My Everton #144: Did I Have A Goodison Curse?

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When Everton announced they would be building their new stadium on the banks of the Mersey River, I was torn. Born in Liverpool and brought up a Blue by my dad, my departure to Canada might have increased the distance to my hometown, but it caused my love of Everton to grow.

With the clock ticking on Goodison, I set a goal to get back to see a Merseyside derby one final time. My first attempt was in March 2020, and I had my ticket in hand and had travelled to Liverpool only to have the match be the first one that was cancelled because of COVID-19. I had bought a commemorative scarf in town, but the match was off.

After the many lockdowns and restricted travel, I was ready to try my luck again. It was March 2024, and I was able to get tickets to the derby. Another 3700 miles to get there and it was another chance to see the new stadium as it grew out of the river.

Incredibly, Liverpool had qualified for the next round of the FA Cup, and the match was rescheduled. Sadly, the date was well after I needed to head back to Canada. Did I have a Goodison curse?

The final season at Goodison was taking place and the fixture list was out. A December derby would be the charm. Tickets booked, match tickets in hand and off I went. In fact, I had tickets to the United match along with Wolves under the lights. It was magical but the real show was still to come.

I was staying with family in Derby, and I got up early to avoid the traffic. Listening to Radio Merseyside as I headed up the motorway, I was stunned when a reporter announced that because of Storm Daragh, the Everton/Liverpool match was being called off. No, no, no! I was gutted!

When I returned home, my wife and family were stunned when I told them that I would return when the match was rescheduled. It turned out to be 12 February and I knew that this was my last chance, and I mean last chance.

Flights booked, tickets at the ready and this time my Goodison curse was banished. An incredible match sitting with my sister Sandra under the lights and a memory that will last for the rest of my life. 

Goodison in all her glory. An evening that will be talked about for a very long time. 

It had taken me four trips, totalling nearly 30,000 miles to see this match, and as I walked back down Gwladys Street, it was all definitely worth it. Perhaps I was meant to see that final Tarkowski goal in person all along.

‘My Everton’ is the accumulation of all of the matches I have seen in the last 55 years, but ‘My Everton Moment’ was when Tarkowski blasted that ball into the Gwladys Street net and sent me back home to Canada as a happy Evertonian!

By Peter Creer, Evertonian