In the history of the Merseyside derby, only a handful have ever been postponed (at the time this piece was written) because of inclement weather and infectious diseases. Here is how they were all postponed, plus a would-be historic women’s derby too.
9th February 1963
The first ever Merseyside derby to be postponed due to adverse weather was in February 1963 when it fell victim to the Big Freeze. It was called off the day before the match by referee Arthur Edge in spite of the efforts of coke braziers trying their best to thaw the frozen Anfield pitch. It was going to be the first Anfield derby in 12 years following Everton’s relegation in 1951, Liverpool’s relegation and Everton’s promotion in 1954, and then Liverpool’s return to the top flight in 1962.
The first Anfield derby in a dozen years eventually took place two months later, which was one of 9 games Everton played in April 1963. Although, the result was a goalless draw. It didn’t bother Everton too much as it was another point to help them win the league.
23rd January 1965
The first Goodison derby to be postponed was in January 1965, caused by the ground’s undersoil heating system. The pitch was covered in snow and the heating system did its job by melting it. However, the pitch was already in a poor condition following weeks of rain, and the heating system would only switch on at freezing point because its purpose was to remove frost so it wasn’t switched while it was raining. And by melting the snow, it worsened the pitch’s condition even more, making it unplayable, with Liverpool manager Bill Shankly calling it a “glue pot”.
The re-arranged match took place in April 1965 and Everton completed the league double over the Reds that season after defeating 4-0 at Anfield in September by winning 2-1 on a much-improved Goodison pitch. Derek Temple and Johnny Morrissey scored for the Blues in the first half while Willie Stevenson scored a consolation penalty.
20th October 1996
The circumstances of the postponement in October 1996 has already been explained in another piece, but to sum up, this derby was called off an hour before kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch following heavy rain. Referee Roger Dilkes was concerned about the players’ safety on an already unplayable pitch and continuous rainfall. The postponement cost Everton £25,000 because they paid for a jumbotron at Goodison Park for fans who couldn’t attend the match at Anfield.
The re-arranged match took place exactly a month later – Robbie Fowler gave Liverpool a half-time lead but Gary Speed equalised 8 minutes from time to extend Everton’s unbeaten derby run to 5 games. One of the mascots that game was a certain Wayne Rooney.
9th February 2020
It is likely that there have been a few women’s derbies that have been postponed, but the most noteworthy one was what would have been the first ever women’s derby at Goodison Park in February 2020. On the day of the historic match, it was decided the match should be called off for safety reasons following high winds caused by Storm Ciara.
The match was re-arranged for March 25th but it was postponed again following the outbreak of Covid-19. There was no new date because it was decided that the WSL season was to finish early, meaning several Everton Women games, including the derby, had to be cancelled. The first women’s derby at Goodison eventually took place in March 2023.
16th March 2020
The women’s derby wasn’t the only derby to be affected by Covid. Only 3 days before the men’s derby was scheduled to be played, it was announced that Premier League football would be suspended until, initially, at least April 3rd. Premier League football eventually returned 11 weeks after the original return date, and the derby was played on June 21st. This was the Blues’ first ever competitive match in June and their first match in any format in June since a friendly against an Australia XI in 1987.
The first ever Merseyside derby without fans was also without goals, despite Tom Davies nearly grabbing a winner only to be denied by the post.
7th December 2024
The last ever derby at Goodison Park (in the league, at least) was expected to take place on 7th December 2024. However, Storm Darragh had other ideas. As the winds became stronger and stronger, it was decided a few hours before kick-off that the match should be postponed for safety reasons. On the bright side, it’s looking likely that the last ever Goodison derby will be under the lights.