Supporter organisation the 1878s have announced plans to make the build-up to the first Merseyside derby at Everton's new stadium an incredible one
Fans set off smoke flares as they enjoy the pre-match atmosphere outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Fans set off smoke flares as they enjoy the pre-match atmosphere outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
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Supporters will line the road leading into Everton’s new stadium ahead of the Merseyside derby on Sunday.
Blues fan organisation the 1878s has announced plans for another dramatic coach welcome, the second since the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium. The first came last month, before Everton’s most recent home game against Chelsea, and set the scene for a dominant, emphatic victory.
The atmosphere for that match is widely accepted as having been the best in the first season on the Liverpool waterfront and the hope will be to exceed it on Sunday afternoon for the first derby on the banks of the Mersey.
The welcome, with supporters asked to line Regent Road between the venues Bar Coast and the Bramley Moore Pub for a midday coach arrival, will set the tone for a game that could have serious implications for Everton’s battle for Europe.
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The hard-earned point at Brentford kept David Moyes’ side in a strong position heading into the final six games of the season and a win over Liverpool would be a significant step towards a return to midweek football on the continent.
Talismanic defender James Tarkowski, who is likely to captain Everton on Sunday, believes his side are two or three big displays from achieving a goal that had seemed unlikely before the season. The centre back, whose stoppage time volley prevented Liverpool from winning the final derby at Goodison Park last season, challenged his teammates to make the Liverpool game one of those big performances.
He said: “The league is so tight, it's ever so tight. There's a lot of teams chasing these positions now, so it's on us. I've said we need probably two or three special days to get where we want to go, so hopefully we can start that next weekend against Liverpool because that's what's going to get us where we want to be.
“We're in a good position. We had a massive win at home not so long ago. The break probably didn't come at a great time for us really, but it's one of those things and now we can get back to our home after such a massive win there last time and hopefully go again.”
The players are understood to have been inspired by the pre-Chelsea coach welcome and by what they were then met with inside the stadium, an atmosphere that seethed with hostility towards the visitors but roared on the home players at every opportunity.
Everton will be hoping for something similar against Liverpool and the 1878s have already announced they will unfurl a huge tifo before kick-off.
Moyes was also blown away by the support against Chelsea, later praising the fans and saying: “The crowd made it feel like a big game. It was a brilliant atmosphere inside the stadium. It was more like Goodison than we've probably had in any other game… it was a really, really good night and a big thank you to the support for the part they played, it helped us.”