Holy Trinity statue a worthy tribute to three of Everton’s greatest players

UPDATE: 3rd May, 7pm

The statue of the trio was unveiled today hours before the Blues’ last home game of the season, and it is a thing of beauty indeed.

Icons Howard Kendall, Coling Harvey and Alan Ball can now take pride of place next to another Everton landmark, St. Luke’s Church.

Everton legends Howard Kendall, Colin Harvey and Alan Ball - known as the Holy Trinity - are to be honoured with the unveiling of a statue outside Goodison Park ahead of Friday’s game against Burnley.

The statue is located outside St Luke’s Church at the corner of the Gwladys Street and Main Stand, with the unveiling taking place at 5pm BST, before the Blues take on Burnley in their last home game of the 2018-19 season.

Supporters at the game will be able to watch the unveiling at the stadium, and flags of all three players will be displayed on the Howard Kendall Gwladys Street End, the Sir Philip Carter Park End and the Family Enclosure, along with a fan-made banner.

The Everton Fans’ Forum have worked closely with the club on the project, with the statue sculpted by Tom Murphy, who also created the famous Dixie Dean statue at the Park End.

It is a worthy tribute to three true Everton greatest who have played a significant role in the club’s history.

Though too young to have ever seen them play and with archive footage minimal, their performances in a blue shirt have become stuff of legend and passed down through the generations.

It took seven years for the trio to be united, Harvey joining the club as an apprentice in 1960, Ball joining shortly after winning the World Cup with England in 1996 and Kendall moving from Preston a year later.

They combined to form one of the greatest midfields in Everton’s history as the Toffees stormed to the league title in 1970. Many Toffees supporters were left distraught when Ball left for Arsenal a year later - though his £220,000 fee was a British record.

Kendall and Harvey, of course, returned to the club as manager and assistant in 1981, going on to oversee the most successful period in the club’s history, winning two league titles, the FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.

The duo returned for a less successful spell in the early nineties, with Kendall having a third spell in 1997-98, though those later struggles never dimmed their earlier achievements.

Though the club has struggled on the pitch in recent years, its actions in recognising its past achievements have been far more impressive.

Despite the proposed move to Bramley Moore dock there has been extensive work touching up Goodison in recent years and this statue is a welcome new addition. The Grand Old Lady has not looked so good in years.

The rumour is that the statue will remain at Goodison even if Everton move to the docks, ensuring there is a permanent reminder of some of the majesty that was witnessed on a piece of turf just a few yards away.