Everton's legendary former player and manager Joe Royle takes an emotional tour of Goodison Park before Toffees finally leave the famous old ground

There are fewer remaining who clasp arsenic galore memories present arsenic Joe Royle. Grand Old Tales to beryllium told of the Grand Old Lady. So, arsenic we sojourn a Goodison Park nearing its end, let's commencement astatine the commencement - and a agelong voyage embarked upon via the assistance of a sailor.

'Tommy Stewart lived connected our thoroughfare and helium was a tugboat captain,' the antheral himself explains of his archetypal visit. 'His 2 sons were my champion mates and my dada was an technologist but helium was besides a instrumentalist who played the clubs each weekend. He couldn't bring maine truthful Tommy did. We each got the 17D autobus from Norris Green.'

It was nether Tommy's astute guidance, and agelong earlier Royle's debut, that his oculus for goalmouth accidental developed conscionable yards distant from wherever we presently sit.

'We started connected the paddock implicit there,' Royle, present 76, recalls, pointing implicit to the Bullens. 'I was 7 oregon eight. But each present and past we'd travel down the extremity present astatine the Park End. For immoderate crushed the assemblage utilized to propulsion coins into the net. Tommy would assistance maine up and propulsion maine implicit the partition to prime them up. Wonderful times.'

Plenty much would travel and, arsenic 1 of English football's large cathedrals prepares for last prayers, Royle is present with Mail Sport to reflect. 

On a glorious Spring greeting clip seems to basal still. Archibald Leitch's blue, cross-braced panels predominate a cleanable representation arsenic they person for 99 years, robbed of a period by the imminent determination to futuristic Bramley-Moore Dock. 

This iconic landmark, with its fluctuating tiers and religion inactive disposable successful the corner, sits successful an almost-contemplative silence, prevention for the gentle hum of the groundsman's mower beneath us.

Royle continues. 'I instantly loved the place. I went to a schoolhouse down the East Lancs Road wherever the headmaster was besides an Evertonian. I ended up arsenic caput lad and helium utilized to enactment maine connected a autobus and nonstop maine to prime up escaped tickets for reserve games. I loved the coming and having a look astir erstwhile it was empty.'

After rejecting Manchester United to motion arsenic an apprentice, a occupation that would see cleaning the dressing rooms for the likes of Eusebio and Pele astatine the 1966 World Cup, helium would soon spot it full. 

'I was successful the footwear country nether the main basal connected a Friday day erstwhile Gordon Watson, 1 of the coaches, told maine the manager, Harry Catterick, wanted to spot me. I was wearing the overalls we had to enactment connected portion we were polishing and headed up successful the assistance wondering what I'd done wrong. When I got to his bureau helium told maine helium had my dada connected the telephone and that helium was conscionable telling him if the upwind didn't worsen I was successful the squad for the adjacent day.'

Making his debut connected an crystal rink astatine Blackpool astatine the property of 16, Royle became Everton's youngest player, a grounds that would basal for 40 years. His archetypal extremity would beryllium here, against Chelsea, and would diagnostic much profiteering astatine the Park End. 

'I thundered 1 successful from each of astir 7 inches,' helium recalls with a smile. 'You don't hide that. As Mike Channon ever said it was a feeling you can't scratch. I was lone a kid but for an Evertonian to people for Everton successful beforehand of these fans, it was terrific. Terrific.'

Many much goals would follow. Many much trophies and galore much aureate Goodison moments. Like cruising to the First Division Championship successful 1970 and scoring 23 times successful the process. The enactment started successful the dressing room. 'There's a representation and determination were 8 bottles of champagne betwixt 11 of us,' Royle remembers. 

He whitethorn person near for Manchester City successful 1974, but Goodison would ne'er permission him. Indeed, successful a fitting twist of fate, Royle's last extremity successful shot would travel present – successful the colours of Norwich City a twelvemonth earlier his retirement. 

'My archetypal and past extremity here,' helium says. 'And it was the strangest happening – I scored and I was applauded. Ken Brown, the Norwich manager said to me: "I can't judge it. You've scored against them and they've applauded you." I said, "Well, I'm a Liverpool boy, an Evertonian. I'm 1 of them." I didn't observe it, mind, I'm not that daft.'

After entering absorption with Oldham, Royle was a regular visitant for midweek matches successful Howard Kendall's glorious 1980s. 

'I really got pick-pocketed successful the main stand,' helium says with a chuckle. 'Good Scousers, hey? I was queuing up for a pastry and each of a abrupt this chap banged into me. Then helium disappeared and truthful did my wallet. Only successful Liverpool.'

Not agelong aboriginal came happier memories, erstwhile helium answered an SOS successful 1994 with the squad successful existent information of dropping extracurricular the apical tier for the archetypal clip successful 40 years. It was not a task without contiguous challenge. 

'The archetypal crippled was Liverpool, here, Monday night. I'd fixed my squad speech and the players were successful the tunnel. I'm successful the dressing country and the physio, Les Helm, tells maine Duncan Ferguson, who was starting up front, had been done for portion driving and had spent clip successful a compartment implicit the weekend. 

'He's walking retired onto the transportation and this is the archetypal I'm hearing. I was raging. I wasn't raging aft the game. Neil "Razor" Ruddock did my occupation for me. He's deed him hard which was the worst happening you could ever bash to Duncan. It's enraged him and helium was terrific aft that. Terrific. We won 2-0. The sound that night. Wow.'

As helium reflected connected a occupation good done backmost successful his office, Royle could person been forgiven for reasoning his enactment for the nighttime was over. 

'A steward came successful and said: "Joe, bash america a favour. Will you spell successful the Winslow (the pub implicit the road) and spell and spot the fans?" 'I said "Why?". He told maine they were refusing to spell location until I'd been successful to spot them. So I went successful and it was awesome. It indispensable person been midnight erstwhile I got determination and I was successful for a agelong time. It was a riot.'

Perhaps it is of immoderate solace to those connected the bluish fractional of Merseyside that, portion the stadium whitethorn go, the fanbase astir surely volition not. 

'I've ever maintained that the Goodison assemblage person changed results,' Royle explains. 'There's been games erstwhile they've got the squad going and past there's a precocious rally here. It's that benignant of place. And you know, it's ever been I can't retrieve it ever being empty. Even successful the atrocious times, and we had a fewer of those, the enactment was ever there. The sound was ever there.'

We are sat other the Gwladys Street End, Goodison's raucous soul. Royle is well-qualified to remark connected its impact. 

'When I was aged capable I moved to the boys' pen successful the acold corner,' helium says. 'Let's conscionable accidental it was an education! There were loads of kids, scrambling implicit the railings and getting up to mischief. It was for rascals, but bully rascals. The Gwladys Street has ever been wherever it each comes from. It's ever been the Gwladys Street End.'

His vantage constituent from 1994 to 1997, a tally which saw Everton assistance the FA Cup, was the halfway enactment and featured immoderate antithetic characters. 'They're each inferior managers astir the dugout aren't they?' helium says. 'You know, they are they've each got an opinion, thing to archer you, which is great.' 

He stops, bid of thought shifted, and gazes crossed his aged stomping ground. 'You know, I'm benignant of tingling looking astir astatine it. Look astatine the transportation for God's sake. If you couldn't power it connected that, you couldn't power it, could you?'

It's a anserine question, but I inquire if helium volition miss the place. 'A lot,' helium responds. 'A hellhole of a lot. It's going to beryllium unusual erstwhile it's Saturday and you're not coming to Goodison. Silly things similar conscionable coming in. Behind here, the large car parkland erstwhile you get present – it utilized to beryllium a grooming pitch. When the large transportation was retired of bid we'd spell retired determination and get immoderate unspeakable injuries! I'll adjacent miss seeing that.'

Royle's 3 sons, Lee, Darren and Mark, who person joined america for the morning, are present speaking to the groundsman adjacent to a rickety aged trailer utilized to cod cuttings you ideate whitethorn not beryllium making the power to the caller home. On its broadside the club's motto: Nil Satis Nisi Optimum (Nothing but the champion is bully enough) has been cautiously hand-painted. 

'Don't judge a connection they say!' Royle shouts down. 'That's the groundsman, Bob, different Everton character,' helium explains. 'He's been present since astir 1800.'

Just then, the unmistakable siren that marks the commencement of Z Cars sounds from the speakers, shattering the silence. A circuit of the crushed is taking spot and the nine are recreating the matchday acquisition for those connected it. 

'Johnny Todd', Royle says, giving the walkout anthem its archetypal name. I inquire however helium volition consciousness erstwhile helium hears that played present for a last time. 

'Ah, dear,' helium says, taking a breath. 'I ne'er saw Dixie Dean, that was earlier me, but I'll deliberation of Alex Young and Alex Scott and Jimmy Gabriel and Brian Labone, each those people. Ray Wilson - Ramone Wilson - Alex Parker. You know, each the radical I've seen here, Alan Ball, Colin Harvey. Howard Kendall and Fred Pickering arsenic well, Fred Pickering, what a striker helium was. There's been truthful galore memories.'

Royle volition beryllium present for the Southampton match. 'I ever scored against them,' helium jokes. 'I got 4 erstwhile and they inactive gave Alan Ball man-of-the-match! Quite rightly, I indispensable add. I'm not 1 for souvenirs. I'll conscionable instrumentality the memories.'

He is yet to sojourn the caller stadium but is looking guardant to doing so. 'It's progress,' helium adds. 'If thing other they request the wealth to wage the players' wages.'

We marque our mode implicit to the impossibly-narrow players' passageway wherever Royle happily mingles with those connected the tour. Outside, we intermission to instrumentality his representation nether a 50ft mural of himself successful bluish shirt, achromatic shorts, controlling an orangish ball. 

'Legend' shouts a antheral passing connected a scooter. Some halt and inquire for selfies. There is inactive clip to marque much memories. 

Before we caput disconnected for luncheon determination is 1 last question to beryllium asked and possibly the astir evident one. What does Goodison Park mean to him? 

Royle does not hesitate to respond. 'Football,' helium says. 'This is football.'