Everton and technical partner hummel are proud to collaborate to present My Everton, a weekly series of first-hand accounts describing the most-treasured memories of fans, players, and staff both past and present.
Got an entry? We'd love to hear it – and there are exclusive prizes for the best fan submissions, including VIP tickets to First Team matches, invitations to watch training at Finch Farm, signed merchandise and discount on hummel.net. Submit via email to content@evertonfc.com.
It was back in the mid-1980s, when all I wanted to be was a goalkeeper, when I found out that Neville Southall - the best keeper in the world - used to play for my hometown club, Winsford United.
It was then I knew I was an Evertonian.
All my pals in the school playground wanted to be Mark Hughes, Bryan Robson, Ian Rush... I wanted to be Big Nev.
He was my idol and I played in goal in every game, even becoming goalkeeper for my local kids' club and high school team.
Unfortunately, my games teacher and I didn't see eye to eye and so he expelled me from games - and the school team.
As a result, and during the mid-1990s, I fell completely out of love with football. Happy to take my memories of Big Nev and Big Dunc with me into adulthood, I focused on a love of music for a while, and didn't watch a single game again until 2005.
At that point I was 25 years old and an Everton match happened to be on in a pub I was in.
Big Dunc and Alan Stubbs were still Everton players, and there were new players catching my eye too: Cahill, Arteta, McFadden, and one of England's most underrated goalkeepers, Nigel Martyn.
Just like that, I remembered why I loved football, and, of course, Everton.
We finished fourth that season and I've never looked back.
In 2016, I met my partner, Rachael, whose grandfather used to drive Southall to Bellefield for training (despite being a Man City supporter).
Our children are madly in love with Everton now, which just proves that we cannot be manufactured, but we are born to be Blues.
By Rob Coker, Evertonian
