A year ago today, Everton’s Premier League status was on the line on the final day of the season for the third time.
It was a nerve-shredding day for loyal but long-suffering Blues supporters, but thankfully, given that Abdoulaye goal ensured the club avoided a first relegation in 72 years and Sean Dyche has subsequently steered the team to safety again this term despite two separate point deductions, we can all look back on that high-stakes match with a sense of relief some 12 months on.
Writing in his matchday programme, Dyche said: “We all know the importance of today’s match and what it means to everybody connected with Everton Football Club. There is a lot on the line, but the focus has to remain on us and what we do here at Goodison.
“Through our spirited performances in recent weeks, we have earned the right to control our own destiny today. We know there will be noise elsewhere with what may be going on at other clubs but our only concern is keeping to our game plan and giving absolutely everything to beat Bournemouth.”
Given the magnitude of the occasion, spectators turned up early at Goodison Park and arriving over two hours before kick-off, This correspondent found a crowded scene outside the Winslow as the atmosphere built ahead of Everton’s most-important match in a generation. While I then made my way over to County Road to report on the enormous gathering before the fan march to the stadium, my colleague Joe Thomas opted for a more- serious setting.
Writing in the ECHO’s live blog, he remarked: “There’s a surreal atmosphere in and around Goodison this afternoon. Lots of people milling around the ground from early on, the sunshine providing a weird juxtaposition to the anxiety.
“I’ve had a drink (non alcoholic) in the Winslow, which was full an hour ago and where a nervous optimism pervaded. The media box is full; predictably, this has brought a lot of the big beasts to Goodison for the biggest story of the day. I’ve come up to the press seats early to get away from the circus. Everton’s press food is lovely, but I’ve got a packed lunch to eat in the stands while it’s quiet.
“Up here in the wooden streets, it is still calm before the storm. Yerry Mina has been out on the pitch, taking in the stadium on the day of his final game for the club.
“And while fans are not yet in the stand, I can hear the chorus of Marching Down the Goodison Road from the street outside and, as I walked up the empty stairwell, I could taste a tinge of blue pyro smoke from those on the other side of the walls.”
Leave a Reply