Royal Blue

Joe Royle – the only living person to achieve legendary status at Everton as both a player and manager (the other being the late, great Howard Kendall) – invites Chris Beesley to his house for a special episode of Goodison Park: My Home. Royle, who grew up in Norris Green, attending Ranworth Square Primary School before going on to Quarry Bank High School where he developed into a talented all-round sportsman, also excelling in the high jump and swimming, became Everton’s youngest-ever player at the time when he was controversially picked ahead of ‘The Golden Vision’ Alex Young by Harry Catterick to make his debut at Blackpool aged 16 years and 282 days on January 15, 1966, a record that stood for over 42 years until it was eclipsed by Jose Baxter. Although Royle was part of the Blues team that lost 1-0 after extra time to West Bromwich Albion in the 1968 FA Cup final, alongside the ‘Holy Trinity’ midfield of Kendall, Colin Harvey and Alan Ball, plus the likes of captain Brian Labone, goalkeeper Gordon West,