Graeme Holmes: Everton Forever

As a background, my 1st match was in 1970 - a European Cup game v Borussia Monchengladbach, which we won on Penalties, and my 1st league game was in Dec 1970, ironically against Southampton, which will also be my last.

My 1,000th game at Goodison was v Arsenal, when Demarai Gray scored a last minute winner, and my 1,000th first team game at Goodison, also happened to be my 100th derby, which was last year's which we won 2-0.

I did a feature for one of the fan memories as well this season!

My Dad was an Evertonian, although his brother was a red - they used to go to the game with each other in the 50's and 60's - Goodison one week and Anfield the next as they couldn't get to away games in those days - think Dad was ok with that arrangement until Liverpool got into the same division as us, and then made his excuses!!!!

He then had me to take which was a good excuse, and he took me routinely until I was old enough to go without him. Most of his in laws (he had 4 sisters) were Reds, so it definitely wasn't family tradition and once I had been to GP once, that was my team and has been ever since. I have had a season ticket now for 43 years, starting in the Street End, and for the last 30 years, in the Park End.

Everything really - they are my club, I am part of the Everton family, and results determine moods and life in general.

What’s your matchday routine—any traditions or superstitions? 

No superstitions as such - I drive, always try to park in the same street or 2, and meet up with as many mates as possible around the island  - walk down Goodison Road and go in about 30 mins before kick off

What’s one story about following Everton that always makes you smile?

There are so many but include sat behind the goal at Barnsley, while Thomas Myhre looked in the grass for his contact lens, wrecking their title hopes twice in recent years at Goodison, and Unsy scoring 38 seconds into Davie Moyes 1st reign, on my birthday. I am still smiling after Fulham on Saturday - the atmosphere in that away end, VAR decisions going for us, and JP loving his new song.

If you could relive one Everton moment, what would it be?

The whole night of the Bayern Munich match - I was a student in Leeds at the time, and another Blue drove us over - we got in the queue at the Street End and got in. Our friends back in Leeds were brainwashed with Everton that season and had watched the highlights on ITV - we had so many congratulations the next day, it felt like we had played in the game. It was a night that will stay with me (and probably everyone else who was there) forever. The final was an anti climax after that night, but I so wish we could have won the FA Cup, as that would have been the 1st team to win the Treble, and we would have won the domestic double before them lot over the park.

The whole 84/85 season. It was like living a dream - that team was absolutely brilliant and even if we were 2-0 down, we would expect to come back and win. We just seemed to be able to step up a gear if we had to but the football was superb and winning just happened every week - it was so good, I didn't want it to end, and that team so deserved to be able to test themselves in the European Cup, and could have won many more honours.