BSC YOUNG BOYS (Stade de Suisse/Stadion Wankdorf)

EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32, BSC YOUNG BOYS 1-4 EVERTON, ATTENDANCE: 20,895

Like this blog, the Europa League returned after a winter break. Everton were second out of the hat when the draw was made back in December and were given a trip to Bern to face the Young Boys in the first leg.

Naturally playing the Young Boys at the Stadion Wankdorf conjured up a myriad of poor jokes from some of my friends which I shall not be repeating here!

FC Young Boys was founded in 1898 by brothers Max and Oscar Schwab, Hermann Bauer, and Franz Kehrli, who studied at the University of Bern. After hosting a game of football between the Basel Old Boys Association and Football Club Bern, they founded Football Club Young Boys on 14 March 1898.

In 1925 the club changed it's name to Berner Sport Club Young Boys and moved to the newly built Stadion Wankdorf. The ground was completely re-built between 2001 and 2005. The grass surface was replaced by artificial surface in 2009 and Everton had training sessions at Widnes Vikings' ground in order to prepare for this game.

It did the trick as the Toffees ran out comfortable winners with a fantastic away performance (if only they could do the same in the Premier League).

After falling behind to a superb Guillaume Hoarau strike, Romelu Lukaku helped himself to the perfect hat-trick (head, left and right foot) either side of a Seamus Coleman tap in.

Hoarau had the chance to get a goal back in the second period but he blazed his penalty kick high into the stand.

I was expecting a tough game given Young Boys superb home record in Europe (this season alone played 5, won 5) but this result sets up the blues for the formality of the home leg, but if anymore can grasp defeat from the jaws of victory then it is Everton!

Bern is a lovely city and the travelling Evertonians were able to witness the 'Berner Fasnacht' parade which was beginning in the city. It is an annual event lasting 3 days incorporating the symbolic freeing of the bears, the bear being the symbol of Berne. It was by the 'Bärengraben' where I spent pre-match sampling the delights that the Altes-tram depot had to offer. It was another brief visit to Switzerland (after my visit in July 2014) but it made a favourable impression on me. I will return again one day!