely comforting. Because you weren’t alone. You had your dad beside you. Your brother muttering under his breath. Your uncle shaking his head and making you all laugh. Your cousin telling you that, “Next week is the big one.” Your mates assuring a victory the following week.

There’s something uniquely Everton about the Archibald Leitch stands, with their criss-cross ironwork and their proud, no-nonsense posture – though they’re etched into our memories, It was the people, the family. The generations of Blues who lived and breathed every minute with you.

It wasn’t just about football. It was about shared lives, shared laughter, and shared heartbreaks. Even the clock in the corner felt like part of the family – always there, always ticking, even if the football wasn’t. Seats were put in over time, the old girl got a bit more modern (just a bit), but she never lost that edge, that soul. She never became something she wasn’t.

And now, as we prepare to move, I find myself full of thanks more than sadness. Because I’ve got the memories. I've got the cold nights, the warm goals, the smells, the scarf around my wrist, and – most importantly – I’ve got all of it wrapped up in the people I care for the most.

And that’s what we’re saying goodbye to; not just a stadium, but a living, breathing piece of our identity. Goodison has heard generations cheer, groan, sing, and swear – sometimes all within 30 seconds of one another. She’s been the backdrop to first games, first goals, first pints after the match, and first ever real sporting heartbreak.

But here's the thing: The Grand Old Lady isn’t vanishing. She’s evolving. Like your nan moving into a posh new bungalow – it might feel strange at first, but give it time, and you’ll see the same warmth, the same stories, just with better toilets and no obstructed views.

The mgnificent Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock will be our new home, and soon enough it’ll have its own echoes, its own legendary nights, and – if there’s any justice – its own Bayern Munich moment. We’re taking her spirit with us. The songs, the banners, the sense of defiance mixed with dry Scouse humour. All of it’s packed up in the metaphorical boot of the car, right next to your lucky scarf and half-eaten Sayer’s sausage roll.

Yes, leaving Goodison Park for one last time will definitely be very emotional. There’ll be tears. There’ll be photos snapped and bricks touched one last time. But there’ll also be laughter, stories shared, and pint glasses raised. Because this isn’t just an end; it’s a new chapter for The People’s Club.

We’ll carry Goodison in our hearts, in our voices, in our stubborn loyalty and gallows humour. And wherever we go, we’ll carry the Grand Old Lady with us. In our hearts, in our chants, and let’s be honest, in our grumbles. Some things never change.

So, here’s to The Grand Old Lady. To the joy, the pain, the pipe smoke, and the scarves. To my dad, my brother, my uncle, my cousin, my old and new friends – and to every Blue who’s stood side-by-side, arms aloft or hugging strangers after a goal, and those also dared to dream to same dreams as me. We’ll miss her. But we’ll never forget her.

See you at the new place, lads and lasses. But one last time from the bottom of my heart; thanks, Goodison. You were unquestionably magic.

Reader Comments (39)

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Michael Kenrick
1 Posted 13/05/2025 at 13:06:35
Great piece of writing, Andy.

An excellent contribution to our collection of personal stories about the leaving of Goodison.

Thanks for this.

Colin Malone
2 Posted 13/05/2025 at 13:42:01
After 50 odd years, I'm dreading it.
Christy Ring
3 Posted 13/05/2025 at 13:45:34
Lovely piece, Andy.

Its history will never be forgotten, from Dean, Collins, Vernon, Young, Ring, Labone, Ball, Kendall, Harvey, Latchford… the fabulous Kendall kingpins in the '80s, Royle's FA Cup win.

It could have seen so much more honours, but for the ban… sorry to finish on a sour note.

Jim Wilson
4 Posted 13/05/2025 at 13:46:15
A wonderful look back.

Thank you, Andy.

Roy Johnstone
5 Posted 13/05/2025 at 14:02:36
Excellent post, Andy. Sums it up perfectly, particularly the family bit at the end. That's what I'll miss most.

David Squires has done an excellent cartoon in The Guardian today which also got me going. Check it out.

Ernie Baywood
6 Posted 13/05/2025 at 14:04:33
I can't honestly say I'm dreading it. I think it's great that we're moving and I can't wait for the new stadium. I've also made my peace – I got my goodbye and, even if the performance on the pitch was atrocious, I got to say my farewells in a way that I felt was completely perfect.

But it hurts and it's been building up for a while. From afar, it's going to be emotional. For this ex-pat, Goodison has always felt more like home than anywhere else.

I can't really think of any life experience that compares to these two extremes. Excitement and devastation don't typically go together.

Danny O'Neill
7 Posted 13/05/2025 at 14:11:36
Brilliant, Andy.

It's going to be an emotional week, let alone on the day itself. There probably won't be a dry eye in the house come Sunday inside the old girl, around County Road and in the city centre. I'm starting already.

It feels like a father walking his daughter down the aisle and handing her over to make a new life.

We've all got our memories. The great ones. The bad ones. But they will always be there and never go away.

Paul Kossoff
8 Posted 13/05/2025 at 15:05:42
Sad to see Goodison go. I've had many happy days with my brothers and my dear dad. First went when I was 5, I looked around, frowned and said to my dad, "Can you please tell them to be quite, I'm getting a headache!"

I had a season ticket up to when I left Liverpool. Stole my seat when we won the league in 1970.

Scared of heights when the new stand went up, I was bit worried when my dad said "I wonder how long it would take you to hit the pitch if I throw you over the balcony?"

I've written a chant to Goodison, to the tune of Tina Turner's Simply The Best:

You're Goodison Park, better than all the rest, stood the time and stood the test
The grand old lady, simply the best

You're Goodison Park, you brought us cups, you brought us leagues
All the fame and all the cheers
Seen us through 133 years

You're Goodison Park, better than all the rest, stood the time and stood the test
The grand old lady, simply the best

You're Goodison Park, been with us since 1892
Through you we are forever blue
That's why we'll not forget you

You're Goodison Park, better than all the rest, stood the time and stood the test
The grand old lady, simply the best
You're Goodison Park.

Christy Ring
9 Posted 13/05/2025 at 15:11:18
Paul #8 Lovely family memories Paul.
Brian Acheson
10 Posted 13/05/2025 at 15:28:19
Back of the net Andy!
Paul Kossoff
11 Posted 13/05/2025 at 15:34:02
Thanks Christy.
Andy Meighan
12 Posted 13/05/2025 at 15:38:20
Brilliant that, Andy.

Most of the last 2 seasons, I've walked out the old lady muttering to myself "I'll be glad to see the back of this bastard place, it's cursed."

Home defeats, goalless games — I couldn't wait to get off and go and sink a few in the Harlech doing the post mortem with the boys.

But now that it's only a few short days away, I'm starting to get quite emotional about the place.

I'll miss the lads and lasses who sit near me, all great people and I'm sure we will meet again at the new cathedral, but it won't be the same.

Gonna be hard on Sunday but, as my youngest brother said last night, it's time to move now, and he's 💯 right.

Great read that, Andy, and old girl, thanks for the memories.

Liam Mogan
13 Posted 13/05/2025 at 15:43:21
Great this Andy. Really enjoyed reading it.

Goodison has always been a refuge for me especially during the trials and tribulations life throws at you.

It's a place of family for me. I still go with 3 generations (my dad and his grandkids). Took my sister to her first ever game when she 9 when we picked up the League trophy in 1987. Now I sit next to her daughter.

Makes me laugh when people denigrate women for their lack of football knowledge just for being, well, women. Those 2 know just about more than anyone.

We will all be sitting together at BMD but it will take sometime to re-create the memories we've shared.

Paul Hewitt
14 Posted 13/05/2025 at 16:03:26
Well, it's not really goodbye to the grand old lady…

The club just announced the ladies team will play there from next season.

Goodison Park set to be the new home for Everton Women

Mike Gaynes
15 Posted 13/05/2025 at 16:05:13
This is a superior piece of writing, Andy. Well done.
Danny O'Neill
16 Posted 13/05/2025 at 16:13:35
Liam, she's like our first girlfriend. We'll never forget her. Mine was a Kopite by the way but we're still in touch.

Much talk of taking seats. I didn't have a seat in the Gwladys Street. I got in early with my mates just above the ledge to get a decent speck on the terrace right in front of the goal.

Tieing my brother on the front barrier of the ledge with a scarfe. Checking on him at half time and picking him up at full time.

Memories that will live forever. But now we look to the future that awaits.

Jay Harris
18 Posted 13/05/2025 at 16:33:42
Quality post, Andy.

Great memories from attending my first game around 1959 with my dad, grandad and uncle, all sadly passed now, to running on the pitch after climbing over the Boys Pen in 1963 when we won the league beating Fulham.

The 60s were the best time of my life with my hero Roy Vernon, the golden vision, Bally, Chico Scott, Alex Parker etc.

Briefly threatened to repeat in the '70s with another league title with what was supposed to be the best Everton side ever with Ball, Harvey, Kendall and Joe Royle.

Then absolutely superseded by the magnificent '80s with too many great players to mention and that never to be forgotten Bayern Munich night.

James Marshall
19 Posted 13/05/2025 at 22:18:00
Andy – do me a favour and tie your scarf around your wrist on Sunday will you?

I won't be there myself, but this was a lovely read.

Liam Mogan
20 Posted 13/05/2025 at 22:29:55
Is anyone else wearing a full kit, shirt, socks, shorts, the lot on Sunday?

50/50 on shinpads

Paul Kernot
21 Posted 14/05/2025 at 03:19:28
Brilliant, Andy.

My first game was with my dad when I was 6 and the scarf was and always has been round my wrist.

I took my wife to the pre-season in Sydney last year. After 40 years together, she finally saw me at an Everton game and gets it.

Paul Ferry
22 Posted 14/05/2025 at 03:54:01
Andy, a lovely post with the right balance of nostalgia and the future, but I did struggle a little with this mate: 'Umpteen victories over that lot over the park'.

This is our home league record against them since my first game at The Old Lady in 1974:

P49 W11 D22 L16 F49 A64 PTS 55 (x3pts) 44 (x2pts)

‘Umpteen victories’?

That’s a win rate of 22.44%.

Our ‘glory years’ in this respect were not 1984-87 but 1992-94.

I hated them at home more than I hated them away.

I was so fecking hammered at the Rush Derby that I thought it was 0-6 (I was in the Street End behind the goal!) and was made up when we got back to the Prince of Wales on Stanley Road to meet up with our red mates to find out that it was only 0-5.

Ian Jones
24 Posted 14/05/2025 at 06:58:30
Liam @ 24,

'Is anyone else wearing a full kit, shirt, socks, shorts, the lot on Sunday? 50/50 on shinpads'

John Terry perhaps... 😀

Mark Murphy
25 Posted 14/05/2025 at 23:01:16
I'm going on Sunday. I haven't got a ticket, nor am I likely to get one. I've got my hotel booked for Sunday night so I can hang around all day but I've no idea what to expect. I've never been outside the ground during a game. I was thinking I'd just watch it on the telly in an empty Harlech or Wilmslow but it's sounds like thousands of others have the same idea.

One thing I'm sure of — there will be tears. I truly believe the new stadium will bring on the resurrection of our great club… but the leaving of Goodison Park will bring a devastating and soul-destroying pain to my heart and soul.

How I wish I had a Tardis! The passing of time, memories, sights, sounds and smells, is a cruel price to pay for “longevity”.

I reckon I've 10 years left unless I drink cabbage soup and water for the rest of my days — in which case, 10 and a bit of miserable existence, but by god I hope (and expect tbh) we win something in that time!

If not — I wish we could stay at “home”!

Ernie Baywood
26 Posted 15/05/2025 at 10:46:35
Just watched the Sky documentary.

I thought I was ready for this. I really don't think I am ready for this.

John Keating
27 Posted 15/05/2025 at 11:30:36
I know it’s weird but, although it wasn’t my first game at Goodison, when the team came out on the pitch against Ipswich I had a flashback to them coming out against Fulham in 63!

I don’t know why it wasn’t my first game, or one later, it was Fulham in 63

I’m sure those around me must have wondered why I was just standing there mouth open whilst everyone else was cheering the team onto the pitch?

Weird

Dave Lynch
28 Posted 15/05/2025 at 11:38:32
May be one of the few who is happy to be leaving... my first game in 1969, the 3-2 win over Leeds.
I fell in love with Johnny Morrisey that day, the sound of his boots thundering down the wing from my seat on the wall in the bullens road.
Still...im not averse to change and let's face it we should have moved seasons ago.
Here's to new beginnings and hopefully a new legacy for our younger fans.
Nostalgia is not all it was in my book.
Dave Abrahams
29 Posted 15/05/2025 at 11:49:05
Mark (25) Mark do yourself a favour, go to Goodison handy10-00am and mix with crowds outside the ground then around 11-15am get the bus into town and go to The Sovereign Cross in Victoria Street, ( Ned Kelly’s ) if you can get in! and you will be with loads of Everton fans enjoying our last game at Goodison.

I doubt that you will but it is a good option, meanwhile pray that you get a ticket from somewhere! Best wishes that you do along with Danny and a few more genuine Everton Bluenoses.

Danny O'Neill
30 Posted 15/05/2025 at 12:57:54
Let's not beat around the bush. As much as we are looking forward to our new home, something I've preached for 30 years, this Sunday and the week building up to it is going to be absolutely heart breaking.

I don't think I can carry enough tissues to help out fellow Evertonians.

I just hope, and will pray and confide with my dog, that the team show up, win and send to Old Lady off before she passes time to the new girl.

Rob Halligan
31 Posted 15/05/2025 at 13:21:38
Tony Bellew and Gethin Jones to host the farewell ceremony on Sunday. Part of this clip has the Bellew v Makabu fight held at Goodison. You got to watch and listen to Bellew’s entrance again…………….

https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2025/may/15/tony-bellew---gethin-jones-to-host--end-of-an-era--ceremony-at-goodison-park-farewell/

Mark Murphy
32 Posted 16/05/2025 at 07:20:54
Thanks Dave - I may do that, but knowing me I’ll just wander around without a plan hoping they’ll open a gate or a Southampton fan will take pity on me and give me his ticket. Maybe I’ll try the old “matchball coming through” trick.
I’m hoping to get into St Luke’s and I’ve GOT to have one in the Harlech, the black horse and maybe the Anfield Hotel which was my pre match back in the day.
Town IS an option though as I hope to meet my son Billy, who’s at John Moores, and who finishes Uni today.
Hope you have a memorable day and I hope to meet you, and your lad, somewhere along the way.
UTFT
Danny O'Neill
33 Posted 16/05/2025 at 08:37:35
I saw that yesterday Rob.

I will understand if supporters take to the pitch, but for once, I hope they don't.

Let the former players on, Paul McCartney (apparently) singing.

If they do, I wouldn't fancy their chances against the Toxteth born, Wavertree Bomber.

Randomly but on the subject of Liverpool boxers, Shea Neary, the "Shamrock Express". Kensington raised (Liverpool, not Chelsea!!) born, but close to his Irish roots.

Fought in St George's Hall, which I didn't realise, a few times at Everton Park and then the one in Stanley Park when he wore blue gloves. His opponent wore red.

There is a film, which I need to dig out.

Colin Glassar
34 Posted 16/05/2025 at 08:46:00
My memories of Goodison are strictly personal, in the sense that I didn’t go with my grandad, dad, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters etc… I went on my own as all my family are/were reds.

I was the black sheep (can you still say that?) of the family. The chosen one. The anointed one. Butt of ridicule and scorn. But I didn’t give a toss. Despite all the piss taking and dirty looks, I stood tall and carried on.

Do I have regrets? You bet your life I do. In hindsight, would I change my choice? Not on your Nelly!! I would’ve missed seeing the Holy Trinity in all their splendour. Watching Labby lead the lads out onto the hallowed turf. The excitement of feeling a renaissance happening with the likes of Wood, Pejic, Dobson, King, Mckenzie, Thomas, Latchford etc…

I followed from afar the glory days of the 80’s unable to watch any games in my usual speck on Gwladys st. And for the last 30 odd years, with a few exceptions, it’s been tough going trying to keep the faith. But this is what makes us Evertonians. A special breed

Old blue eyes summed it up perfectly for with his classic, My Way

Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it MY WAY

Could this be our song for BMD?

Gerry Quinn
35 Posted 16/05/2025 at 11:44:35
Fabulous article on BBC website...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/extra/z9dcarbihm/goodbye-goodison

Colin Glassar
36 Posted 16/05/2025 at 12:06:29
It's now, for me, starting to feel real.

I'll miss the old bird.

Danny O'Neill
37 Posted 16/05/2025 at 12:16:58
Did you say that a few times in the Grafton, Colin?

Joke by the way. Comedy isn't my strong point, so don't take it the wrong way.

Let's hope we all enjoy the occasion and bring the points home one last time.

Colin Glassar
38 Posted 16/05/2025 at 12:24:04
The last time I was in the Grafton, I was about 15, Danny. A long time ago.

I might have done a slightly tipsy version of My Way

Danny O'Neill
39 Posted 16/05/2025 at 12:26:27
Get you on the pitch at the end on Sunday Colin and pass you the mic!!

You would outdo McCartney.

Brendan McLaughlin
40 Posted 16/05/2025 at 12:43:50
Colin #38,

Is there any other version of My Way?

Colin Glassar
41 Posted 16/05/2025 at 15:58:04
Not really, Brendan. I think it would be a fitting anthem for all us old, blue eyed blues.

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