Memories of Goodison
From about 1954 to the 1970s
I grew up in Roxburgh Street, 10 minute walk from Goodison. My dad was a Blue, immensely proud of having been, aged 16, supporting and celebrating behind the goal in which Dixie scored his 60th goal!
On matchdays he arrived home from work around 1 o'clock and went out around 2:15 to join the procession of grey macs, flat caps, trilbies and occasional blue-and-white scarves, crossing the bottom of the street on its way from Kirkdale Station to Goodison Park. Playing in the street, we kids could hear the cheers and groans from Goodison, and judge Everton's progress. 5 o'clock every Saturday was sacred; sausage and chips for tea, Sports Report on the wireless, and Dad checking his draws on the pools, dreaming of that elusive £75,000 that he never won.
Going to Goodison
On Reserve Saturdays, Dad sometimes took my younger brother and I to a reserve match, so we could be awed by the grandeur of the best stadium in the country, run up and down the steps, swing on the barriers and occasionally watch the football. When I reached about 10, my best friend and I started going to the Boys Pen, that infamous Cage on the junction of the Gwladis Street and Bullens Road terraces. It was raucous and lively in there, but I don't remember anything like the '60s and '70s violence I've read about in other reminiscences - it was no worse than the Boys Playground in my Elementary School. I wasn't keen on it though: I was a skinny little runt, couldn't see much of the game, and I found other things to do on Saturdays, like reading library books!
That ended when I was 13. My fifteen-year-old cousin, visiting from Cheltenham, pleaded with Dad to take her to a match, and insisted I went as well. As a girl it was unseemly for her to go on the terraces, so we all went in the Gwladys Street Stand, to watch Everton beat Sunderland.
I was hooked: watching Everton far outclassed reading, so Dad now had me for company at every home match, at the front of the Goodison Road terrace, level with the Gwladys Street goal line.
My Goodison Highlights
September 1957. 72,000 crowd. Playing Man U [the Busby Babes]: 3-3 with about 10 minutes to go. Wally Stephens makes a mazy diagonal run to the Bullens/Gwladys corner, whips in a gorgeous cross to Dave Hickson. Towering, powerful header - bang - 4-3!!! Oh no, don't believe it - Disallowed. For offside?!? There were dodgy refs even then, without VAR!
Floodlights were installed in October 1957, four 54m high towers full of searchlights. They were inaugurated with a 59,000 crowd watching us beat Second Division Liverpool 2-0 in a friendly [the Reds were relegated in 1954, promoted in '63] I remember my first floodlit match being magical - not just the glowing green pitch and the powerful beams, but also the thousands of what looked like flickering glowworms, as spectators took drags on their ciggies, and sent the blue smoke swirling in the light. And we beat Liverpool - but they were only a 2nd Division team.
1962 heading for the Championship. We had moved to Allerton, and at Goodison to the shelf above the exit next to the Church. Boxing Day: Everton Leading the Championship race. In heavy snow Dad, my brother and myself got as far as Penny Lane en route to Goodison, to be greeted by notices of cancelled buses and a postponed match! In fact, it was the rest of the Season that was postponed: it was March before the thaw let us go to another match, and that was a 0-0 draw at Anfield!
April '63: Championship decider (?) against Spurs. 68,000 crowd. We were in Gwladys Street end. 0-0 in second half when Roy Vernon lofted a lovely ball from near the half-way line. Alex Young hung in the air for several minutes before guiding it home. Brilliant.
Three weeks later, our final match of the season. Beat Fulham, and we were champions; draw and Spurs, with 4 games left, could still overtake us. 65,000 crowd. Blues winning 3-1 at half time, thanks to Young (1) and Vernon (2). I remember Everton's total control making the second half a bit quiet, dull almost. Then, 5 minutes to go, a long raking pass to Vernon, who raced into Fulham's penalty area to hammer home a goal like Tarkowski's recent beauty. Goodison exploded!!! Deafening noise for another hour or more - I lost my voice; it took days for it to recover.
Our first Championship since 1939, but surely not the last...?
Oct '63; Not really a Goodison Highlight, but ... Leaving Liverpool. I went to Bristol Uni, and spent 6 years in Bristol. I got to Goodison fairly frequently, mainly in the vacations. And I hitched to away matches in the Midlands and London, with every game confirming Goodison's superiority to every other ground.
November '64: more a lowlight! Newly promoted Leeds United came to Goodison. My totally unbiased memory is of Everton kicking off, Leeds' first vicious tackle going in, free kick, another "hard" Leeds tackle, free kick, and so it went on. Dad opined we'd soon be down to ten men. "Someone injured?" I asked. "No, one of ours sent off." Fourth minute, Sandy brown [one of ours] hacked down, got up, flattened his assailant, and was sent off. Uproar. 30 minutes in, Derek Temple chasing long clearance (Paddock side), Leeds defender ignored the ball, crunched into Temple, who went down and had to be stretchered off. Worst uproar I've ever seen at a football match: Ref marched both teams off, for 10 mins; then went on the tannoy, threatening to stop the match if crowd didn't behave. Temple's assailant scored, Leeds won 1-0, FA reprimanded and fined Everton, let Leeds off. Dirtiest team I've ever seen.
1966: My best friend managed to get us Cup Final tickets. A marvellous victory, as everyone knows, but I was in despair when Wednesday scored their second goal, still slumped with my head between my knees when Trebilcock scored for us, and I leaped into the air in triumph, calling out "That's it, we'll win!!" Trebilcock got his second, then Temple set off on a one-on-one with the keeper. We were celebrating before he scored - he never missed those!
1966 World Cup: I had tickets for the Goodison Games. Great atmosphere and crowd involvement. Hungary were brilliant against Brazil, winning 3-1. Their coach was in the echo next day, thanking Goodison for our unexpected vibrant support. Brazil against Portugal was billed as the match to settle who was the greatest, Eusabio or Pele: Portugal spent first 20 mins kicking Pele out of the game; when he was finally withdrawn, injured, they got down to playing football, to win 3 -1. Next day's headlines proclaimed Eusabio the greatest; I was disgusted.
1968: Another Everton Cup Final. No tickets for this one, had to be TV. The most one-sided cup final I've ever seen, mostly played in West Brom's half and goal area - but 0-0 and extra time. Jeff Astle hit a 20m volley after 5 minutes. Goal, and victory for West Brom. [Not quite the most one-sided, actually. 1995 final was just as one-sided for Man U, but we snatched the winner.]
1970: Champions again! I was doing my teacher training in Liverpool, so like 62-63 I got to every home match. Marvellous team, marvellous season. Hard to pick out an outstanding game: maybe the 5-2 against Chelsea, with Kendall's 15 second opening goal, and deffo beating Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield, after their beating us 3-0 in the one Goodison game I did not enjoy! And obviously, the 2-0 against WBA in front of a 58,000 crowd at Goodison to clinch the Championship. What a team that was.
September 1970: Leaving Liverpool again. Just to have a year in London I thought, on a one-year contract. But – inevitably – falling in love, fresh contracts, children etc, and I'm still in North London now, in Arsenal/Spurs territory. Saturdays became increasingly tied up: I managed to get to most of Everton's London matches, but had fewer and fewer visits to Goodison, so my little tribute to the Old Lady can finish with 1970. There are far more Goodison Regulars able to comment on later seasons and later Goodison highlights than I can.
Just one highlight from 1985, which seems appropriate, though not at Goodison. Like the '63 Championship, Spurs were our main challengers, but the deciding match was on an April evening at White Heart Lane. I went to that match on my own, standing on "the Shelf", Spurs' answer to Everton's "Paddock". A huge roar round me of "Scouse Bastards" as we came out, but who cares. 10 mins and a glorious volley from Andy Gray! 1 - 0. Second half, marvellous mazy Trevor Stevens run across their penalty area, leaving two defenders and the Keeper for dead, then slotting home a beautiful goal. Spurs did pull one back, didn't matter. 2-1, and Championship pretty well secured. Brilliant. And I got out in one piece, to report back to the folks in Liverpool.
Goodbye Goodison
I managed the West Ham Match three weeks ago, with my three Season Ticket holder Nephews, and like millions of others will say a final farewell via TV on 18 May.
The new Stadium looks sensational, and I'm excited at the prospect of it taking us back to winning trophies.
Reader Responses
Selected thoughts from readers23/04/2025 10:48:13
A great read Tony.
I'm slightly younger but share many of the same memories, especially the great 69/70 season when my dad and I had season tickets and a few I would prefer to forget like that awful Leeds game and the '68 Final. Didn't Alan Whittle go for a shot which he should have left for Alan Ball, or is my memory playing up?
23/04/2025 13:58:49
Stephen, you may be thinking of Jimmy Husband’s header which went over the bar with Alan Ball waiting behind him to nod it in. It happened a few minutes before the end of normal time.
23/04/2025 14:19:58
John, thanks. You are absolutely right. Makes me wonder how many other 'memories' aren't quite right. Still, that was a golen era team for sure!
23/04/2025 16:22:57
Tony
Spurs away 1985
I remember getting off the special at Northumberland Street and a copper on horseback shouting "Fuckin hell where did you lot all come from?"
So packed in the away end they had to open the gates at the front to stop the crush.
Phenomenal save by Southall from Falco.
Those were the days my friends.
Those were the days.
23/04/2025 20:57:32
Lovely piece, Tony. That night at Spurs I was behind the other goal with a Spurs mate and his Dad. Drink had been taken, I didn't keep quiet. We were right behind Nev's wonder save.
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22/04/2025 23:02:07
Thanks for the memories, Tony. I also stood on the Shelf at White Hart Lane on that night of 3rd April 1985. It was definitely a case of trying to keep mouths shut when our goals went in. Neville’s late save from Falco was one of the best and most important I have seen. The result killed Spurs’ hopes. As we walked away from the ground we knew the title would be ours.