Everton v Port Vale 4th rd. FA Cup. Sat 27th Jan 1996. Atten: 33,168.

Everton: Southall, Short, Watson, Ablett, Horne, Kanchelskis, Parkinson, Stuart, Ebrell, Amokachi, Ferguson.

Scorers: Amokachi, Ferguson.

My first match was in 1996. We had started our F.A cup title defence against Stockport county. We scraped through that match with a late John Ebrell strike in the second leg. Next was Port Vale in the 4th round at home. Cue, my first match. Optimism was high as we had a fully fit and generally strong squad. My dad had told me we were going to the game about a
week before, I was extremely excited. He had also told me we would be going with one of his work mates. So of course that meant a trip to the pub. Keep in mind at this time I was only 9 years old. I had only been supporting Everton just before that amazing 4-1 F.A cup semi-final victory the year before against Tottenham. The night before the game I couldn’t get to sleep, I
was so excited. The date of the game was Saturday 27th January 1996; a 3:00 kick off. After we had been to the pub we made our way to Gladwys street as we were sitting in Lower Gladwys. I remember annoying my dad all through the game with remarks like “Which players that dad?” he reminded me of those remarks at the Unsey testimonial, as he was sitting next to a young boy who was saying the exact same thing. Must have been his first game. The first 40 minutes was just back and forth until Dan ‘the man’ Amokachi broke the dead lock. Great, going in at half time with a 1-0 lead. What could be better? Maybe if we actually held on to that lead. 59th minute and Vale equalise. Damn! After that I seem to remember Kanchelskis whacking the ball into someone’s face in Lower Gladwys, I thought it was hilarious but I’m betting the person who got whacked didn’t find it amusing.

Anyway, 2 minutes to go and Ferguson snatches a must be winner. I couldn’t see them celebrate, so I stood on my seat because I was so small. Great I thought,my 1st match and Everton are going to win, and we will be going into the 5th round of the F.A cup. Maybe I jinxed it. In the 90th minute Vale equalised again. The match ended 2-2. Oh well I thought, at least we
didn’t lose. If anyone remembers we unfortunately went crashing out of the F.A cup as we got beat in the second leg at Port Vale.

I think Limpar and Hinchliffe came off the bench. That was my first match. I now have a season ticket for the first time and I am sitting in the top balcony. Guess what, the first two games of my season ticket year and we drew. Anna Sheehan.(19/09/02)

Everton, 0 Blackpool, 1. 1st Division. 13th Nov.1954.

Everton: O'Neill, Moore, Donovan, Farrell, T.E. Jones, Lello, McNamara, Wainwright, Hickson, Parker, Eglington.

My 1st match was v Blackpool in 1954. I can't remember much. My Dad took me (HE WAS A KOPITE) and we sat in the Bullens Road up top. Stanley Matthews tried to avoid this match due to the ungentlemanly attentions of our full backs.
Forget the result. I just remember the smell of the place,the atmosphere and the beginning of my life long devotion (AND SUFFERING) to the cause. Dave Evans. (08/09/02)

Everton, 0 Ipswich, 4. 1st Division 2nd Feb.1980. Atten: millions to a 5 year old

Everton: Hodge, Gidman, Bailey, Wright, Lyons, O'Keefe, Megson, Eastoe, Latchford, Hartford, McBride.

Ok here it is, the exact details are a little blurred but the emotions of the day can never be forgotten.

I'm five years old and me dad holding my hand is leading me though a dark tunnel in the upper tier of the Park End (This point has always confused me, any helpers on why the upper tier was open to Everton fans that day?). Its funny but the fact that the tunnel was packed with loud and busy people (mostly grown men) did not in the slightest scare a five year old. Even being so young you could feel the surreal atmosphere inside the ground it was like you were not there but watching fromsomewhere else. It is only
know that you realise that I was experiencing the magic of Everton like hundreds of thousands before me.

The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter and the noise starts to take over, from the adults cracking funnies to a sound that you can only hear at the football, it was a electric buzz. A sound that seemed to incorporate everything from passion, anger, love and excitement cracked up to the max and then it hits you like a wall (a Phil Spector). Everton Everton Everton is all you can hear, its sounds like its being sung by millions (I was five) and it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I look up at me da and he just smiles at me. The colour of the place is amazing from the pitch that is the perfect green to the blue & white stands full of people with the colour of blue in their hearts.

You sit down, the place is buzzing and a sound comes over the tannoy a sound which can still bring tears to grown men's eyes. The drum roll starts and were into the Johnny Todd (Z cars for every one else) what a sound and out they come the heroes in blue. The Royal blue & white which is next to the smart yellow and blue of Ipswich, Everton Everton Everton you look around and see hundreds of people singing their hearts with out a care in the world because this is their special world and no one else's. It will sound all very romantic but that is exactly how I remember this moment in my heart, to the last detail and it still makes me smile that I can recall that event so clearly. It was the day I feel in love with Everton Football Club, 24 years later and I know why I felt safe in that tunnel it was because I was part of a family that had been in existence for a hundred years. We were all Evertonians and it is one of the most beautiful emotions that you can feel, being safe with total strangers. It is hard to take most other things in life serious when you have been subjected to such an outpouring of love by so many people (some people will get that line, some people will not). By the way we were fucked 4 nil by a very good Ipswich team that day a team which we were to knock out of the cup a couple of weeks later. EVERTON FOREVER.
Grimbo. (05/09/02)

Everton, 2 Luton Town 1. 1st Division. 1st Jan 1990. Atten: 21,743.

Everton: Southall, Snodin, McDonald, Ratcliffe, Watson, Nevin, Whiteside, McCall, Sharp, Newall, Rehn.

Scorers: Whiteside, Sharp.

Sub: Atterveld for Rehn.

I remember my first match, new years day 1990, Everton 2 luton 1

on a bitterly cold new years day, my first experience of Everton was when I sat as a five-year-old, on my grandads knee in the upper bullens. We won 2-1, I don't remember too much, I think sharpy or Newell may have scored as we went 2-0 up. Anyway, we conceded a late penalty, tucked away by that pin-up by of nineties football, Ian dowie, I cried - I hated the roar of all five traveling fans! Still it was a winning start to what has been a less than victorious eleven years since. But I was hooked, and from that day, Everton was the most important thing in my life, and always will be. Paul Hennessey. (02/09/02)

Norman Whiteside

Everton 3, Coventry 0. League Cup 4th Round. 26th Oct 1976.

Everton: Davies, Bernard, Jones, Lyons, McNaught, Hamilton, King, Dobson, Latchford, Goodlass, Telfer.

Scorers: King(2), Lyons.

1976 - Bloody hot summer – apparently. I only remember it because our kid took me to my first match – Everton V Coventry. I remember being in the main stand and we jumped up three times – we won 3-0, that became clearer as the years went by, I was only six. A pie my dad bought for me – he left me mam two months later, I remember him not being bothered when we won, weird.

My brother telling me over and over again about the Everton history, teaching me to hate the reds, thousands of blues outside the ground. My brother telling me years later that he made sure my first game was a night match because the atmosphere was better. Me thinking, “why are n’t they in black and white”.

Oh Everton I love you. Dave MacDonald. (21/08/02)

Everton 1, Chelsea 1. 5th February 1955

Everton: O'Neill, Donovan, Moore, Farrell, Jones, Lello, McNamara, Fielding, Hickson, Parker, Eglington.

Scorer: Tony McNamara

Everton drew one-one at home with the would -be champions Chelsea. My first game! I was eight and over the next thirty years I attended almost five hundred Everton games. In this game

The Chelsea goal was scored by the England player Roy Bentley, but I can't remember who scored the Everton goal, I suspect Tony McNamara.
In all the years my favourite Everton players were: Colin Harvey, Bobby Collins, Alex Young, Derek Temple, Roy Vernon and Graeme Sharp. And if I'm honest I loved Duncan McKenzie. the most over-rated : Gary Lineker who was not a patch on Hickson, Latchford or Royle. Incidentally Tom Finney scored a hat -trick against Everton in my second Everton game which we lost 4-0 at Goodison and Finney was at centre-forward. He ranks with Denis Law as the greatest I ever saw against us. George Best never got a kickin against the majestic Ray Wilson.
Please explain how we went from the biggest team in Engand to one that can only afford old men and players of no talent and no ambition. The Grantchester family? Johnson ? Or Kenwright's stupidity ?
Cheers, Rick Tarleton (The street's named after me and Nella was my uncle )(14/07/02)

Everton 2, Ipswich 1. FA Cup 3rd Round. 4th Jan 1969.

Everton: West, Wright, Brown, Kendall, Labone, Harvey, Husband, Ball, Royle, Hurst, Morrisey.

Scorers: Hurst, Royle.

I was eight years old and living in Garston. Me dad had just been made redundant from Dunlop's in Speke. ("Glad to get off the remoulds" he said, "it reminds me of the other shower, a poor copy of the mighty blues"). So he was loaded for a while, and he took me and our kid to Goodison. Gwladys Street stand. I walked up the steps and saw the Goodison pitch for the first time, it is a sensation that can only be compared to the birth of your offspring, the memory is etched in your head for eternity. I stood for a brief moment awestruck. The image is as clear today as it was 32 years ago. It was 1969 and we were playing Ipswich at home and....I WAS THERE.
The blues made my day by winning 2-1 Royle and Hurst scored for us, and a bloke called Ray Crawford scored with his hand for them (latter day Maradona).
I have four sons of my own now, each of them went to Gods Little Acre before they were two years old, each of them has the blue blood of Everton coursing through their veins. We are indeed a passionate bunch, even the wife was converted from the darkside (though she would never admit, she was once one of them).
Keep up the good work fellas, its a top site. Steve Enty Winsford. (01/07/02)