A teenage Everton fan has had his lifelong dream to watch a Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park crushed after the game was postponed just four hours before kick-off.
The fixture, which was set to be the last Premier League clash between the two at the Toffees current ground, was called off for safety reasons due to adverse weather conditions from Storm Darragh.
Mackenzie Kinsella from Sydney spent nearly $2,000 on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to watch his beloved Blues play against Wolves and the Reds. The 15-year-old has been an Evertonian all of his life thanks to his mom Rita who was born in Liverpool.
The teenager was motivated to save up for the trip for the chance to see Sean Dyche's side play at Goodison before Everton make the move to their new home at Bramley Moore Dock next season. Rumors began to swirl about whether the game could be called off after a red weather warning meaning 'a threat to life' was issued in Wales while an amber warning was given to the majority of the West of the UK.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Mackenzie's grandmother Jo was devastated when she learnt the fixture could be postponed. "I was sick when I heard that" ' she says. 'He's come all this way, spent all this money and the match might be off."
Storm Darragh has caused havoc across the UK with winds of up to 92mph causing major travel disruption and said to be leaving homes across the country without power.
Goodison Park in adverse weather conditions
The Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park was called off (Image: PA)
Mackenzie was desperate to get a ticket to the last-ever Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park and got some major luck after a friend of his uncle Michael was unable to attend. "Michael’s friend who he sits next to has got to work the day of the derby, and there's no way he can get out of it, so he's just really lucky," Jo added.
The teenager was overjoyed when he found out. “It was just an amazing feeling." says Mackenzie. "One of the biggest obstacles was now out of the way and I could just focus on how I was going to get from Australia to here. My flight was about 2,900 Australian dollars. That was a lot. It's only because of my nan and my uncle, who's a season ticket holder, that I'm able to do this.”