An Evening of Two Halves with Jamie Yates and Peter Lupson

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Mike Royden

For the fifth event in the Spring 2026 series of Everton FC Heritage Society social/talk evenings, we were graced with the presence of two separate speakers during a night of two halves.

First up was Peter Lupson, a former teacher, and a founder member of The Everton FC Heritage Society, who was present at the inaugural meeting back in 2008. Peter is also a former vice-chair of the society. He has authored several books (including school texts), such as Thank God For Football, and Across the Park.

Peter took us through a fascinating journey on how players were treated by the club doctor and trainer, in order to keep their charges fit. It was clear that a succession of medical professionals found it difficult to make their mark, assert their authority, and effect necessary treatment programmes, to a largely unco-operative playing staff. Many in those early days of the league in the 1890s, frequently preferred to be given any required medical check-ups by their own personal doctor. This idea of a club doctor was alien to them, and it would take some time to fully implement, and would also require direct orders issued by the Everton Board for players to comply.

Peter took us through the careers of the club doctors and trainers through time, right down to the present, finishing with words from Leighton Baines on how highly respected the club doctor was during his own playing career.

After a drinks break and time to socialise, it was the turn of Jamie Yates in the hot seat, who took us right back to the start of Goodison Park in 1892. In conversation with presenter Lewis Royden, Jamie reminded us how we are all familiar with the work of Archibald Leitch and his iconic criss-cross pattern design fronting the Goodison stands, but he did not design the original stadium. That honour belonged to James Prescott, an architect who actually lived in Everton, in Mere Lane to be precise, close to Anfield.

Jamie firstly covered his early life, his professional partnerships and the commissions they worked on, before James was contracted by the Everton Board to prepare plans for their proposed new stadium, on land they had recently rented at Mere Green alongside the newly laid out Goodison Road. What was most astonishing was the timescale in which the work was completed – commencing at the end of the 1891-92 season in May, ready to be officially opened on 24 August 1892.

Click here for the ‘Opening of Goodison Park’ by Mike Royden

Jamie took us through those early years of that first decade or so at Goodison, which included the earliest film clips of the stadium, filmed by Mitchell & Kenyon. You can view the first of those games here;

Match of the Day – 13 September 1902

Finally, we heard about Everton’s first professional player – George Farmer (alongside George Dobson), which featured the story of how this prolific goal-scoring forward inspired local band, named in his honour, ‘The Mighty George Farmer’ to record the song ‘Hey Now Georgie.’ Following meticulous research by Jamie, he brought several of Farmer’s descendants together to attend the dedication of the new headstone for this first true Everton star, a project led by Jamie on behalf of The Everton FC Heritage Society. Everton Club chaplain, Reverend Henry Corbett was also in tonights audience, who carried out the dedication in Anfield Cemetery. (Full report here).

We were then treated to the video of ‘Hey Now Georgie’ to finish the evening, but not before Jamie pointed out a few aspects to look out for, including local sites, George Farmer’s home, and his great-great grandson John Murray, sat reading a match report in period football kit. Jamie also appears in the video, and it was filmed and edited by tonight’s presenter Lewis Royden. [More about the band and how the video came to be filmed here].

Click below to play the clip!