Fans like Donal Morgan said they had great memories of the Winslow and would miss it.
“I came in here seeing ex-players like Peter Dede and the late Kevin Campbell,” he said.
“The new ground down there is fantastic but the pubs haven’t got the history that this place has got. This place has been here longer than others and they’ve got a lot of work to do to match what this place is like.”
Bond’s love of Everton began as a nine-year-old when he read a book featuring Dixie Dean, whose face adorns the sign on the side of the pub.
Legend has it that the Blues’ record goal-scorer was one among several Everton players that, on occasion, would run across from the ground to the pub at half-time and neck a drink before returning and taking to the field for the second half.
Bond said his affection for Everton grew by listening to Radio Merseyside on his mother’s long-wave radio in Ireland.
“It was ever so faint, but that was my love affair with Everton,” he said.
