The Grand Old Lady
Everton 2-0 Newcastle United (Women’s Super League Cup Group Stages)
I’ll be honest, I was really sad when I heard that Everton Football Club were leaving Goodison Park, one of the great traditional homes of the English game.
Granted, the Hill Dickinson is the real deal, stunning, modern and gorgeous looking set glowing on the banks of the Mersey and one day the new place will be as iconic as the old, and I get there comes a point in life where yes, you have to move on, but there’s a few old boys who have also said it, that they are beginning to miss that beautiful old blue home of 133 years long.
Goodison is still standing, and ever-since the Everton women’s team has been housed here (only in the last two years has The Grand Old Lady become their permanent home), I have been looking at ways to get a game in, and it just so happens, that on route to Glasgow for a European night on Thursday, that I can stop off along the way, and take in a match between Everton and Newcastle.
Sixth in the Super League verses top of WSL2… This Subway Cup group stage game might not be the most important for either, but it’ll be a test of where Newcastle are at, as the Toon look to take further strides in getting towards the top of the women’s tree.
Everton lost at London City Lionesses on Sunday, Newcastle themselves beaten by Tyne/Wear rivals Sunderland in the Women’s League Cup (el lassico), which is a group stage format of 23 teams (split North and South) playing six matches ahead of the knockout stages with the best eight going through. An added invention is if the game ends level tonight, we’ll go straight to penalties for a bonus point.
I’ve got digs booked at Hotel Anfield, I needed somewhere to park my car and walk back to as parking is crap near Anfield and Goodison, and I have a long drive up to Scotland tomorrow, so I set off at 2pm, cross East to West and get to Liverpool for around half four, where I check in a small but quaint hotel which is very dedicated to all things LFC.
There are pictures on the walls and even trophies on the mantle piece, the Premier League and Champions League replicas can be touched and are in full view in the bar area. It’s a nice place but quiet today. Liverpool played last night and I think I’m the only one in the hotel tonight.
The Venue
It’s a fifteen-minute walk around Stanley Park is Goodison, but it’s pissing down with rain. I leave around 6pm for a 7pm kick off, on foot and down the Walton Lane as the heavens open, I’m tempted to stop off for a pint at the Abbey to dry off but there’s not much time, as I get to Goodison Road the ground appears, I’m pissing drenched and hardly anyone is around.
There’s the old club shop boarded up, a boozer on the corner out of action, the stadium still hogs the skyline though above terraced housing as the rain patters down on the ever so quiet street.
I’m in the turnstiles by the famous church that sits in the corner between the Goodison Road Stand and Howard Kendall End, a short cut through to the bottom tier which is when this grand old lady opens up.
She's still got it. I seen pictures of her warn looking in a recent game when it hosted Preston North End and whilst the paint is pealing and the seats are fading, there’s a lot of them now covered up, the goal to my left has flags and banners to provide a more atmospheric homely feel for the girls, opposite the Bullens Road stand is tall and two tiered with it’s famous Archibald Leitch design in printed on its midriff in white and blue.
I grab a quick pie and brew from the dated looking kiosk on the bottom tier, the stand I’m in is so up close and personnel, the first four or five rows are arguably lower than the centre of the pitch which drapes down from wing to wing with a big hump in midfield.
It’s a classic old English home and I’m glad that it’s still standing, the only disappointment is it’s far from full tonight, although there’s a few in the bottom tier behind the goal to my left, making noise with some drums, and Newcastle, although I can’t see them, have brought a fair few fans who are making some noise to my right, the atmosphere although little over a thousand inside, is very good, Everton having some of the best songs I’ve heard at a women’s game. Some catchy chants for some of their star players.
The Game
There’s a few stars on show tonight. Everton have a solid spine with Japanese international Hanoka Hayashi and Italian Aurora Galli in midfield, nicknamed ‘Yaya’ Galli has arguably my favourite song of all, “Yaya fantastico, Yaya magnifico, ole ole, Yaya Galli” it’s very catchy and is sung to something similar which they used to belt out to Carlo Ancelotti.
Everton are the better side early on, doing a lot of the pressing they are resorted to long shots but rack up the corner count, Newcastle defend well and have pace on the break, Leanne Kiernan who used to play for Liverpool is very quick and has the ability to run past defenders.
Other than the odd forage into their hosts territory however, Everton in all blue are much the better side, Spaniard Ornello Vignola is rapid down the right as she looks to take on her opponents, but at half time chances are few and far between.
The Score
It’s pretty much same routine in the second 45 as Everton push forward against resilient opponents who look to defend and break when possible, but other than Kiernan, Newcastle don’t possess enough to hurt Everton, and when their star player limps off on 72, it’s the home side who capitalise, Vignola setting her sights from range, and scoring an absolute beauty.
It’s nothing less than Everton deserve after creating a number of chances with Toon keeper Rendell off the bench at half time, busier than her predecessor Tamminen in the first half.
Rendell makes a couple of brilliant stops but could do little about Vignola’s first, she could little about Vignola’s second either, on 84 she taps home from a right wing cross by Wheeler and puts the game to bed.
The Stars
Those two goals from Vignola will probably rightfully earn her player of the match and she was brilliant, a threat with the ball at her feet, willing to run at defenders, her first goal was simply brilliant.
But Vignola aside there was a lot to like about Everton with Hayashi in midfield, six on her back, popping up in deep pockets and getting her team on the move. In forward areas Galli a threat, Hannah Cain too, down the left a persistent crosser into the box, she’s a player I really liked at Leicester and got a summer move to Goodison (with Jutta Rantala and Noumie Mouchon) after the Foxes went down.
Another player really impressing me, Hannah Silcock a tall young centre half aged 22 who played with ease and read the game really well, athletic in cruise control calm and assured, she looks like a player with high ceiling potential.
As for Newcastle, I thought their right back Lia Cataldo did well, I quite liked their tall Hungarian centre half Hannah Nemeth but it was Leanne Kiernan their go to outlet with pace and energy to burn. She slipped on 70 minutes trying to keep the ball in play and there after was taken off as a precaution, a player who her manager won’t want to lose as they look to push for promotion in the league this season.
The Verdict
There is still a gap on those doing ok in the WSL compared to the top teams in WSL2 but it is closing, and I think it will only get more competitive, the more these teams play verses each other. Everton actually have a good chance of winning the Subway League Cup with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea not involved due to them being instead in European action, whilst in the league they’ll be aiming to finish as high as possible, currently sixth in the table, they’ll probably snap your hands off with that come May.
Newcastle might not be too bothered about what happens in the cup but they can use their performances as a barometer for future success. Their big aim is to gain promotion this season and sitting top of the tree, they are on course to do so. One rival they need to cast aside however is Sunderland, who are second, the Black Cats beat Newcastle in the cup at the weekend, but the Toon won’t mind that, should they get the better of them in the league.
As for Goodison, a place we all need to attend and worship at least once in our lives, so if you've not done so already, come and pop along, before it's all gone.
The Teams
Everton: Rylee Foster, Rion Ishikawa (Clare Wheeler 72), Megan Finnigan, Hannah Silcock, Hikaru Kitagawa, Honoka Hayashi (Rosa van Gool 86), Aurora Galli, Ornella Vignola, Noemie Mouchon (Yuka Momiki 62), Hannah Cain, Jutta Rantala (Mayumi Pacheco 72).
Newcastle United: Anna Tamminen (Kayla Rendell 46), Charlotte Wardlaw, Hanna Nemeth, Gemma Evans, Oona Sevenius, Lois Joel, Lia Cataldo (Jemma Purfield 85), Leanne Kiernan (Mollie Lambert 72), Abbie Richardson (Ashanti Akpan 71), Emilia Larsson, Kathleen McGovern (Jesse Gale 60).
7:00pm Kick Off. Wednesday 21st October 2026, Goodison Park, Everton (att 1,000).
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