My Goodison No.36: A Thousand Games, A Million Memories

I have a vague memory of being perched on a barrier watching the penalty shootout in the Park End from my first-ever visit to Goodison Park – I was just six, when my Dad took me to the European Cup game against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

A few weeks later, I was taken into the Top Balcony for my first league game, against Southampton, which we won 4-1, and I remember looking in awe as I walked in and saw Goodison properly for the first time in daylight.

The following season, it was Southampton again, and this time we won 8-0 in a snow storm, with Royle, Johnson and Ball on target. I think, at that time, I thought I would see us win that handsomely every time I would go!

I went several more times throughout the 1970s and loved the '78 side with King, Dobson, Latchford, McKenzie and Thomas – but by then I had got a Saturday job, and midweek matches were all I could get to.

My first Season Ticket was secured for the 1982/83 season and, just a few weeks later, I was distraught after Glen Keeley's only game. This probably goes down as the one game I wish to forget, but just around the corner, the good times were about to begin.

It goes without saying we saw some incredible wins in the mid-80s. Watching the 5-0 win over Manchester United from the Gwladys Street was a standout memory but my favourite, like so many others, was that Bayern Munich game.

I was a student at Leeds University at the time and a couple of us came back for the game. We'd go on about Everton so much that we'd got our fellow students interested in this Everton team and when we went back over to Leeds, it was talked about for the rest of the week. Everywhere we went people would congratulate us, like we'd actually played in the game!

Unfortunately, times weren't as glorious as we entered the '90s and I swapped the Gwladys Street for the Park End in 1995/96 and have been there ever since. I've met some great fellow Evertonians along the way.

In December 2021, I worked out it would be my 1,000th game at Goodison (I'm including Reserve, Youth and internationals. I worked it out with a combination of the Futbology App and also by the programmes, which my dad only bought when I went to games, from those very early days.

A last-minute Demarai Gray thunderbolt disposed of Arsenal and marked the occasion with a brilliant win.

As fate would have it, my 100th Merseyside derby was also to be my 1,000th first-team game at Goodison. I think all the stars aligned for me that night as, apart from he '84 win at Anfield, it has to go down as my favourite derby game, with us winning 2-0 thanks to Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and effectively ending their title chase.

As we enter the last couple of months at the Grand Old Lady, I know will miss her.

By Graeme Holmes, Evertonian

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A series of first-hand accounts describing moments that made us fall in love with Goodison Park, My Goodison - supported by the Club's Main Partner, Stake - is a new weekly offering here on evertonfc.com, bringing you the most-treasured memories of fans, players, and staff both past and present, for our final season at the Grand Old Lady.

Got an entry? We'd love to hear it. Email us via digital.content@evertonfc.com