I recently saw a post on a Beatles tribute page on which
someone had ranked every song they ever released in order of preference – that
is over 300 songs! You have to admire that level of obsessive devotion. So I
have set myself the more realistic task of ranking my top 20 Everton games. We
certainly need some nostalgia to lift the spirits!
This is my very subjective list and is influenced by many
factors including age, recollection and whether I was actually at the game. For
example the match that would top many people’ list is only at 4 because I was
on my way to Heathrow and listening to it on the radio! I have watched that
game many times since but there is nothing quite like being there!
So here we go –
20. v Liverpool 3 – 0 9th September 2006.
I was in France. I told my wife that I had had a dream that
we won 3 – 0 and Cahill scored the first goal. I thought of phoning home to put
a tenner on it. Never did! I was dancing round the pool when the third goal
went in but also a bit gutted. This was the game that coined the song – ‘Reina’s
drops keep falling on my head’.
19. v Fiorentina 2 – 0 12th March 2008. This is
the only game on the list, that ultimately ended in disappointment. We were
down 2 – 0 from the first leg and fought back brilliantly to level things –
mainly due to a magnificent run and shot from Arteta. It was one of those
‘Goodison is rocking’ nights. Sadly, a penalty shoot saw us exit the Europa cup
but with more fight and skill than we are likely to see in the current
campaign.
18. v Stoke City 6 - 2 18th October 1969.
This was a memorable day in so many ways. We were now
beginning to believe that Ball, Kendall, Harvey & Co would win the title.
Stoke were dismantled in one of the most stunning performances from what, to
me, was Everton’s best ever team. I went home in great spirits to discover that
my dad had bought Abbey Road. A thumping win and a first time listen to a
classic album.
17. v Coventry City 1 – 1 10th May 2008. I spent
the night with Gareth Farrelly in 2015. We were sleeping out at Goodison for
homelessness and set up our sleeping bags in the Park End. I couldn’t resist
telling him that we were right by where I was sitting when he had his ‘moment’
for Everton. He is a lovely guy (now a lawyer) and took it in great spirit. His
goal was the highlight of a poor game and shocking season but the sense of
relief and celebration was only matched by another game which is higher up the
list.
16. v Man Utd 3 – 1 19th August 1967. United were
the newly crowned champions and were to win the European Cup in May 1968. They
were simply taken apart by Everton’s young guns. A game in which the mighty
Alex Young and Alan Ball combined produce a display that still sends chills.
Alex Young’s goal remains one of the best I can remember.
15. v Liverpool 1 – 0 4th February 2009 (FAC
replay). This was a poignant game for me as I had lost my dad a week earlier.
The game itself was not memorable but that one moment when Dan Gosling netted
the winner at the end of extra time will never be forgotten. For many different
reasons I was shamelessly hugging and kissing a complete stranger at the end!
14. v Sunderland 4 -1 6th April 1985. Two of the
best headed goals I’ve ever seen, from Andy Gray followed by the pass of the
season from Bracewell to Steven who nearly bust the net from a tight angle.
Nothing more to say!
13. v Leicester City 7 – 1 30th November 1968. It
is hard to believe that Joe Royle was only 19 as he demolished Leicester with a
glorious hat trick. We thought that this would be our championship season but
had to wait another year for that.
12. v Arsenal 2 – 1
19th October 2002. Arsenal were virtually unbeatable and seemed to
be on their way to routine win until Radzinski equalised before half time. This
set the scene for a certain 16 year old to come off the bench and score the
winning goal that has probably been replayed more than any other. Remember the
name?
11. v Liverpool 2 – 0 21st November 1994. We had
had one of our worst ever starts to a season. These were the days of Mike
Walker and following the miraculous 3 – 2 win over Wimbledon in May we had gone
into this season with a mixture of tentative optimism and sheer terror. The
latter seemed to have prevailed. Walker had been sacked and this was Joe
Royle’s first game at the helm. The rest of the story belongs to Duncan
Ferguson who become a hero the moment his head made contact with Andy
Hinchcliffe’s corner (not for the last time that season). Paul Rideout then
added a second shortly afterwards. A Derby win is always welcome but Duncan’s
explosive arrival makes this one particularly sweet!
10. v Wimbledon 3 – 2 7th May 1994 – see
above. This began as the most miserable
of days as Wimbledon raced to a 2 – 0 lead due to a penalty and an own goal! It
did not help the atmosphere that there was no Park End. A Stewart penalty, a
stunning shot from Horne and a glorious shot (ahem) for Stewart’s second
guaranteed safety and saved Mike Walker’s reign for a few months.
9. v Arsenal 0 – 0 12th November 1966 My first
ever visit to Goodison. A dull 0 – 0 Draw that changed my life. (link)
8. v Watford 2 – 0 19th May 1984 (FA Cup Final).
When we had won the league title in 1970 there was a belief that we would go on
to rule the world for years to come. We would never have believed that it would
have taken 14 years until the next silverware arrived. This trophy saw the
start of four glorious seasons under Howard Kendall. Who can forget the moment
Andy Gray headed the ball, Steve Sherwood (and a double decker bus had one been
in the way) into the back of the Watford net.
7. v Manchester United 5 – 0 27th October 1984. This,
for me, was the game that sent a message to the world that Everton were now the
dominant force in English football. United were simply demolished and there was
now no real doubt who would end the season as champions.
6. v Coventry City 6 – 0 November 26th 1977. The
underrated David Thomas took the ball half the length of the pitch. He crossed
it to the far post. Latchford met it on the volley for Everton’s 6th
and his own hat trick. This was simply one of those games where everything went
right. It was also the season in which Latchford memorably scored 30 goals to
win a £10k prize. Cheap at the price?
5. v Chelsea 5 – 2 28th March 1970. This was long
before the days of the Abramovich money. But Chelsea were a good side. They
finished 3rd in the league and beat Leeds in a memorable FA Cup
Final replay. But they simply could not live with Everton. Howard Kendall had
scored the first before half the crowd had finished their last minute trip to
the loo. We were still rubbing our eyes when Alan Ball added a second. Everton
were 5 – 0 up with half an hour to go before relaxing and allowing Chelsea to
score 2 late consolation goals. Two wins later, the league was won but the
celebrations began on this beautiful spring Saturday.
4. v Bayern Munich 3 – 1 24th April 1985 (ECWC
Semi Final). This would appear at the top of most peoples’ lists. It is
certainly the greatest game that I have ever missed. I was on my way to the
airport on my way to Vienna, who Everton would coincidently, play in the final.
But to listen to the second half goals on the radio and to watch the highlights
many times over still places this match almost at the top!
3. v Sheffield Wednesday 3 – 2 14th May 1966 (FAC
Final). I was 10 on the day of this game. My interest in football was half
hearted and I lived in a household of reds. This memorable come back was
followed by the World Cup, the arrival of Alan Ball and my first trip to
Goodison. By the end of the year, my life was changed forever.
2. v WBA 2 – 0 1st April 1970. This game was
played on a school night. Me and my mate Iggy rushed home, got changed and then
went straight to Goodison which was packed to the rafters an hour before kick
off. A group of us had gathered in the Gwladys Street End for every home game since 1967. There was
a raised section which meant that those as small as me could see. There was no
space at all in our usual ‘spec’. So we decided to throw ourselves in with the
crowd behind the goal. I saw very little of the game. I jumped, danced and sang
as Alan Whittle and Colin Harvey netted the goals the secured the title. At the
final whistle I was carried towards the pitch by the crowd. I got stuck and had
to be rescued by the St Johns Ambulance volunteers. I didn’t care. This was and
remains, my greatest Goodison moment!
1. v Spurs 4 – 1 9th April 1995 (FAC Semi Final).
It does seem ironic that my greatest Everton game was in Leeds of all places.
We had reached the semi final against the odds. Spurs were the huge favourites
and the media were desperate to see a Spurs v Man Utd Final. Me and my son were
there long before kick off. Due to a stroke of genius from those who allocated
the tickets, Everton had all three sides of Elland Road. The Spurs fans had the
main stand which made them appear to be strangely remote. Such was the electricity
of the atmosphere that no one could have stood in our way that day. Two late
goals from Amokachi guaranteed a stunning victory – ‘the greatest substitution
I’ve never made’ said Joe Royle after the game. ‘All Together Now!’
So there we have it. I cannot imagine any other fans which
will have a list which exactly matches this!
I would love to hear the views of others….
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