Season › 2014-15 › News Everton vs FC Porto Lyndon Lloyd , 2 August, 42comments | Jump to most recent Leon Osman Testimonial Everton honour more than a decade of service to the club from Leon Osman with a testimonial match for the midfielder against Portuguese giants, Porto, on Sunday. The 32 year-old is on his way to reaching 400 appearances for the Blues in all competitions since making his full debut 10 years ago, helping to form the core of David Moyes's first team during his era of stability and progress and remaining a key player during Roberto Martinez's impressive first season in charge. Often an unsung hero at Goodison and generally under-appreciated by the national media, Osman had to wait until he was 31 before receiving the honour of his first England cap but has been in important player for Everton ever since he broke into the first team in the 2004-05 season. A regular scorer of important goals, and the occasional stunner like his magical strike in the Europa League against Larissa, Leon deservedly gets his moment in the spotlight this weekend against top-drawer opposition. Ross Barkley and Phil Jagielka will be in the line-up after returning from extended breaks after the World Cup and new £28m signing Romelu Lukaku will be in attendance at the stadium for the first time as a full Everton player. Kick off is 4pm and the match will be streamed on evertontv, either as a standalone purchase for £3.99 or as part of the pre-season package. Correction: No live streaming coverage is available but audio of the match will be available at evertonfc.com/livematch Osman: Time we turned quality into a trophy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2714425/Romelu-Lukaku-set-huge-Everton-ovation-returns-Goodison-Park.html /comment/live/ Reader Comments (42) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Dave Cook 1 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:00:20 IÂ’ll be there right behind the goals for when he scores. Danny Halsall 2 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:04:59 Is it true that Big Dunc is going to make a cameo appearance? IÂ’m going aswel, should be a good afternoon. Carl Sanderson 3 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:09:16 Unfortunately I canÂ’t be there as weÂ’re away on holiday. But I hope my favourite Everton player has a truly special day. He certainly deserves it. Patrick Murphy 4 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:11:10 Sorry to hear you canÂ’t make it Carl but hope you get plenty of sun where ever you are on holiday. As for Leon I donÂ’t usually bother with pre-season friendlies but because Leon is a good lad from a good family and he has chosen some good causes I think he deserves a good turnout and IÂ’m sure he will get one. I will be there in the unfamiliar environs of the Park End with friends and family. Kevin Tully 5 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:38:48 This testimonial game is all OsmanÂ’s fault..... Nigel Johnson 6 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:38:52 CanÂ’t make the match tomorrow. IÂ’m gutted but it should be a great game. I normally get to about 90% of home games. Drive 4 hours from London. Good luck to all. Colin Glassar 7 Posted 02/08/2014 at 22:44:05 If we lose, one of our players gets injured, it rains, a child cries etc..... I'm blaming Ossie. Sean Kelly 9 Posted 03/08/2014 at 01:18:05 Well done Ossie enjoy the day RJ Peterson 10 Posted 03/08/2014 at 02:20:35 It still doesnÂ’t look like it will be available via evertontv. :( Or do you have good news? Tim Greeley 11 Posted 03/08/2014 at 02:45:03 Well and truly deserved despite a lot of the shit thrown his way. 400 games in one top level side is no joke. I bet Hibbo scores. James Potter 12 Posted 03/08/2014 at 02:49:15 Benfica are the Portuguese champions, not Porto. But fair play Leon you deserve it. Carl Sanderson 13 Posted 03/08/2014 at 06:47:00 Colin,What do you mean, "if..." Don't you know? Matt Traynor 14 Posted 03/08/2014 at 07:16:21 I don't understand why the game isn't being streamed on evertontv. A quick glance at some of the "alternative" viewing sources shows the game listed, with a number of different streams supposedly available.Is the game being broadcast live anywhere in the UK? (BT?) If so, would that prevent Everton from live streaming it? Karl Jones 15 Posted 03/08/2014 at 07:18:41 Matt, Last seasons Goodison friendly was streamed Free to view Live on Everton TV at the last moment unannounced, so as not to deter the attendance. The same thing might happen hopefully. Derek Knox 16 Posted 03/08/2014 at 07:24:32 From what I have read, there is only Portuguese TV covering the game. Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd. get Sky covering their friendlies across the pond !I think there will be a good turn-out for the game, so therefore many tickets will have been sold.I would not be surprised at all, but don't know for certain, if Everton TV will make some sort of announcement just before the game. Like a previous poster mentioned they did do last year at short notice. Sam Hoare 17 Posted 03/08/2014 at 07:42:17 See that our rivals are enjoying strong preseason results with Utd overturning Real Madrid and RS beating Milan. Means nothing of course but one or two good results does no harm to the confidence. Matt Traynor 18 Posted 03/08/2014 at 08:05:47 Sam #17, Tottenham also spannered Celtic 6-1, although I understand Celtic played a 2nd team due to having to play a CL qualifier on Wednesday. I had half an eye on the game as I am wondering whether the raft of signings they brought in to freshen up the squad after selling Bale may finally settle this season.Eriksen looked good, although he was one of the few who wasn't an unmitigated disaster for Spurs last season. Even though Spurs haven't spent hugely (yet) this time round, if they finally gel then that's another team in the mix for top four.Hopefully a couple more signings for us TBC, and it may be a case of seeing how we are looking in the league towards the end of the year (assuming we will have enough to negotiate the group of the Europa League). It might be a case of deciding whether to bring in reinforcements in January to cement a push for top 4 (unlikely given previous January windows) or go shit-or-bust on a Europa League win to qualify that way! Paul Andrews 19 Posted 03/08/2014 at 08:45:21 A well deserved reward for the service Ossie has given us.He divides opinion amongst Evertonians,for me he has been a great player.Played out of position continuously by the last manager but just got on with it.When played in his position he has been a regular 7/8 out of 10. Brian Hill 20 Posted 03/08/2014 at 09:07:36 The game will be shown here:http://streamking.org/bein5.htmlI watched the Leicester match on this stream and the quality was very high. Brent Stephens 21 Posted 03/08/2014 at 09:23:37 Paul #19 - can't argue with that. Chris James 22 Posted 03/08/2014 at 09:50:49 Just reading that Liverpool are in for Ballotelli, please, please, please make it true! I know he's not a terrible player and will have his good days, but he's such an inconsistent and disruptive guy that he could be the straw which breaks the back of any top 4 challenge. Kev Johnson 23 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:00:49 What's gonna happen to the Ossie testimonial money, Bill? Mark Tanton 24 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:06:14 ItÂ’s all going to charity, as is convention these days? Back when footballers werenÂ’t millionaires it was their pension wasnÂ’t it? Mark Tanton 25 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:08:33 IÂ’m not sure Chris - IÂ’d be afraid of Balotelli, yes he is a loose cannon but what a player he can be. Brent Stephens 26 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:24:28 Kev '23 - just have faith, hope... Sam Hoare 27 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:00:19 Yeah, Matt. Saw that. I wished at the time we were in for eriksen as I thought 11m for him would be a bargain. We lack his sort, a really top class passer and playmaker. It's gonna be a great Premiership I think this year with 6 or 7 teams jostling around the top. I think Man U will be hard to beat and Spurs will definitely be better. We will have to raise our standards once more to make top 4 and I think a lot will rest on wether the likes of Barkley, Lukaku and Stones can push forward and become the top class players they have the potential to be. It may be 2 to 3 seasons before we see the best of them. Hopefully they'll all still be here. Kev Johnson 28 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:40:20 I know, Mark (24). It's a running joke. The format is "What happened to the xxx money, Bill?" It's a Reductio ad absurdum. wotsit. Oh never mind. Ray Roche 29 Posted 03/08/2014 at 10:56:33 Never mind the money Bill, where's my season ticket? Anybody had their's yet? Gavin Ramejkis 30 Posted 03/08/2014 at 11:00:18 Just flown 4260 miles back from my family holiday in Florida, bought my ticket before I went, jet lag hasn't kicked in yet, hopefully will be a decent game and a decent show from the lads on the pitch. Mark Tanton 31 Posted 03/08/2014 at 11:02:22 Sorry Kev - me being stupid. Should remember... never go full retard. Brent Stephens 32 Posted 03/08/2014 at 11:08:28 "Bought" my ticket early (making sure I could get one!). Email said "smart card activation" (which is on season ticket). Thursday I phoned to ask if activated on season ticket for last season or this season, as latter not yet received. Answer - that was error, no smart card activation for pre-season friendlies, ticket in post today, first class. Nowt in post Friday or Saturday.Anybody else experience this? They trying to save money on postage now?! Kev Johnson 33 Posted 03/08/2014 at 11:20:01 "What happened to the postage money, Bill?" Derek Knox 34 Posted 03/08/2014 at 11:19:36 Brent #32I can sympathise with you there, as it happened to me once, admittedly a few years ago.I eventually got through to the ticket office and explained the situation, and after a lot of hassle, it was resolved.I am not sure whether the aforementioned ticket office are open today, with it being Sunday, but I should imagine someone should be there, as I think tickets are still available and on sale.Hope this may help, but I would try that, or, go down a bit earlier than you would normally, and just ask around . Phil Walling 35 Posted 03/08/2014 at 12:00:07 Having already paid for the pre-season EFC TV package, are you now saying the club have cancelled today's transmission? Brent Stephens 36 Posted 03/08/2014 at 12:18:52 Derek - ta mate. Derek Knox 37 Posted 03/08/2014 at 12:25:08 Phil # 45It was never scheduled to be broadcast, but as you may recall, and both myself and other posters have commented, that last season it was a similar situation, and they announced not long before kick-off, that it would be available.I am not saying that will definitely happen, but there is a chance, if not Brian Hill #20 has provided a link.There is also wiziwig !Hope this helps! Robert Elliott 38 Posted 03/08/2014 at 12:59:57 Best of luck to Ossie on his big day. IÂ’ve not always been his biggest fan, but on reflection IÂ’ll remember Ossie as being part of a pretty special group, along with the likes of Cahill and Arteta, who gradually helped turn Everton around after the depression of the late nineties and early noughties! Mike Keating 39 Posted 03/08/2014 at 13:36:49 Brent @ 32Happened to me last season and had to queue with all those trying to buy on the day to collect a replacement ticket for the first home game. Along with several other 'season ticket holders', I missed the first 10 mins of the match. I asked why they have to post out a new card when it is far easier to simply recharge the existing card as the RS do.... No answer.And 'No' I haven't received mine yet for this season either. Mike Childs 40 Posted 03/08/2014 at 13:34:30 I was just thinking earlier today Matt T. (18) how much we could use Eriksen. I watched him a lot last year as he was on my fantasy team. He can pick a pass with the best of them and score as well. Glad to hear he hasn't lost any confidence as I again took him for my fantasy team. Duncan McDine 41 Posted 03/08/2014 at 14:08:59 Kev you crack me up. What squad number are you this season mate? Kev Johnson 42 Posted 03/08/2014 at 14:32:44 Zero, Duncan. ZeroI said to the kit man, Jimmy Martin, that the gaffer had told me I could have any available number and I'd decided I wanted zero. He said, after a short pause, "Zero's not a number, you smart arse". I replied, calmly, that he was mistaken and that perhaps he should read more widely on the Arabic origins of numerals. After a good deal of effing and blinding he marched off. He was in a right huff.That was the last I heard. So, it was left a bit up in the air... Phil Walling 43 Posted 03/08/2014 at 15:17:52 Thought you claimed shirt 69 a long time ago, Kev. How many shirts do you want? Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads © ToffeeWeb