This is not the first time Saints supporters have witnessed the final day of an iconic football stadium and the bad news for the Toffee's is that we have history of winning when we play in one.
Back on this weekend in 2001, almost to the day we visit Goodison Park for the last competitive game at the Stadium, May 19th to be exact, we hosted Arsenal in what would be the last League game played at the Dell and now 24 years later on May 18th 2025, here we are again this time as the guests not the hosts.
That day back then was one that sticks in every Southampton fan who was there memory.
No one can forget that moment in the final minute of the final game when Matt Le Tissier swivelled and fired home what would be the winning goal as we overpowered Arsenal 3-2.
It was one of those rare occasions when the hair really did stand up on the back of your neck and most fans who were present will still get goosebumps just thinking about it.
On that day the enormity of the situation and the emotion carried the Southampton team through to Victory and it was very much the thing that dreams are made of.
But that has not been the case for every team leaving their spiritual home, just two years later on 13th May 2003, we were the guests of Manchester City for their final game at Maine Road.
But we were not welcome guests, City refused to give us the full allocation of tickets and preferred to take the fine and repercussions rather than do the right things, it seems City had a different set of owners back then, but not a different set of ethics than those they employ now.
So the 1,000 or Saints fans present who got wet in a temporary open stand in the corner were quite happy to see Saints poop their party 1-0 a Michael Svensson goal in the 34th minute doing the job and City's farewell to Maine Road ended not with a bang but a pop, even the after match proceedings were fairly poor, all the talk was of Oasis making a live appearance, it turned out to be Badly Drawn Boy, Who ? Exactly !
It wasn't quite the last game at the Withdean in 2011, Huddersfield would have that honour a couple of weeks later, but Brighton were making a big think of it having just won the League One Title, Nigel Adkins refused to give them a guard of honour and Brighton fans were singing songs about our manager in the 83rd minute as they cruised to victory, but then David Connolly equalised and in the final minute Jose Fonte scored to send the travelling supporters wild.
Oh and Huddersfield also got a last minute winner and again pooped the party, although I am sure Brighton fans weren't that bothered about leaving their temporary home.
So Saints fans have a habit of pooping parties when it is the end of an era party and a club leaves a stadium, whether it is our own home we are leaving or are the guests, we have a habit of winning.
So the question is on Sunday at Goodison Park is whether the occasion will get the better of Everton on the day or whether it will spur them on to a glorious victory.
Neither team have anything to play for and indeed I was told by a good source that because of that Everton had applied to the Premier League and asked for the half time break to be extended to 30 minutes , so that they could fit more celebrations in, USA Superbowl style.
This was turned down. but it will be an emotional end of an era for Evertonians, they will be giving their team coach a big welcome similar to we did against West Brom last year in the play off semi final, but to be blunt with nothing resting on the game, will it give their players an edge ? I would say not, it is more likely to enforce the party atmosphere on the playing squad, after all just what are they being spurred on to apart from waving at the fans after the game.
It really isn't going to be about the current Everton team, it is not about the present, it is about the past, so Everton's current team might think that they will enjoy it more if they just join in the party not be the entertainment.
So this is a day when the game is truly secondary, but perhaps this will be to our advantage, we are in a run of form, unbeaten in almost a fortnight (lol) and our run of 2 draws from the last 4 games sees us playing with a little bit of confidence.
On a serious note, we might just fancy ourselves in this one, we will play without a weight on our shoulders for the first time this season, no relegation battle or for that matter the desperation to get that point that takes us above Derby County.
We might just play without fear and nick something and poop their party, but will they care ? Absolutely not for the Evertonians it is only about the fact they are saying goodbye to Goodison Park.
Everton has been a graveyard for Southampton teams over the years, an 8-0 drubbing in 1971 under Ted Bates, has been followed by some big deficits under a variety of managers including a 7-1 debacle under Graeme Souness in 96/97 season, it has not usually been a happy hunting ground for us over the years, so would it not be ironic if our last game their is a win.