There was a long line of people waiting to meet Leon Osman, but my wife and I happened to walk into Gameday Firehouse at the perfect time. He casually shook my hand as if he’d been awaiting my arrival. Did I really just meet Ossie within 30 seconds of showing up?
We walked past that line and found an even longer one waiting for the bar. Sorry, Ossie, don’t take it personally. We pushed through the crowd to the back door only to discover another sea of blue shirts outside. There were people everywhere – in the yard, in the street, and even on the rooftop. Before Baltimore I had only ever met one other Evertonian in-person, so the scenes were overwhelming to say the least.
It was only 5:30 but we lined up to make sure we got a spot towards the front of the stadium march. This was by far the highlight of the weekend – it was as if I’d been transported to Merseyside, surrounded by Scousers as we sang our way to Goodison Park. Everywhere we turned there were people watching and taking videos – even the Arsenal supporters turned their heads and dropped their jaws. That’s right you muppets, we’re the Goodison Gang. Get out of our way.
We entered the stadium and went straight to the Everton supporters’ section. Technically my wife and I’s tickets were in the nosebleeds, but it didn’t matter – no one in the section sat the entire night. Warmups were an absolute blast as we erupted when the Toffees took the field and sang “It’s a Grand Old Team” and “Spirit of the Blues” on repeat. Then, after a beautiful National Anthem and an impressive A-10 flyover, we were ready for kickoff.
Unfortunately, our side weren’t.
From the first whistle the blue boys were in shambles. Oh my god. We’re even worse in person. We were sluggish, uninspired, and the 5-2-3 was all wrong – Arsenal we’re doing well to pin us wide and we couldn’t break down the press. In the 33rd minute, they scored on a corner kick. Typical. Three minutes later some indecisive defending led to a second goal. Some things never change. Somehow, I went from trying to freeze time to wishing I could fast forward it. I honestly don’t know if we strung together more than three passes the entire half. The break came and I sat down for the first time, noticing the beautiful golden hour sky. At least there’s one thing in blue worth watching this evening.
Fortunately, the second half was better. Anthony Gordon proved deserving of the #10 and we got a glimpse of our bright future through Stanley Mills, Lewis Warrington and Reece Welch. But the star of the show was undeniably James Tarkowski. I instantly noticed his confidence and composure, but then, of course, was completely smitten by his shithousery. Between his standing up for the younger Mills and his crunching tackle before the final whistle, I knew he’d already won over the hearts of Evertonians.
All in all, the evening was a bit of a roller coaster. I tried to attribute the poor football to pre-season jitters and lack of chemistry. Plus, Arsenal had already played a match, giving them the experiential upper hand. But if I’m being completely honest, the performance made me quite nervous for the upcoming campaign – nothing from the evening made me confident we’ll avoid another relegation scrap. It was a 90-minutes to forget.
Apart from the football, though, it was a weekend I’ll always remember. The Baltimore Toffees and all those involved in planning the weekend’s events did an absolutely incredible job. I felt part of the Everton community for the first time and it was everything I imagined plus so much more. The weekend proved to me that Everton really is more than just a football club – it’s a family atmosphere that’s truly one-of-a-kind. Majority of M&T Bank stadium may have been in red, but it was the blue shirts who were louder. We were the ones who marched and sang and stayed until stadium staff kicked us out. We showed Baltimore why Everton is the People’s Club and why Evertonians are the best in the world.
Toffee Bits 