Jordan Pickford admits the pressure is on Everton to sign off in style at Goodison Park – as he reflects on his memories of the famous old ground

• Everton will play their final ever game at Goodison Park on Sunday lunchtime
• Jordan Pickford is set to walk out with two of his children for the special occasion
• LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday 

By JOE BERNSTEIN

Two of Jordan Pickford’s children will be mascots at Goodison Park on Sunday, clear evidence that facing Southampton isn’t just a normal game for the England No 1 or anyone else at Everton.

While Pickford will stick to his normal routine, and wave to the same fan in the Gwladys Street End in his warm-up, he is fired up for his 160th and last appearance at the stadium, with the club going to a new home next season.

‘We’ll be playing for the memory of winning the last home game at Goodison,’ he acknowledges. ‘So there will probably be added pressure.’

Even so, it’ll be hard to keep flashbacks at bay. For Pickford, that includes two dramatic escapes from relegation.

‘The stand-out is probably the Palace game (in 2022),’ he says. ‘We had to win to stay up because we had Arsenal away (in their final game). To get the result after going 2-0 down by scoring three in the second half was incredible. Dele (Alli) came on and changed the game.

‘Arsene Wenger said Goodison can be hard for the opposition because of the noise. It definitely played a part that night. Once we got the first goal, the fans had lift-off. After 3-2, it was just a blur!

Jordan Pickford has insisted the pressure is on Everton to sign off in style at Goodison Park

Everton’s final game at the iconic stadium comes against Southampton on Sunday lunchtime

Pickford said his best memory was Everton’s great escape against Crystal Palace in 2022

‘Compared to that, I felt pretty chilled against Bournemouth the following year. It was like, we did it before, we might as well do it again! We controlled the game and Duke (Abdoulaye Doucoure) got the winner.’

Pickford, 31, has been at Everton since 2017 and stayed loyal despite mixing with team-mates at international level who play in the Champions League and win trophies.

Evertonians have a chant about him being ‘dynamite’ and at Fulham last weekend, he threw himself around despite hurting his shoulder. ‘It was killing me. I thought my golf season was over!’ he quips.

The midday kick-off against Saints will be emotional, with dozens of former Everton players invited back for the occasion and fans set to line the streets to greet the team coach.

After 30 years without silverware, Everton hope to flourish in their new 53,000-capacity ground at Bramley-Moore dock.

‘It’s going to be sad leaving Goodison but we are moving to one of the best stadiums I’ve seen,’ adds Pickford.

First, though, there is a special day to enjoy, shared with his kids. ‘It’s going to be a good memory. I’m sure I’ll be looking back on it in 30 years’ time when I’m a grandad!’

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Jordan Pickford admits the pressure is on Everton to sign off in style at Goodison Park – as he reflects on his memories of the famous old ground

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