Preston North End hosted Huddersfield Town in a dramatic Carabao Cup tie as senior men's football returned to Everton's former Goodison Park home
Callum Lang shoots during the Carabao Cup first round match between Preston North End and Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park on August 8, 2026
Callum Lang shoots during the Carabao Cup first round match between Preston North End and Huddersfield Town at Goodison Park on August 8, 2026
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Senior men’s football returned with a bang to Goodison Park for the first time since Everton’s historic final fixture against Southampton on May 18, 2025, as Preston North End dramatically beat Huddersfield Town on penalties in the first round of the Carabao Cup after they were moments from being knocked out of the competition in front of a crowd of 6,120.
On his return, Preston’s former Everton defender Lewis Gibson, who joined the Blues from Newcastle United in 2017 but failed to make a first team appearance was sent off after 21 minutes for a professional foul.
Suriname international centre-back Radinio Balker headed Huddersfield in front from Lasse Sorensen’s cross on 38 minutes and the Terriers looked like they were going through before Jusef Erabi’s dramatic 93rd minute equaliser as the home side on the day went on to triumph 4-3 in the resultant penalty shoot-out.
Some 448 days earlier, the Blues celebrated an end of an era as Iliman Ndiaye’s brace secured a 2-0 victory over the Saints ahead of their move to their new 52,769 capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium base on the Mersey waterfront. Since then, Goodison has become the home of Everton Women while it has also been used by the Blues’ Under-21s and Under-18s sides.
However, with Preston’s new £1.5million hybrid pitch still bedding in at Deepdale, the Football League champions of the first two seasons in 1888/89 and 1889/90, chose to move their ‘War of the Roses, Lancashire v Yorkshire’ clash against the Terriers some 35 miles south to Merseyside.
Preston were Everton’s opponents in their first post-Second World War fixture at Goodison on January 9, 1946, when they sunk the Blues with a penalty from Bill Shankly in golden goal extra time before the phrase even existed in what was the only season in history in which there were double-legged FA Cup ties.
As well as the internationals it hosted, such as the five matches at the 1966 World Cup, including a semi-final, Goodison Park had a considerable pedigree for non-Everton club games during the Blues’ 133-year tenure at their former home.
Goodison was the first Football League ground to stage an FA Cup final when Notts County defeated Bolton Wanderers 4-1 in 1894 while it was also the venue for the 1910 FA Cup final replay when Newcastle United overcame Barnsley 2-0.
Manchester United attracted a crowd of 74,721 for a home game against Liverpool on January 24, 1948. The Red Devils chose to play the FA Cup fourth round tie in Walton because they were using Manchester City’s Maine Road at the time after Old Trafford had suffered bomb damage in the Second World War, but their neighbours had been drawn at home to Chelsea on the same day.
The ground staged 10 FA Cup semi-finals and in 1974 there was a replayed FA Cup quarter-final between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest after their original clash was declared null and void. Following a goalless draw, Everton then hosted a third game between the clubs.
Goodison has also proven a temporary base for three of Merseyside’s lesser footballing lights to use for FA Cup first round ties. The long defunct New Brighton defeated fellow Third Division North outfit Southport 2-1 on December 3, 1934; Third Division Tranmere Rovers suffered a 1-0 defeat there after extra time to a Fourth Division Scunthorpe United side featuring Kevin Keegan on November 30, 1970; and on November 13, 1993, non-League Knowsley United lost 4-1 to Carlisle United.
For the full story plus much more you can currently purchase a copy of Spirit of the Blues: Everton’s Most Memorable Matches & Goodison Park’s Greatest games for £11:05 with an Amazon voucher – a saving of £8 on the usual price of £19:05 – by clicking here.