As soon as I walk into Goodison Park, I look for the Everton tribute to my dad, which always makes me smile.

Moving from Goodison Park to the new stadium at the end of this season will be even more emotional for one Everton fan than it is for the thousands of other passionate fans. This is because their late father’s name literally hangs above the club’s loudest fans. On this day in 2015, one of the most famous people in Everton Football Club’s history died.

Before becoming the club’s most successful boss, he was part of “The Holy Trinity,” the most famous midfield trio in Blues history. Friends called him “H,” but Simon Kendall called him “Dad.”

Following Kendall’s death five years earlier, Simon talked to the ECHO about what Everton meant to him and said that the tributes at Goodison Park were one of the most pleasing parts of his father’s legacy. Even though Kendall had died the previous year at the age of 69, Everton renamed the Gwladys Street Stand in his honor. The Park End was also changed in honor of former chairman Sir Philip Carter.

The sign with his dad’s name on it makes Simon, who now lives in New Jersey, feel better when he goes to see the Blues play. He told the Echo, “Whenever I’m back at Goodison it’s the first thing I look toward when I get inside the stadium.” A huge smile always appears on my face. The fact that the club chose the Gwladys Street End is a great honor to Dad.

“It makes it even better that Sir Philip is looking back at him from the Park End.” During hard times, a chairman and manager need to work together well to keep going and think that something great is just around the corner. Sir Philip thought that way.

It would have been great for Dad to see the stand naming for himself, of course. But this kind of respect usually only happens after someone has died.

“That’s usually when details about how much someone has helped and their connections with club members become clear.” Dad already knew what the club and its fans thought of him and what he thought of the club.

His spirit now lives on in Goodison Park, even though he didn’t get to see it himself.

Kendall knew all about Everton and knew that the loudest Blues fans usually hang out on Gwladys Street. This street helped inspire a comeback in the second half against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the 1985 European Cup Winners’ Cup semifinal. Halftime: The home team was down 1-0, but Kendall told his players that Gwladys Street would “suck the ball into the net” of the German giants. This was widely thought to be Goodison’s best ever performance.

True to his word, Trevor Steven scored a third goal for Everton four minutes from time to secure their spot in the final in Rotterdam against Rapid Vienna. The noise inside “The Old Lady” was so loud that it shook the famous ground to its core. For Simon, though, this historic sports moment was missed because he was too young to see it.

“The half-time team talk against Bayern will always be remembered,” he said. “It was by far the best atmosphere I’ve ever felt in any football stadium.” That night, the crowd was our 12th man, just like Gwladys Street.

“As a 10-year-old boy, I remember sitting down with my hands over my head and waiting for the roar when Trevor Steven was put through for the third time and the crowd went crazy with excitement. I knew I had no chance of seeing what was going to happen!” People who were there will never forget what a great night it was.

There are more tributes to Kendall in Goodison Park than just the name of Gwladys Street. Later that same year, in May 2019, the club also revealed a statue of him with his midfield partners Colin Harvey and the late Alan Ball in front of the stand that now bears his name.

According to Simon, the likeness and attention to detail are truly amazing. It’s not just Dad, but also Colin and Alan. It’s a great way to honor all of their efforts to the club. Another day that made all of our families feel unbelievably proud. I made it over in time for the reveal; it was possibly the craziest trip home I’ve ever taken.

“After coming from the US, we were in the country for just under 24 hours.” It was a great event to share with family and meet up with old friends.

“I remember Jimmy (Ball) being amazed by how well Alan’s white boots were made, but what I will remember most is Colin’s emotional response when they were shown off.”

Being there with him for the unveiling was an honor and a pleasure. It hit me how great it would have been for Dad to see the same thing. He would have been quick to say that he was such a good-looking boy if he had been there. We all know how funny he is!

For example, Simon’s stories show how close the two famous Everton football families are, but he also admits that his own home life was shaped by his father’s job when he was growing up.

“Fair to say that Dad was married to the job, so Mom did most of the parenting,” he said. There is almost always someone managing football teams.

There weren’t as many games on Sundays back then, so that was mostly family time, and my dad could often come watch my games. We were well protected from most of the stresses of the job by both Mom and Dad.

Don’t worry about what other people think; your dad is still your dad no matter what. I guess you did have to get used to giving him to other people occasionally. Anybody who wanted to talk, sign, or take a picture with him could always do it.