Everton fans outside the Winslow Hotel
Everton fans outside the Winslow Hotel (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
It has just gone 9am and the air outside The Winslow Hotel is thick with blue smoke. Thousands of Evertonians on Goodison Road are shrouded in a huge cloud as anticipation builds.
It is an astonishing scene. Three hours before Everton's final men's first team match at Goodison Park the fans are out in force. Children holding flares sit on top of their parents' shoulders as Blues work their way through the club songbook - 'Spirit of the Blues', 'If You Know Your History' and Jordan Pickford's new chant all get an airing.
Evertonians are here en masse to welcome the team bus before the midday kick off against already relegated Southampton. With little riding on the game in a sporting sense, this is the start of a celebration of all things Goodison.
As it happens, the team bus does not make it as far as The Winslow. The sheer numbers of fans in attendance means driving along Goodison Road is simply not possible. It doesn't really matter though. This is a certified party and nothing is going to stop it.
We Toffees have not been treated to anything like this in years. Such raucous scenes have mainly occurred when the fans are called upon to build a fierce atmosphere and get the club over the line in recent, agonising relegation battles.
But today is different, there is no real need for nerves. It is a party for our home of 133 years.
I'm in the middle of this sea of Blue, my clothes, arms and cap becoming closer to the colour of Everton's home shirt by the second. And I've rarely been happier.
I had been dreading the last Everton men's game at Goodison. Like any fan, that ground means the world to me, so the idea of moving on comes with profound sadness, despite the promise of a bold new future on the banks of the Mersey.
The send off had to be perfect and I'd feared today could resemble a funeral. How wrong I was.
Everton fans on Goodison Road ahead of kick-off (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Tuesday's news that Goodison will live on as a football ground has certainly helped - keeping it alive as the home of Everton Women is a wonderful decision. Not only does it retain the site's heritage but it keeps it as a living, breathing stadium where a new generation of Blues will fall in love with the club.
Despite that, plenty of sadness remains. Goodison is all we have ever known and moving is a wrench. But to mark the end of an era properly, this must be a celebration.
Happily, the joy does not die down. With the coach welcome thwarted, the lucky Blues with tickets make their way to their turnstiles. Pretty much everyone else sticks around L4.
Some scramble to pubs, with latecomers watching TVs through their windows. Outside The Winslow the party continues. Fresh flares are cracked open, a football is brought out and volleyed high into the air while the fans stay in fine voice.
Similar scenes take place on County Road. Blues make the familiar walk to The Brick, with the street now enveloped in Blue smoke. Spellow Lane is gridlocked, packed with Evertonians who wouldn't miss today for the world.
Just before kick off, a large group of fans gather around St Luke's Church on Goodison Road. It is where the stadium is at its most exposed and people wait eagerly for a series of familiar sounds.
The siren blares, Goodison roars, and Z-Cars follows. Those on the street take it all in, they then hum and whistle along before breaking into a thunderous chant.
Not being inside the ground wouldn't stop anyone in the vicinity from playing their part. Everyone here is feeling it all.
Everton fans outside the Winslow Hotel (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
It is hard to make sense of why this sport means so much to so many of us. But if anything gets close to doing that, it's this moment. The unity, camaraderie and sense of belonging at the heart of football is laid bare. It is the greatest moment of a day full of memories I'll treasure.
Having heard Z-Cars among those gathered near the Gwladys Street End I have to walk into a side street to compose myself. It's a happy day but remains a cocktail of emotions.
Fans remain outside the ground all game, guided by the cheers and groans by those inside. Goals are celebrated with huge cheers and hugs as families sit together and listen along to Goodison in full flow for one last time.
Strangers come together to reminisce and trade stories from their years of following the Blues, bonded by their love for the club. It is a perfect scene, an abiding memory of this cathedral of English football.
Even for those without tickets, today was Goodison Park in all of its glory. A fitting way to sign off and the ultimate representation of the power of football.
Goodison Park, thank you for the memories - even the sad ones. I wouldn't trade it for the world.