Matchday 95 was 106 days since we completed the previous 92 Football League Ground challenge. However during the 2025/2026 we now need to complete 3 clubs. 2 moving up from the National League (Barnet and Oldham) along with Everton FC who moved from their historic Goodison Park to a brand new stadium situated alongside the River Jersey on Bramley Moore Docks and called Hill Dickinson Stadium due to naming rights for the stadium.
We the anticipation a lot of fans will want to see this ground, we decided to tick if off as soon as possible and decided to do this with their very first game with no fan restrictions which was against the might Italians of AS Roma.
As I was landing back into the UK from a 2 week holiday to Turkey on the morning of the game and difficulty parking, we decided to take the train. Working within the railway, I was able to secure some friends and family tickets (thank you Graham) to help reduce the costs.
Grandad Steve once again joined us and we decided to get up to Liverpool early and ticket a couple of Wetherspoons off as part of our continued challenge of ticking as many Wetherspoons off (both visiting over 140 so far out of nearly 800!).
We ticked off The Fall Well, Richard John Blackler and The Welkin before then heading for our 40 minute walk to the ground.
Our first thoughts was how far and difficult it will be for fans to make this journey from the city centre. For us we were fortunate it was a pleasant dry day but with so many road closures it seemed impossible for fans to get public transport and ultimately will end with 40-50 minutes walks to/from the stadium which will be difficult during the winter, colder and wet months.
Opportunities also to visit a toilet was extremely limited with the only bars, clubs, coffee shops that were open had security staff manning the doors.
Walking down Regent Road felt like being harassed aboard with so many shouting and screaming to visit their businesses so be prepared for this.
As we approached the stadium we had to ask for assistance to guide us to the relevant turnstile. Not realising the only way to get to the ground is via Regent Road. This is ridiculous and so many fans complaint about this during previous test events. Once guided where we need to go, we then found a queue which took 25 minutes to get through our turnstiles – madness as we arrived an hour before Kick off. Absolutely unbelievable and the worst any of us has ever experienced. So many fans just looked shocked with the length of the queue.
Once inside, we then had a number of flights of stairs which went on and on. We were sat in block 204 North West Upper. We over took an elderly gentleman who was struggling breathing due to having to walk up these stairs – maybe a thought needs to be given to vulnerable people who can’t walk these stairs as I did not see any lifts (there have been some but I didn’t see any).
Once we arrived to our floor we were all busting for the toilet and head straight to the toilet to find another queue because of 4 urinals in the toilet. Absolutely unbelievable to think this was directly opposite the stairs having gained access to the stadium (Block 247).
Having been to the toilet (no handryers, just toilet paper units that had ran out so no facilities to dry hands!) I headed to a program seller and purchased one for the game.
We then headed to our block and up more steps to our seats. The view was absolutely incredible and despite the long journey getting to our seats were impressed with the view. It was sad to see yet another older supporter really struggling to walk up the steps.
We noticed a humming fan noise which frustratingly turned off but not until the 64th minute of the match. It then felt like complete silence .
The match itself like most preseason friendlies is always difficult to watch and lack spark with little shots on goal it was no surprise going into half time 0-0. The 2nd half wasn’t much better although Roma did find the net on the 70th minute by Malvano scoring the only goal of the game. There was a legend match between the 2 teams straight after this but we decided to head back to the station and back to the Midlands.
The walk back to the station took approx 50 minutes, still in shock of this walk but relieved the rain had held off.
We got to the station with 30 minutes before our train home so headed to our 4th Wetherspoons of the day (North Western) on the train station, one I had done before but Steve hadn’t.
After 3 trains and a car journey we were home, tired, exhausted but glad to have ticked this ground off.
Five facts about Everton FC:-
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Founding and History
Everton was founded in 1878 and is one of the oldest football clubs in England. The club was originally named St. Domingo FC before being renamed to Everton a year later. -
Founding Member of the Football League
Everton was a founding member of the English Football League in 1888. They won their first league title in the 1890–91 season. -
Goodison Park Legacy
Everton has played at Goodison Park since 1892. It was the first major football stadium in England built specifically for a football club. -
Merseyside Rivals
Everton’s main rivals are Liverpool FC. The two clubs contest the Merseyside Derby, one of the most famous derbies in English football. Interestingly, Everton originally played at Anfield before moving to Goodison Park due to a rent dispute. -
Trophy Cabinet
Everton has won the English First Division (now the Premier League) nine times, most recently in 1986–87. They’ve also won the FA Cup five times and the European Cup Winners’ Cup once, in 1985.