On the walk along to Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, you are met with two contrasting views. To your right, echoes of the past with industrial buildings that have stood for centuries; to your left, a glance into the future.
This stadium looks like something from a science-fiction movie, a giant structure that stalks the skyline wherever you are in the city when one cranes the neck towards the banks of the Mersey.
Mail Sport sat towards the back of the South Stand of the 52,888-seater stadium – surprisingly not too chilly amid worries the wind from the river could wreak havoc – for the first test event of several planned, with 10,000 punters in the house for an Everton Under 18s friendly match.