Ah, football. I missed witnessing you in person, oh did I ever. Not since May have I made my way to a stadium to watch a live game, but that tedious period ended Tuesday night as I ventured over the river for the first time to Prenton Park, the ground of Tranmere Rovers.
Everton’s first game of the pre-season was pretty much what I expected. Some of the veteran players got a run out to loosen the joints in preparation for the season ahead while some of the younger players were also given a chance to get noticed ahead of the season proper.
Prenton Park itself is a nice stadium that is relatively easy to find. You just head through the tunnel and pretty much follow signs from that point. Of course, I’d gone to the trouble of preparing a route that would allow us to by-pass said tunnel but then the GPS decided to stop working, so it was all for naught. Oh well, the best laid plans as they say.
I’d originally planned to get into Lime Street, get the train to Rock Ferry and walk to the stadium, but the day before the game my mum asked me if I wanted a lift. I told her I only had the one ticket but she said she didn’t mind and said she’d find something to do for a couple of hours while the match was on. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I agreed. This was my first mistake.
Off I toddled to work and when it came to finishing time I made my way to the gates to see the car waiting. I then spied my dad in the passenger seat. “Strange, I thought, what’s he doing there?”. As I scanned my eyes to the car further I saw my sister in the back seat giving me a look on her face as if to say “Don’t look at me, this wasn’t my idea!”
So yeah, mum had decided to invite my dad and sister along as well. Not unreasonable of course, it would give her something to do while the match was on. It would have been nice if she’d given me a heads up though. My plans to navigate were now in tatters. I don’t know if you’ve tried to navigate from the back seat before, but it’s nigh on impossible. My dad had not prepared a route or plan, so slap dash had this arrangement seemingly been, and before I could suggest we move seats, my mum was off like a shot, as she is want to do.
My mum’s idea of the opportune time to start a journey is when you sit in the car seat. Things like setting up a GPS, getting out a map and even attaching your seat belt are all things that to her are best done once the car itself is in motion. No sooner had I sat down, the car was moving. I frantically attached my seat belt and hurriedly tried to get the GPS working. It came to my attention at this time that the device wasn’t working, but by now we were on the motorway and bypassing the turning we’d have needed to make to avoid getting the tunnel. Typical.
This is of course led to a 40 minute argument (Yes 40 minutes, I’m a terrible WOOL from out of town) as I desperately tried, and failed, to martial things from the backseat. The fact my mum is hard of hearing but refuses to get it checked, made it only all the more difficult. Fitzgerald’s we travel reasonably well in small groups but don’t shove us all together and send us to a destination where none of us have been to before. Just don’t, you’re asking for trouble. I remember when we went to Germany a couple of years back. Those poor German’s, it was probably the worst thing to happen to their country since Dresden. At one point, all four of us were engaged in a stupendous row at a train station arguing over what train we needed. A bemused German man wandered over, asked us where we wanted to go and promptly pointed the required train out to us. I think he was just desperate for some peace and quiet.
So we did eventually manage to make it to Birkenhead which, from what I saw, seemed like a nice enough place. One benefit of traveling with the folks is that we had time to sit down in a pub and have a proper meal before the match started. We went to a place called “The Acorn”, which is about a 5 minute car journey from Prenton Park and is one of those places that have ridiculous portions for reasonable prices. I paid a tenner and got a 10 ounce steak, chips, onion rings, peas and 6 pieces of scampi. This pub actually had starters on the menu as well, although I can’t imagine someone managing more than one course. I’d be terrified to see the size of the portions for the appetisers. Your soup would probably get served in a bathtub.
So after a pint of bitter and a big steak to quell my nerves following such a “joyous” journey, I got dropped off by the family outside Prenton Park and went in to watch the match while they went off to New Brighton for a few hours. I did a quick lap of Prenton Park. It’s an odd stadium in that it’s sort of enclosed amongst outer buildings, so you can’t do a traditional lap around it as such. I found the facilities to be just fine and found my seat with relative ease. This was a good seat as well. Fourth row from the front, pretty much right behind the goal. Walking up the steps to face the pitch, a ball went flying to the left of me and almost got me square in the mush. I believe Steven Naismith was the culprit. One of the hazards of sitting behind the goal. Maybe my luck was starting to turn?
The match itself never really reached a higher gear. It was only a pre-season game of course, and for some of the players it was their first game since the end of last season, so you could excuse them for being pensive. Everton played a mixture of players in the first half, with usual first teamers Sylvain Distin, Gareth Barry and Stephen Pienaar playing. Young Luke Garbutt got a game at left back position, and did an excellent job. Shane Duffy, the big Irish number 34, got his chance at Centre Back and did a serviceable job. Had Garbutt not played, I’d imagine he would have got more plaudits. He looked confident with the ball at his feet and worked hard throughout. He backed up my opinion that he could be played in a “proper” game for Everton and do just fine. Tynias Browning, another young defender, also played in at Right Back but wasn’t as solid as Duffy or Garbutt. I imagine he’ll get other chances though.
I’m glad that Duffy did okay in this. You get the feeling that this could be a make or break pre-season for him. So many supporters seem antsy to get him out of the club at this time. I can only hope that Martinez is giving him the chance to show what he can do and he’ll get more games before pre-season ends. The biggest criticism is that he isn’t good enough on the ball but he looked fine whenever he was called on to play it to feet. It’s also hard to ignore all the positives to his game. His size and ability in the air make him useful with set pieces at both ends of the pitch. His attitude seems decent as well. It may have only been pre-season, but he was running and working like the game was more important. He wants to win and do his best. Right now I think it would be disastrous if Everton were to Duffy go. Even if there are aspects of his game that Martinez wouldn’t like, he is young and there is ample time for him to correct them. Considering that Distin, Alcaraz and Jagielka are all getting older, to turf a promising young Centre Back at this stage just seems ludicrous.
The Second Half saw Seamus Coleman and Leon Osman get a run out but also gave a chance for Darron Gibson to make his return after a long layoff due to injury. He looked sharp and in good shape. Hopefully he can maintain his fitness throughout the season. When he’s healthy, Gibson can be an integral part of the side. Tony Hibbert also got 45 minutes as well. He was playing at Left Back strangely enough but Coleman ended up getting taken off early for something that looked like an injury, and he ended up back in his usual Right Back position. I’ve not heard yet, but I hope Coleman is okay and not severely injured.
Tony Hibbert. I bloody love that man. He actually got higher up the pitch than normal. At one point I think he was even in the Tranmere box! He still didn’t have a shot though, despite large portions of the away end encouraging him to do so. Hallam Hope played up front in the second half and I was impressed. He’s got decent size, relatively quick on his feet and has the desired tenacity you’d wish from a Centre Forward. Before this game I thought he might end up loan but after watching him play up close, I think he could be a decent option as a backup striker. Time will tell I guess.
In the end, the match ended 2-2 as Everton twice threw away the lead. We still can’t win a chuffing derby can we? I enjoyed it though. It was nice to see some of the younger lads get a chance to earn a place in the side and it was equally nice to be at the match again. A gentleman behind me summed it up brilliantly.
“I missed this” he said “Being at the match, smelling onions and burgers in the air, seeing some footy again. There’s nothing like it”
“Yeah, Summer is hell!” chipped in his mate sitting next to him.
Perfect. You could put that on the spine of a bestseller!
Of course, being that this is a Fitzgerald family journey™, there was a bit more drama before we finally got home. My mum picked me up down a side street from the main road and, to my desolation, started to make her way down a road that I knew was blocked off at the end, because I’d just come from the other end of it, as it was were the away fans were let out. “I wouldn’t go down there mum”, I helplessly called out. Mum either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore me. If you were leaving the match and had a chuckle at the Ford Focus doing a 10 point turn to get out of a blocked road, you can now rest assured that it wasn’t my fault.
So, what does the season ahead promise? With Europa League Football to look forward to, there’s prospect for an exciting year for Everton. Of course, signings still need to be made, especially if Everton are to be fighting on four fronts this year. A striker is a must and another midfielder wouldn’t go amiss either. With no other signings than Barry confirmed, everything is still very much up the air. That being said, we’re only in July. Maybe the club will still be able to surprise us yet?
I look forward to Leon Osman’s testimonial, which is the next time I’ll be at an Everton game in person. Safe journey to any supporters who are going to Rhyl on Saturday or indeed making the long journey to Thailand for the tour there. Here’s to, hopefully, a great season!
Peace Out
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