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 History There is no place like Goodison Park when the place is full.

The atmosphere is very good but when the current team enters the stadium to the sound of Z-Cars and the deafining noise from over 40,000 fans, it is difficult to imagne an Everton team walking onto a Park Pitch with no dressing rooms, carrying goalposts!

But that is how it all began.

The predecessors of heros such as Dean, Lawton, Hickson, Labone, Ball, Latchford, Sharp, Lineker, and Ferguson, were removed from the 21st century image of a football player as it is possible to be.

The St Domingo school was opened in May 1870 and 8 years later the team using the name played its first match in the south-east corner of Stanley Park, with the players carrying the posts from the park lodge on Mill Lane before fixing them into the metal sockets at either end of the crudely marked pitch.

In Novemeber 1879 St Domingo's FC realised that they had a local reputation for themselves and players. They found themselves changing their name in Novemeber 1879 to - EVERTON.

The significant meeting that dicided the new title took place at the Queens Head Hotel in Village Street, just off Everton Road, a short distance from the Lock-up Tower.

The first game as Everton FC took place on Decembe 20th 1879 at Stanley Park against St Peters wearing blue and white striped shirts, Everton won 6-0, although, sadly, there are no records of line-ups or goalscorers. In they days before football was a actual orgiansed sport, a player recruited from another team could still wear the jersey of his former club, which led to confusion !

Everton established themselves as a very good team and as crowds of up to 2,000 went to watch them in Stanley Park, it became evident that a new, ground would soon be needed.

