'It is sad I'm closing pub loved by fans for decades'

The landlord of a famous pub beloved by Everton fans for decades said the club's move from Goodison Park took the "soul" away from the area as he called time on the business.

The Winslow Hotel, opened in the 1880s, was yards from the former stadium on Goodison Road and was flooded with fans on matchdays. But Saturday will see its final pint pulled.

Dave Bond, originally from County Clare in Ireland, has run the pub since 2014 but said his customer base collapsed after the men's first team moved to the Hill Dickinson stadium in August after 133 years in Goodison.

"All that's missing now is tumbleweed," he told the BBC.

"It's sad, it's very sad.

"Goodison Park is the soul of L4 and the Everton fans are the soul of this building.

"Once the Everton fans went, the soul went with it and it's quite sad."

The Winslow tried to keep things going by laying on coaches to the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, but could not come close to replacing the lost revenue.

"We had something like 20, 25 people turn up for each match and we were putting on some little bit of food beforehand and live entertainment afterwards," Bond said.

Although Everton Women now play at Goodison Park, attendances are well below the 40,000 that used to watch the men's side.

"We were basically on a hiding to nothing to try and keep it going," Bond said.

"We were very reliant on the footfall. Matchday footfall [was] 90% plus.

"So once you take that away, you can't replace it."

Fans like Donal Morgan said they had great memories of the Winslow and would miss it.

"I came in here seeing ex-players like Peter Dede and the late Kevin Campbell," he said.

"The new ground down there is fantastic but the pubs haven't got the history that this place has got. This place has been here longer than others and they've got a lot of work to do to match what this place is like."

Bond's love of Everton began as a nine-year-old when he read a book featuring Dixie Dean, whose face adorns the sign on the side of the pub.

Legend has it that the Blues' record goal-scorer was one among several Everton players that, on occasion, would run across from the ground to the pub at half-time and neck a drink before returning and taking to the field for the second half.

Bond said his affection for Everton grew by listening to Radio Merseyside on his mother's long-wave radio in Ireland.

"It was ever so faint, but that was my love affair with Everton," he said.

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