I’ve followed Brighton up and down the country for well over 30 years, including Hereford and Chesterfield as well as Man City and Wembley. I just wanted to say that, without doubt, Everton fans last weekend were the most friendly, generous, funny, helpful we’ve met.
We stayed off County Road and headed to the Medlock Hotel to meet some Evertonians we knew. Along the way, people stopped for a chat and friendly banter, asked about the journey, hopes for the season…
The Medlock isn’t an obvious place for away fans, so, as we turned off towards the pub fans checked if we’d got lost, invited us to join them for a beer at their local, pointed the way. One wag offered us advice, “Make sure you wipe you feet when you leave the Medlock!” 😂.
As we walked in, the landlady asked if we were away fans and I worried maybe it wasn’t okay to be there. Far from it, she pointed me in the direction of the free food and insisted we help ourselves.
There were a couple of Reds acting like knobs in the main bar watching the lunchtime game, but in the back bar, full of Evertonians, we couldn’t have been made more welcome.
Even after the game when we might have expected some stick, people took the time to wish us well for the season and a safe journey back. The Everton fans we met are a credit to the team and to your brilliant city.
We went down to Bramley-Moore Dock on Sunday morning before heading back, to glimpse at the future. It looks stunning and will be a stadium fit for its brilliant support.
Good luck for the season.