Everton collector Andrew: 'A half naked Tim Cahill came over to sign my shirt!'

Andrew is an Everton fan with a collection of approximately 150 worn and/or issued shirts. At a young age he followed his father to Liverpool, who went there to see the Beatles. As a gift his father wanted to take his son, Andrew, to a Liverpool FC match, but because there was no match at Anfield, they ventured to the blue half of Liverpool and visited Goodison Park. Andrew doesn’t remember much from his first match but he instantly fell in love with the club, and this love only grew stronger after viewing his first live match on television: the FA Cup final in 1984.

Fast forward a few years and to 2007 where Andrew was watching Everton against Zenith. As it was an UEFA Cup match, the Toffees sported a different kit to the one worn for Premier League fixtures. Andrew found out that the only way to get one of these beauties, was to score a match worn or issued shirt. He managed to bag himself a UEFA Cup match worn shirt worn by Everton frontman Tim Cahill - his favourite player at that time - and this kickstarted Andrew's match worn shirt collection.

When Everton went to the US to face the MLS All Stars in Salt Lake City, Andrew managed to book the same hotel as the Everton squad. When some members or the team went out for a swim he was there but didn’t feel it was appropriate to interrupt their activity.  He decided to sit near the pool benches with the Cahill shirt in his hands and just waited. After quite some time a half naked Tim Cahill came over to him and signed the worn shirt.

For Andrew, the best match he has seen live was in December 2017, when Wayne Rooney scored his only hattrick at Goodison Park.  Andrew sat at Lower Gwladys and witnessed Rooney strike a world-class goal from his own half! Andrew's favourite player in the current squad is Richarlison, but his all-time favorite is the legendary striker Graeme Sharp, who he also met a few times in person. Andrew's favorite Everton possession is a match issued shirt from ‘95 FA-Cup Final, the last piece of silverware obtained by the club. Let’s hope for more Toffee's success in the near future!

Also interested in some match worn Everton shirts? Check out the page here!