Community bracing for life after Goodison Park goodbye

“We just have to hope.”

That was how Antonia Merner described her family’s idea of life as 133 years of history comes to a close at Everton’s Goodison Park.

The famous football club’s stadium is hosting its final home fixture with Sunday’s clash with Southampton, a ritual that has played out since 1886.

Ms Merner’s family run the Harlech Castle pub on County Road, just a few minutes walk from the ground and, like many businesses, enjoys the trade that comes from tens of thousands of fans descending on the area.

A couple of miles away at Bramley Moore Dock, a different kind of match-day economy will rise around the club’s new state-of-the art 52,888 seater stadium as Toffees supporters adopt a new routine.

But for the historic pubs, and other businesses, which relied at least in part on match days at Goodison, it marks the start of a worrying time.

“It’s still just sad to see, everything is going to be lost from the community not just us, a lot of businesses are going be suffering as soon as they go,” Ms Merner said.

Like other pubs in the vicinity of Goodison, the full impact of the match-day migration is still up in the air.

And many of the old boozers have their own loyal customer bases independent of the football crowds.

But Ms Merner said she and her family are not naïve about what may be coming.

“We’re lucky, we do have a good regular customer base, but not all the pubs are like that,” she said.

“Some pubs only survive on match days. Fingers crossed we should be ok but it’s not going to be great.”

Like some other big match-day pubs, the Harlech Castle is looking for creative ways to keep customers coming in – including coaches to the new stadium.

Ms Merner said: “Even if we lose a little bit of money putting the coaches on we’re still going to make up for it hopefully if everyone comes back. We just have to hope.”

Stopping for a pint in the Harlech Castle were father and daughter Kevin and Emma O’Shaughnessy.

Kevin was born in Liverpool’s suburb of West Derby but left the city in 1972 for Cornwall, where Emma grew up and now lives and works.

However, the pair still travel up to Merseyside three or four times a year for home games, and see the end of Goodison Park as an emotional wrench.

“It’s just emotional, we’ve been on the tour today round the stadium,” said Emma.

“It just brings back all the memories, all the happy memories. As Evertonians we’re used to the bad times, and we get through it by having all our friends around us.”

Describing their usual match-day routine, she said: “The Brick before, Harlech after the game, and possibly drink to get over some of those bad days.”

The pair both expressed hope that the pubs on County Road and around Goodison would find a way to adapt.

But Kevin said: “I think logically it will peter off after a while. Hopefully some will survive but some will definitely go obviously.”

For Emma, the atmosphere of pubs like the Harlech Castle would keep them coming back.

“We just love the atmosphere round here,” she said.

“The bar staff are amazing and like he said we come up four times a year but they treat us the same as if we lived here. We love it.”

Like the Harlech Castle, the famous Winslow Hotel pub on Goodison Road in the shadow of the ageing stadium is hoping its connection with its customers will survive.

Manager and licensee David Bond described the stadium move as “gut-wrenching”.

“There’s so much history attached to this pub, and the stadium is pretty much an annexe,” he said.

“I think the last game is going to be like something that no-one has ever seen before because the tears and the emotion will be too much to bear for people.”

Also like the managers of at the Harlech Castle, the Winslow is also planning to put on match day coach transport.

“We’re going to try and keep this running here,” said Mr Bond.

“Obviously it will be very difficult.

“We’re going to put buses on to run to the new stadium and we will see how it goes from there. It’s going to be gut-wrenching one more time from me personally.”

Jimmy Williams, who was out on County Road having an afternoon drink when the BBC visited, works as a match-day steward at Goodison.

But his view of the impact on the area was pessimistic.

“I’m going to miss the Old Lady, I’ve grown up there,” he said.

“It means a lot, I live round this area if that ground was to get took down, what are they going to put on it? Houses?

“I think half of these pubs will close round this area once the men leave.”

Mr Williams said he hoped that the potential plan to keep Everton Women playing at Goodison will mitigate some of the impact.

He said: “A lot of pubs are saying once the men go they could fold.

“If you’re out during the afternoon and you want your local pub, are they still going to be standing?

“Good luck to the women, keep the Old Lady going.”

Further along County Road, Emil Rahaeanu of Emil’s Kitchen café said he feared the impact on the community more than the immediate hit on his business.

“It’s very sad about the area because it’s nice to see a lot of people around especially every two weeks when they are playing at home.

“Of course it’s something extra on the business, but for what I’m doing it will not affect me that much.

“100% it won’t be the same.”