Shocked fan's season ticket seat 'doesn't exist'

Where's my seat? Everton fan Cathy Clarke bought a season ticket at the new Hill Dickinson stadium

A lifelong Everton fan has described her shock at discovering that her seat at the club's new Hill Dickinson stadium did not exist.

Cathy Clarke, from Liverpool, said she "couldn't believe it" when she attended the Blues' first home game on Sunday only to discover a metal railing in the space where her seat should have been.

"At first I thought maybe it was on the other side of the stairs, but that was the start of a new block," said Cathy, who has had a season-ticket for 30 years. "Then I realised that the seat just doesn't exist."

An Everton FC representative said that while the club did not comment on individual cases, it was liaising with Cathy to find a resolution.

Cathy Clarke said her family had been looking forward to going to Everton's new stadium for months

Cathy said she had been looking forward to the first Premier League game at Everton's new ground ever since her family had secured their season tickets earlier this year.

It is the first time that Cathy and her husband, son and nephew - who are also season-ticket holders, have all been able to sit together since it was not possible at Goodison Park.

"We took time to pick the seats because we wanted to be the four of us together and have a seat at the end of a row because I've got a dodgy knee," she explained.

"We spent ages looking at the virtual view and picking them."

She said the whole experience of the missing seat had been "horrible".

Cathy said she entered the ground with her digital ticket without any problems but when she tried to find her seat she discovered it was not there.

"It looks to me like they couldn't fit it in because of the way the stairs come down on an angle," she said.

"But they should've known that - they've sold me a season ticket for a seat that doesn't exist!"

The Hill Dickinson stadium opened on Sunday after several test events

Cathy said she spoke to a steward but the confusion led to her and her husband missing the team coming out for the first time, and also missing Everton's first goal.

"You don't get those moments back do you," she said, "they are one-offs."

The lifelong Blue said she also ended up sitting on a concrete step for half an hour until an empty seat in another part of the ground was found.

Cathy said she had spent the past week trying to contact the club who have now told her they were looking into the situation.

"If all the season tickets have been allocated I don't know where we will end up," she said.

"We have waited so long to be able to sit together at the games.

"I'm trying to be patient but we spent £3,000 on these tickets."