Everton hosted the first of three test matches at Bramley Moore Dock Stadium on Monday evening.
10,000 lucky Evertonians were in attendance to watch an Under-18s friendly against Wigan Athletic.
The Toffees are set to leave Goodison Park after 133 years at the end of the season, with Bramley Moore now ready after four years of development.
The Latics ran out 2-1 winners on the night, with Wigan midfielder Harrison Rimmer scoring the first ever goal at Bramley Moore.
Substitute Ray Roberts converted a penalty late on for Everton, writing his name in the history books by scoring the club’s first goal at the stadium.
Despite the result it was the historic occasion that the 10,000 fans congregated in the South Stand will remember.
“A beacon of hope for us fans”
Everton fan Kieron Osborne was in attendance for the match, he said:
“When you compare it to Goodison, it really is a remarkable achievement.
“My dad and I used to fish off the dock wall between Bramley Moore and Sandon, nobody would of ever believed it would’ve been possible to build a brand new state of the art stadium there.
“Never mind it being for Everton given all the shortcomings our club seems to have.
“The stadium really is a beacon of hope for us fans, and for it to finally be around the corner is great.”
With a reduced capacity, the club are hoping fans will echo a positive experience ready for the next test phase.
Mr Osborne added: “It was an overall smooth experience. Digitalised tickets worked and the flow of people into the stands was steady.
“There was plenty of space to walk around the concourse once inside and it felt safe and secure.
“It had all the hallmarks of a place you could call home and the general consensus from people on the night was it may be much easier to transition away from Goodison than some might expect.”
Transport nightmare at Sandhills station
Despite the positive experience inside the stadium, there has been criticisms of the transport situation after the match.
Fans complained about congestion at Sandhills Station, with infrequent trains and a shortage of carriages to cater to the departing fans.
It's not safe!
A shocking decision to have trains running every 30 minutes and only a four carriage too!!!
That was with 10k today so god knows how they'll cope with 50k plus!
Awful @MetroMayorSteve pic.twitter.com/Ln36AKyW7W— Tony Scott (@Tony_Scott11) February 17, 2025
Mr Osborne also experienced the transport issues after the match, he said:
“The club and the council both promote sustainable travel the use of public transport.
“That’s all well and good but the train service to and from Sandhills will need to be seriously reviewed.
“The proposed fan zone also doesn’t seem like a good idea at the moment, I can’t see it being safe and suitable for long term use to thousands of people unless changes are made.”
Two more test games set to take place
Everton have confirmed a further two test matches will take place at the new stadium.
The club’s Under-21s will feature in the next event in late March or early April, with capacity increasing to 25,000.
Details will be released in due course about the third test event later this season.
Featured image provided by Kieron Osborne.
