Former Everton defender Michael Ball discusses new experiences at Hill Dickinson Stadium and his delight that Everton are being proactive off the pitch as they address key contract questions
Joe Thomas is the Everton FC correspondent for the Liverpool ECHO. He follows the Blues home and away, providing match reports, analysis and insight into events at Goodison Park, Finch Farm and beyond. Joe spent more than a decade covering news on Merseyside, working on award-winning investigations and extensively covering matters related to the Hillsborough tragedy - including the recent criminal prosecutions. Always grateful for tips and feedback, he can be contacted at joe.thomas@reachplc.com and on Twitter via @joe_thomas18
James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford during the Premier League match between Everton and West Ham United at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Tarkowski has signed a new Everton deal and Pickford is set to sign an extension when he returns from England duty. Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford during the Premier League match between Everton and West Ham United at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Tarkowski has signed a new Everton deal and Pickford is set to sign an extension when he returns from England duty. Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
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So much is still so new about Hill Dickinson Stadium but Jack Grealish’s last minute winner was an important milestone for me.
I had long feared the move across from Goodison Park. Difficult starts have been a common theme for clubs that have moved home and I wondered how Everton would overcome that problem. It was clear this was something that played on David Moyes’ mind too.
As it happens, we are now five competitive games into life on the Mersey waterfront and the Blues remain unbeaten. Trying to work out my favourite memory of the new ground so far is harder than it may seem. Like everyone else, I am still finding my way around the stadium and working out my matchday routines and rituals.
I have loved getting to the ground early to take in the atmosphere at the Bramley Moore Pub, and walking down Regent Road when it is a sea of blue and white before kick-off is great. The first win, in the first Premier League match, was an amazing occasion even if Everton rode their luck against Brighton at times.
But celebrating that late goal against Crystal Palace is the highlight so far. At Goodison I knew everyone around me - I experienced the same ups and downs with the same faces again and again. At Hill Dickinson that has changed and the first matches have been about getting to know the new faces that surround me. Celebrating a last-minute winner with them was a great way to do that. When that ball hit the back of the net it was suddenly as though I had known them all for years, that was a very big moment.
I was never one for dwelling on landmarks as a player. A milestone for me would quickly be replaced by a new target - debut? Great. When is my first goal coming? When is my 10th game? Can I get into the England set-up? The same is true now that I am a fan and I had been waiting for a stoppage time winner at the new home, I am glad it has come so soon.
Hill Dickinson is spectacular and I have loved every minute there so far. I have also noticed subtle changes here and there as the club learns from the experiences so far - I feel like the club is listening to fans as it attempts to improve the experience. It would be great if more could be done to get supporters into the ground early to help build the atmosphere even more and I wonder if it may need to look at some of the price points around the catering to encourage that.
One of the biggest factors in Everton having reached the new ground while still a Premier League club is Jordan Pickford. He has been absolutely brilliant for the club and it has been great to watch him grow since he joined from Sunderland in 2017. The squad has undergone a lot of changes but one place where instability is very difficult to cope with is in goal - that is something Everton have not had to worry about since then.
Pickford just seems to be a perfect fit for Everton and reports he is about to sign a new deal with the club are really good news. You have got to keep a spine of players when you are going through change, a core group that understands the club and what it means to play for Everton. In Pickford and James Tarkowski, who signed a new deal last week, the Blues have that. It is great that the club did not go to sleep after the end of the summer transfer window and is continuing to work to strengthen for the future.