Premier League: Goodison Goodbye is Underway

Everton vs Brentford

It was this game last season which secured Everton’s Premier League status with three weeks to spare.

A third home win in seven days, all without conceding a goal, and a contest won through a solitary strike from Idrissa Gueye.

Everton should not have such a relegation battle on their hands this time, despite a woeful start to the campaign from which they have slowly recovered.

They should also have too much for Brentford who appear better equipped at home than on their travels.

Home is certainly where the heart is for both these clubs.

Talking Points

I was in my local post office at the weekend – posting a football ticket as it turned out – when I got talking to the chap who served me.

Turns out he’s an Evertonian. The club has been in his blood and that of his family for generations.

In fact, he told me with mixed emotions that, once Goodison Park finally closes its turnstiles at the end of this season, he will have no reason to return to the area – an area of which he has many happy memories and family connections but which is no longer home to any of his relatives.

Once the club moves to the new £800 million stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, that will be that, so he has already planned to take his son at least twice between now and the end of the campaign.

He’d like to go for the swansong (against Southampton) next May but tells me that fixture is, understandably, already sold out.

This got me thinking of my visits to Goodison over the years and how I want to return one final time to the charming old stadium which is laced with history and tradition.

Unlike Peter (said chap in Post Office), I am not an Everton fan.

Unlike Peter, I don’t have the emotional connection he attaches with Goodison – incidentally, he acknowledges the fact the club needs improved and upgraded facilities but just wishes the money had been available to redevelop Goodison (rather than move to a new site) a number of years ago when that was still an option.

Anyone who has been there can attest that, in some ways, it is a place from a bygone era but it is one which has seen some of the most important episodes in English football history.

Thomas Frank is ready to lead Brentford in upcoming Premier League clash against Everton — Brentford head coach Thomas Frank greets Manchester United players after their Premier League clash last October 2024

Episodes which should be cherished and which is why supporters of Brentford – playing there for only the fifth time in 70 years – should take a final look around before they leave.

There is no question that new modern stadiums provide a much-improved experience for the match going fan – the Bees can attest to that after moving from Griffin Park to the GTech Community Stadium in 2020.

But they will appreciate more than most that, as the game changes, so another part of the appeal which makes football the national game, disappears too.

As the countdown begins and until the curtains close in May, football fans should savour the final six months of Goodison and pay their own respects.

History

It certainly surprised me – and may surprise you – to know that Everton and Brentford have traditionally been evenly matched over the years.

One club may have been champions of England no fewer than nine times, but they have only defeated Brentford 11 times, just one more than they have been beaten by the Bees.

There have been a further three draws.

Their very first meeting came in April 1936 as they met twice in four days in the former Division One and Brentford won them both – 2-1 at Goodison and then 4-1 at home.

Playing in the Toffees’ line-up that day was the great Dixie Dean.

Until three years ago, they had not met in the league since 1954.

Their first Premier League meeting in November 2021 was settled by an Ivan Toney penalty.

They actually followed that up with a 3-2 success at Goodison to seal a league double – another example of how, since promotion in 2021, manager Thomas Frank has worked wonders on a shoestring budget.

Since then, Everton have won three of their clashes with one draw.

That includes last season’s meeting with Gueye’s winner and a 3-1 victory at the Gtech Community Stadium.

On that occasion, James Tarkowski and Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted twice in four minutes to win the game after Abdoulaye Doucouré and Mathias Jensen had traded first half goals.