Motherwell welcomed English Premiership side Everton to Fir Park and the game was in honour of Motherwell left back Stevie Hammell as it was his testimonial game.
I should start by saying I have always liked Everton. It all started in 1992 when I bought the first EPL annual before the first ever Premier League game. I looked at all the badges and the one that stood out and caught my eye was the Everton one. I liked the ‘Toffees’ nickname and then I learned of the links between the club and Rangers. One that still remains to this day.
So in the past I have had Everton kits and watched many a game, the 1995 FA Cup final stands out as a game I always remember.
So it was great to finally see them in person.
Another bonus was the fact I am a fan of Stevie Hammell. A player I remember breaking into the Motherwell team back in 1999/2000. He was/still is an enthusiastic, talented left back who always enjoyed going forward. I often thought he could have done a job for one of the Old Firm.
I still can’t understand why he only ever received one cap for Scotland.
Plus he was born in Rutherglen as was myself.
All the 3500 Motherwell fans that made it to Fir Park welcomed the local hero and he received a standing ovation before and after the match, which he clearly appreciated and cherished.
A huge well done to the one thousand Toffees that made it to Lanarkshire. That is a great turnout for an away friendly. They did their club proud. When it was announced to the crowd how many had travelled up from Merseyside the home support gave the visitors a standing ovation which was a nice touch.
It was actually my first time at Fir Park and I was sitting in the East Stand and that seemed to be the loudest. The PA system was a bit too loud and distorted for my liking and the mash up of David Guetta’s Titanium and 500 miles from The Proclaimers wasn’t the greatest tune I have heard but maybe I am just getting old!
Not exactly the best looking Champions League venue (It will be on the July the 31st) but I am sure it will be rocking. Though at a steep £30 per ticket its a game I was going to go and see but will now sadly miss.
Everton brought a lot of their first team stars with Tim Howard, Sylvain Distin, Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill all starting.
They also had the likes of Darron Gibson, Jack Rodwell, Steven Naismith and Nikica Jelavic on the bench.
As for the game itself.
It was decent.
Motherwell did the SPL proud as they had plenty of the ball and created some really good chances. They didn’t show signs of being in awe of their glamours opponents.
A couple of things stood out about Everton.
First off they seemed a bit off pace compared to The Steelmen, but you could tell that they could up a couple of gears if they needed to for a competitive match.
The other thing that struck me was the difference in players, in terms of their physique. I noticed this last season when Hearts played Tottenham but its the first time I’ve seen it in person. In the main the Everton guys were bulky, taller and generally looked more athletic.
Now I know Barca have the smallest side in Europe but at times yesterday it was like watching men against boys. Everton’s Shane Duffy and Apostolos Vellios are both only 20 but are over 6 foot 2 and built like tanks.
So maybe not a surprise that Everton took the lead through a headed Duffy goal from a corner. The surprise was that it was against the run of play.
Michael Higdon had missed a great chance and others didn’t take advantage of good chances/positions. Motherwell can’t afford to do that in their Champions League qualifiers against Panathinaikos.
In the second half Well did equalise as Nicky Law who scored a stunner from the edge of the box and the goal brought the home fans to their feet in delight.
For me it was good seeing Nikica Jelavic and Steven Naismith back in Scotland. A view that wasn’t shared by the Motherwell fans who booed the former Rangers players every time they touched the ball.
I didn’t really get it. They would applaud anything their team did right and they sang about Hammell but really the loudest they got was when either Everton player touched the ball. They sang a ‘Naismith walked away chant’ that was changed to ‘Limped away’ not exactly classy.
Do they boo Naismith when playing for Scotland? Rangers aren’t exactly rivals.
The bitterness isn’t just from the Well fans though. As I approached the stadium, two Motherwell fans were walking ahead of me and had their scarves on to show support. A taxi stopped ahead of them and the passenger, a drunk Rangers fan leaned out the window and said ‘Champions League my arse, bunch of wankers’.
Very sad. Can’t we all just move on.
Naismith nearly got himself a debut goal but was ultimately denied by the Well’s sub keeper Lee Hollis. Jelavic had some good movement but his touch wasn’t great.
The two clubs had some links on the day too.
Motherwell’s manager Stuart McCall is a Goodison legend.
Also the Steelmen had a returning hero on the bench in James McFadden much to the delight of the home fans.
The Former Fir Park man, a good friend of Hammell has had two spells with The Toffees. He was released by the English side in June and seemed to have fun meeting up with former teammates.
The game was decent which is good for any friendly. Both teams creating chances and the match was played in the right spirit.
For Everton, Fellaini stood out not just for the hair-do but because he strolled through the game and added quality to the event.
For Motherwell, Chris Humphrey was exciting, the player’s pace and trickery caused Tony Hibbert problems throughout.
It was a great day out and was fitting for Stevie Hammell who seems to be a really nice guy, who is loved by his clubs fans and who is a fine pro.
A classy touch was when Hammell was subbed off, Everton youngster Seamus Coleman joined the fans in applauding the Motherwell captain and made a point to run over and congratulate Hammell. McFadden also waited on the touchline as the game ended, applauded his pal off the park and embraced him as they went up the tunnel.
I’m glad to have finally caught Everton in action and plan on going down to Goodison some time in the new season.
I hope both sides do well next term as they are both hard working, passionate, friendly and good footballing sides.