Everton v AS Roma – A Little Bit of Football and War

13/08/2024  -  3.12

Alex Alexandrou

This is the final season that Everton FC, one of the founding members of the Football League will be playing at the iconic and historic Goodison Park before moving to its new 52,000 capacity Bramley-Moore Dock stadium, that is currently in its final phases of construction.

So it was with great anticipation that my son and I travelled up to Liverpool to attend the Everton v AS Roma pre-season international friendly. My son is a lifelong Evertonian due to Leighton Baines being his favourite player when he was a young lad. No one can claim that he is a glory hunter! He has seen the team play away a number of times and has suffered the travails of the club in recent years in common with his fellow Toffees but now had the chance to see his club play at home for the first time, as we are not originally from the area.

We wanted to soak up as much of the history and tradition of attending a match at Goodison Park as we could. Once we arrived, we took a walk through Stanley Park from Liverpool’s ground through to Goodison Park. A walk many generations of fans have made over the years and with one of my Everton friends telling me that this will be one of the pre-match rituals he will miss when the move to new stadium takes place.

We arrived at Goodison Park, where there is history everywhere from statues of great players from Dixie Dean to Colin Harvey and the stands bedecked with the history of the club. 

Dixie Dean. Source: Author's Collection

We took a walk around it ending up at the Gwladys Street end, which pays homage to Howard Kendall, a club legend both as a player and manager. This was the stand we would be watching the match later but we had a few ports of call to make before then. 

Howard Kendall. Source: Author's Collection

Firstly, we visited the St Luke-The Evangelist church which on matchdays hosts the Everton FC Heritage Society, which was founded in 2008 and has as its mission to preserve and promote the heritage and history of this great club. We were in for a treat as Richie Gillham and his colleagues had curated a great exhibition of Everton history and memorabilia, along with having stands where you could buy programmes, badges, scarves and assorted memorabilia which we duly did. 

Everton FC Heritage Society Exhibition at St Luke's. Source: Author's Collection

Richie gave us a warm and generous welcome and it is clear that he and his colleagues have a huge passion for the club, its history and its heritage. We hope that such a space is afforded to the Society at the new stadium because Richie and his colleagues are true custodians of the history and heritage of the club and deserve to be able to tell and show it for current and future generations of Evertonians.

Richie and Gaz. Source: Author's Collection

We then went on to pay our respect, commemorate and remember the legendary Dixie Dean and those from the club that made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War and the Second World War, that included the charismatic and inimitable Leigh Richmond Roose MM, who it is safe to say was the first superstar goalkeeper in the early part of the 20th Century.

Memorial to the Fallen. Source: Author's Collection

Next, to The Winslow Hotel, affectionally known as The Peoples Pub. It is one of the favoured hostelries of the Everton faithful, where you are met with genuine kindness and shown great hospitality. 

The Winslow Hotel. Source: Author's Collection

It has recently had a bit of a makeover and you still smell the fresh paint. As with the stadium, it is adorned with images and words that record the history of the club. 

History of Everton from a Fan's Perspective at The Winslow Hotel. Source: Author's Collection

It also has commemorative plaques including one dedicated to Norman H. Greenhalgh, a wartime international during World War Two, who later became landlord of the pub.

Norman H. Greenhalgh Plaque at The Winslow Hotel. Source: Author's Collection

It was time for the match and prior to the start, there was a minute’s applause to commemorate the three young girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, who were tragically killed in the Southport stabbing attack. This was impeccably observed and was another testament to the club and its fans, who in times of adversity stand with and support the bereaved.

The match as with the beautiful weather did not disappoint. It was a competitive and entertaining match with the spoils shared in a 1-1 draw. Lorenzo Pellegrini put the visitors in front and Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised for the hosts in front of a crowd of 31,324, with the small but vocal AS Roma following providing much colour and noise.

Football, History, War, Commemoration and Remembrance - what more could a fan want?

Biography

Alex Alexandrou is Co-Founder and Chair of the Football and War Network.