On a weekend marked on most blue calendars, Everton opened the Hill Dickinson stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The buzz on the docks was evident as the long-awaited occasion finally arrived. Goodison Park was a mere memory as the 52,769 capacity venue towered over the oncoming crowd, enough to give anyone a stiff neck.
On the pitch, last Monday’s performance threatened to dampen any excitement, as fans wondered if the Blues’ horrendous August form was to continue. You could be forgiven for thinking so, as today’s opponents thrashed Sean Dyche’s men 12 months prior. Both sides seem to enjoy playing at each other’s ground, but this was an opportunity to create new history and forgo any unwanted records. Yet, the opening exchanges were very familiar; very Everton. A long ball by the Brighton ‘keeper wasn’t dealt with, and only for Kaoru Mitoma to attempt a stunning volley, instead of laying the ball to his oncoming team-mate for an easy tap-in, the scoreline stayed how it was. Moments later, Yankuba Minteh eased Idrissa Gueye off the ball on the touchline, and squared it to Danny Welbeck. The veteran skied the ball a few yards out, again, missing a golden opportunity for the away side to spoil the party.
Fans had seen this before, you can take the Everton out of Goodison etc etc, but one man they had not seen wearing the Royal Blue shirt was wearing number 18 on the left wing. On the 23rd minute, Jack Grealish, in his low-socks and tight-knitted man-bun, eased past his opponent, guided the ball with pace across the goal and was gladly met by Illiman Ndiaye at the back post. To many, the rattling noise of a Goodison goal will forever be unbeatable, but this ground will test even the most sentimental Blue. The thump of pandemonium was palpable. After good hold up play by Thierno Barry, the Senegalese winger drove forward, finding his fellow countryman, Idrissa Gueye, who quickly passed to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The tireless midfielder calmly allowed Grealish to run on the ball and do his thing. Ndiaye wrote his name in the record books, just as he did in May, as he became the last to net at the Grand Old Lady (for the men’s senior team, of course) as well as now the first at Bramley Moore.
Brighton continued to cause problems for the shaky home defence, as Jan Paul Van Hecke struck the post after a wicked deflection, before a vital challenge from James Tarkowski denied another effort from the rebound. The aforementioned, usually dependable, defender had a busy half, as he calmly laid the ball back to his goalkeeper to clear only minutes after his block. The only issue was, Mat O’Riley was there, waiting to pounce on the inevitable pass back as Tarkowski dithered on the ball. Jordan Pickford stood tall, and saved the Brighton midfielder’s attempt. Everton had their number 1, as well as their number 10, to thank for the half time lead.
The second-half wasn’t without its moments, but looked more assured from Everton. All four defenders, including makeshift left-back James Garner, stood firm to keep Brighton at bay, and it was Garner who allowed the fans to test the acoustics once again as his pinpoint shot found the bottom corner in front of the south stand. As for the first goal, Barry linked up with Ndiaye, who returned the ball to the French striker down the right-hand side. He picked out Gueye, who once again was in a rush to ensure the ball found its way to the left-hand side towards the new star. Grealish had only provided two assists in the past two campaigns for Manchester City, but levelled his disappointing tally in his first start for the Toffees. Drawing in two defenders, he moved the ball into the space created, allowing Garner to run up and pick his spot from range.
The rest of the contest was comfortable for David Moyes’s men, although Dewsbury-Hall was penalised for a handball offence in the box. Minteh’s powerful effort struck the midfielder’s arm from point-blank range. Everton’s protestations fell on deaf ears from Stuart Attwell, as Welbeck stepped up. After what seemed like an eternity following the whistle, the striker stepped up and struck towards his right. Pickford, fresh from studying his water bottle, preempted the taker’s intentions and ensured the clean sheet for his team.
A full-time standing ovation was apt, as David Moyes and his men allowed the Toffees to enjoy their first outing on the docks, and daring the fans to dream.
About The Author
Leave a Reply