Sunday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park will see Everton join their Premier League counterparts in paying tribute to the heroic efforts of frontline NHS staff and honour those who have lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
A minute’s silence will be held before the 7pm kick-off and both teams will wear NHS logos on their shirts during the behind-closed-doors game.
The names of supporters who lost their lives during the pandemic will be displayed on the big screen inside Goodison ahead of the match. A special video tribute to fans who have passed away will also be published on evertonfc.com.
Meanwhile, Everton employee Colin Johnson has written a moving poem to celebrate the courage and skill shown by NHS workers during the pandemic.
Watch Evertonian actor Robin Morrissey’s impactful recital of Frontline Fighter in the video below or by clicking here. You can also read the poem beneath the video.
Everton Hospitality Account Manager Colin’s poem has helped raise thousands of pounds for the NHS. Make a donation by clicking here.
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Frontline Fighter
By Colin Johnson
I carry no weapons
I mean you no harm
I am not trespassing across foreign borders
With the aim to occupy something you hold dear.
Yes, I am in a uniform, but not a military one.
I have my orders, I have my bravery and most importantly… I’m here to save You.
For I am a Frontline Fighter
Not for me the 2 metre rule
Not for me the hauntingly distant images on a TV or laptop screen
Not for me the mute button to silence heartfelt sobs…
Not for me the removing of my own personal and private fears
For me is the battle
For me is the focus
For me is the hands on, hands in, mind in, heart in struggle that I see each hour
What more can I personally give for my people..?
And, with all of this, you can count on me to be here to do the same tomorrow!
For I am a Frontline Fighter
As I approach you… you look so scared
I can see in your eyes the many questions you have..
All of them…I can not answer.
I hear your heart as it connects to it’s fears…
You are shocked and alone – cut adrift from your island of safety…
And for now… I, a total stranger, am all you have…
Your heart, through your eyes, asks “Who would have thought I’d end like this..?”
I can not turn my eyes away from the sorrow of this battle.
For I am a Frontline Fighter
I know you can’t thank me right now
There are too many thoughts flashing through your mind
Your body is fighting… as I am fighting
To keep you alive, to return you to your loved ones.
This battlefield may be close to home,
The enemy tiny yet fatally powerful
But with Divine Grace, hard work and everlasting compassion
We will, in time, win this war!
For I am a Frontline Fighter.
