Everton supporters are being urged to play their part once again in a season-defining match.
Blues have dragged the team through two relegation fights already, pushing beyond the frustration of recent years to deliver in the stands when the team has needed it.
Ahead of the latest huge game for the club, influential fan group the 1878s has issued a rallying call on the eve of the tie with fellow survival fighters Nottingham Forest. Following the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea, the organisation declared: “No one wins by staying down on the canvas, they only win when they get back up and fight.”
The words come with the club at another low ebb after the humiliation at Stamford Bridge, a chastening result in a game Everton entered with genuine hopes of a positive result. With the pressure now on the club’s home form ahead of three games at Goodison Park in a week, attention has returned to what supporters can do to inspire those on the pitch.
The 1878s have spent this week curating plans for Sunday’s match, organising displays and urging fans to do what they can. Flags have been laid out across the Gwladys Street and supporters are being urged to bring their own to create an emphatic display when the players step out from the tunnel. Supporters are being urged to wear blue and to continue to sing Forever Everton into the start of the match, rather than halting for kick-off.
The plans are part of the latest efforts to galvanise a team that is struggling to confirm its top-flight status. The work of groups like the 1878s came to the fore in the survival campaign under Frank Lampard two years ago, when intense coach welcomes fostered unity between the stands and dressing room that helped Everton avoid relegation. Similar efforts followed last year and are again deemed necessary – though this season the relegation threat has been heavily influenced by the deduction of eight points for off-the-pitch matters.
