Stanley Park Story: Life, Love and the Merseyside Derby by Jeff Goulding

Author:Jeff Goulding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

3

It turned out that all of Davey’s worst fears were groundless. Stadium security was surprisingly lax. There were no searches and the police displayed a casual indifference as the lads marched towards the turnstiles.

One after the other they pushed through the barrier, flashing their tickets and then they were in. Jimmy got a rush of excitement as he entered the stadium concourse, his ticket still intact, after the man on the turnstile had simply waved him through without inspecting it. He didn’t care, though. So long as he got to see the game it didn’t matter. The end they were in was packed with a mix of Everton supporters and British army personnel. Some of them were in uniform.

The ground was smaller than Goodison and probably held about 30,000 supporters. Still, the atmosphere seemed intense. The crowd was close to the pitch, with only a minimal track separating the stands from the turf. The terracing behind each goal was uncovered, and in the four corners giant floodlight pylons stretched into the night sky, bathing the pitch in their white glow.

The Mönchengladbach fans had unfurled giant flags and banners in their end. Their slogans meant little to him. However, he understood they were passionate fans who loved their club and he could get behind that. European nights were magical, and he never wanted this one to end.

The first half seemed to go by in a whirlwind from Jimmy’s perspective. Everton had held their own. However, this was class opposition and he hadn’t been surprised when on 35 minutes Berti Vogts put the Germans a goal up.

There was no panic, though. Even a 1-0 defeat away from home was recoverable, as far as Evertonians were concerned. A hostile and ferocious night at Goodison would see to that. At half-time the three lads discussed tactics for the second half, and both Jimmy and Davey were in confident mood.

Shawn, meanwhile, couldn’t care less. While he didn’t particularly want Everton to lose, he was along for the ride. The sight of that lush green grass, bathed in artificial light, excited him and he longed for the chance to get out there and become centre stage.

Kelly was a serial pitch invader for Liverpool. He loved the thrill of it, being chased by the police and the cheers from the crowd. Sometimes they’d be booing, but in his head they were really roaring him on. The second half would provide him with just the opportunity he needed, and without ever planning to be, Davey and Jimmy would be dragged along with him.

During the first half the lads had been quite a way back from pitch side, but as supporters drifted back to the concourse at the interval, they took the opportunity to manoeuvre their way to the front. It was all part of Shawn’s masterplan, but Jimmy claimed he and Davey had no idea.

Within two minutes of the restart Everton had levelled, thanks to a brilliant strike from distance by Howard Kendall. The Blues in the away end erupted, and the crowd surged forward.

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