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Memory Lane — FA Cup Finals

16 years after their previous appearance in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, Evertonians woke up on Saturday 19 May 1984, switched on their TV sets. The last time an Everton Captain had lifted the FA Cup was in 1966 and it was only the second time that an Everton Captain had done so at Wembley.

Season 1983-84: The FA Cup Final

Sixteen years after their previous appearance in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, Evertonians woke up on Saturday 19 May 1984 – if they had gone to bed in the first place, switched on their TV sets, and sat glued to the screen as various snippets and interviews with former, current and anyone connected with Everton was interviewed for the TV specials on either the BBC or ITV. That is probably when it all sunk in that their club was to participate in the showpiece event at Wembley which most football fans who couldn’t be there would be envious of and would be going through the if only moments of their own teams elimination from the competition. Gillingham fans perhaps had the most compelling case as they really had taken Everton to the wire during the three game marathon between the two sides.

My experience of the morning was slightly different, safe in the knowledge that at least three members of the family had been given instructions to record the game, what time to remove one tape and insert a new one. How to use the pause button when the racing or adverts were broadcast and a whole host of other things to do or not do relating to the video recorder.

Which meant that when I woke up after a heavy night’s drinking in a quieter part of London, I deliberately didn’t put on the TV or Radio and myself and the lads who had travelled down with me, went to the paper-shop and then studied the racing pages in a café over a large English breakfast.

We had a discussion about how we thought it would go and not one of us contemplated any other result than an Everton victory. The sun was shining we were all chilled – we had time on our hands and sought out the nearest hostelry to have a hair of the dog via the bookies.

Two of us decided that we would win by two goals to nil and the others being over-confident were looking at scores of at least three or four goals to nil. We each threw couple of quid into the pot and agreed to share whatever winnings came our way if any of our predictions came to pass.

So far it had been a really pleasant cup final morning and we made our way to the stadium with more than a few cans of the amber nectar in tow and arrived at around one o’clock at the bottom of Wembley Way. Blue and White scarves and hats merged with the Yellow and Black regalia of the Watford fans. Fans of both sides were so happy to be at Wembley that day, there was no tribal chanting and everyone we met seemed intent on enjoying the day regardless of the outcome. Group photographs were the order of the day with people of all ages, creeds and colour smiling and enjoying being part of the Cup Final carnival.

All of that was true, but among the Evertonians there was a hunger to see their team pick up a trophy and the closer it got to kick off time the more evident it became that Evertonians wanted their team to win, in point of fact they needed their team to win, given the number of near-misses that they had endured in the competition since they had last witnessed an Everton Captain lift the famous old trophy. Many of the people of my generation hadn’t seen any Everton Captain lift any trophy and we were desperate to see it, preferably on this very day.

The last time an Everton Captain had lifted the FA Cup was in 1966 – as if anybody reading this didn’t already know that – and it was only the second time that an Everton Captain had done so at Wembley. On a website entitled Famous Matches, they report the 1966 FA Cup Final in detail which you can read below:–

There were surprise inclusions on both sides for the showpiece event of the domestic season. Sheffield Wednesday were forced into fielding the inexperienced centre half Sam Ellis in place of the injured Vic Mobley and another youngster, Graham Pugh, took his place on the right hand side of midfield. Everton had made a more surprising selection. England international centre forward Fred Pickering was left out in favour of a little known Cornishman Mike Trebilcock. The Toffees, who were yet to concede a goal in the cup that year, were undoubtedly the favourites.

There was a frantic start with both sides playing at 100 miles an hour and tackles flying in everywhere. The Everton goalkeeper Gordon West was hampered by a thigh strain and was unable to kick. This was not to prove too great a handicap in the days when keepers could pick up back passes. He also showed quickly that he had an Olympian throw on him, regularly hurling balls way over the half way line for Alex Young. By the end his shoulder must have been sorer than his thigh.

Wednesday managed some early pressure as the lively Jim McCalliog won a corner off Brian Harris and then poor control by Brian Labone gifted the Owls a throw in deep in Everton territory on the left. Peter Eustace threw the ball into Dave Ford and with the Everton defence sleeping he turned and knocked a ball back into McCalliog's path on the edge of the box. McCalliog shot low and West seemed to have the effort well covered until it deflected off one of the two players in front of him and ended up in his net.

Everton looked to respond quickly and the quicksilver Young showed his immaculate control to turn away from Ellis and get in a low drive which flew straight at Ron Springett in the Wednesday goal. It needed a smart interception by Eustace to halt the next Everton attack and then Derek Temple found Young with a fine pass. There was great expectation among the Everton ranks as Young ran at Ellis but the youngster timed his tackle perfectly on the edge of the box and cleared.

Another huge throw by West then started the best move of the match so far. Young gathered it to feet and fed Temple. The roving winger set off at pace, riding one tackle before playing Trebilcock into space down the right hand side of the box. His cut back into the area spelled danger but Wilf Smith was the man who got there first to snuff out the danger, taking a hefty knock in the process.

On the quarter-hour Everton thought they were level. Pugh extricated himself from trouble just outside his own area with a lovely turn but then dwelt on the ball far too long and was robbed by Jimmy Gabriel. This led to a swift counter that was only half cleared to Ray Wilson. He returned the ball quickly to the far post and when Gabriel headed down Young arrived to stab the ball home ahead of Springett.

The iconic Scotsman's joy was short-lived as the linesman on the far side flagged for offside. It looked a highly dubious decision. Don Megson had already shown his eagerness to go in hard on Alex Scott but his next challenge, deep in the Everton half, was absolutely ridiculous, launching his opponent high into the air with no thought about the ball. It was a free kick but no booking; defenders could get away with just about anything in those days.

Everton, though behind, continued to have the better of the game. Young had more cause for grievance shortly afterwards when he hared through onto a Trebilcock pass to be taken out by Springett as he looked to go round him. Somehow the referee, Jack Taylor, saw nothing amiss.

Since the goal, Wednesday had constructed a few neat moves through the midfield but had scarcely posed another threat around the goalmouth. They remedied this with a fine move on 21 minutes. Megson started it deep in his own half heading clear to Pugh at the back post. The youngster decided to run the ball clear and left Scott trailing before sending a precise ball up the line for Dave Ford who had made himself available.

Ford held the ball up before starting a quick, short passing move which involved Pugh, Eustace and Fantham and ended with McCalliog being presented a shooting chance eight yards out in front of goal. The shot was strong but West plunged bravely at the danger and managed a crucial block, winding himself in the process.

Everton were still able to produce such moments more frequently and Young and Gabriel combined cleverly to present Harvey with a shooting chance from 25 yards. The low shot was true but straight at Springett.

Then Johnny Fantham linked with McCalliog to send a shot at West which he bundled behind for a corner rather uncomfortably. The game was now more even as Wednesday's attack began to function again. Megson conceded another free kick for felling Scott and Trebilcock had a decent chance from Labone's knock down. The shot again went straight at Springett. Seconds later Megson was again late on Scott.

Just past the half-hour Wednesday were inches away from a second. Fantham picked up a headed clearance and drove towards the box. His sudden centre took everyone by surprise but Ford flicked an instinctive header towards goal that completely wrong footed West. The ball grazed the outside of the post, however.

Fantham's surging runs were becoming an increasing feature of the final and the next one ended with him going to ground in the area under a suspicious challenge from Tommy Wright. The defender had certainly not played the ball but there was reasonable doubt about this one and again no penalty was awarded.

Wright was not having the best of afternoons and he then presented Ford with a chance with an awful back pass. From the left hand side of the area the striker snatched his shot, however, and the danger passed. The half ended with Wednesday enjoying their best spell of possession and their fans taunting the Evertonians with cries of "Easy" as well as an impromptu rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.

Fantham's strong running continued to impress but the two blatant handballs he perpetrated to start two of his surges were less laudable. Fortunately the referee was wise to his cunning.

Johnny Fantham began where he had left off after enjoying his half time orange. Collecting possession on half way he tore past Wright and charged straight through on goal. No defender could get across to challenge but they were spared punishment when his last touch was a heavy one and allowed West to gather.

Ray Wilson then took a short free kick to Temple whose centre found the chest of Young. Turning and shooting in one movement Young's drive was goalbound only for Springett to produce a magnificent full length save.

The two workers of the Wednesday midfield, Eustace and John Quinn, engineered a move down the left which ended with McCalliog having a half chance at the far post but he snatched at his shot and failed to hit the target.

Then Fantham set off on another of his direct runs. Rounding Labone he sent in a low drive which West should have gathered comfortably but let slip from his grasp and Ford was there to mop up the rebound. 56 minutes had gone and Wednesday were two up.

It might have been time for Everton to panic but their next move through the midfield was typically composed. Harvey, Gabriel and Harris worked the ball forward and when the latter lifted the ball into the box Temple produced a surprising leap above Ellis to head down into Trebilcock's path and he drove first time, low into the corner to put Everton instantly back into it.

Don Megson must have worked out by now that, short of murdering the referee's wife, he was not going to get booked for anything. When Colin Harvey floated a superb pass over him that would have sent Scott racing clear down the wing the full back leapt full length into the air to intercept the ball two handed. Free kick but no booking. Two minutes later he hacked Scott down yet again and was still not asked for his name.

On 63 minutes, therefore, there was something approaching poetic justice when Megson was harshly penalised for one of his tamer challenges on Scott. The winger sent over the free kick and when it was cleared to the edge of the box Trebilcock was waiting to send another first time effort sliding off the outside of his right boot low into the same corner of Springett's goal.

Until five minutes ago Trebilcock had been virtually anonymous. Now he was immortal.

There was then the famous pitch invasion which was nowhere near as amusing as it seems now with the podgy little Scouser leaving a policeman grounded by removing his jacket as he's being grabbed. The two intruders had already wrestled an unsuspecting Trebilcock to the floor in their excitement and it is fortunate that he survived their attentions unscathed.

The stuffing had been more effectively knocked out of Wednesday, however. Fantham now appeared to have lost his energy and the clever McCalliog had all but disappeared. Everton's midfield was as neat and tidy as ever and looked much the fresher.

When the decisive moment came, however, it was not Everton quality that made the difference but an awful Wednesday mistake. Gerry Young had been excellent sweeping up around the youngster Ellis but when a long ball forward by Harvey dropped straight at his feet he managed to stand on the ball in trying to collect and it ran free straight into the path of Temple. There was no chance of recovering against Temple's pace and Young could only watch as he sped forward to drive clinically past Springett from the edge of the box.

There was another mini pitch invasion to follow this goal and when the dust settled Wednesday had just over a quarter of an hour left to save themselves.

The game could have been put beyond them completely when the otherwise excellent Eustace was robbed by Trebilcock who slipped Young clear. Faced with Springett "the Golden Vision" tried to return the ball to Trebilcock for his hat trick but the pass was too close to the keeper who managed to smother the shot.

There was a bizarre moment when Scott, who had been abused all afternoon by Megson, actually found himself being warned by the referee after catching Young late with his one indiscretion of the game but the important thing was Wednesday's inability to fashion anything resembling a chance.

The minutes ticked away as Everton kept possession with some comfort in the midfield. With five minutes to go the Owls finally managed to stir themselves. McCalliog produced a lovely piece of skill to baffle Wilson before setting up Fantham for a drive from just outside the area which flashed wide.

Then there was a better chance. McCalliog had a shot charged down in the area and the rebound fell to Ford. With the defence spread-eagled his shot from twelve yards passed a couple of feet wide of the left hand post.

Then another bomb into the box by Wilf Smith saw West fluff a punch and Fantham dived forward to head for goal. The ball looped up and over the bar, however. Jimmy Gabriel then proceeded to produce the finest piece of keep ball ever, jogging the ball fifty yards into the corner and keeping it there for what seemed an age before winning a throw in and turning round with arms aloft to salute the fans.

The last half-chance came to the full back Smith who was in position to collect a weak clearance just inside the corner of the area. His snap shot was well wide of the near post, however, and the cup was Everton's.

A bizarre game then had a bizarre ending as proceedings were stopped for a rendition of God Save The Queen before both sides set off on a lap of honour. At the end of a breathless game there was little doubt that, despite the fact Wednesday had briefly held a two goal lead, the better side had prevailed.

Saturday, 14 May 1966: FA Cup Final. Everton 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Everton: West; Wright, Wilson; Gabriel, Labone, Harris; Scott, Trebilcock, Young, Harvey, Temple.
Sheffield Wednesday: Springett; Smith, Megson; Eustace, Ellis, Young; Pugh, Fantham, McCalliog, Ford, Quinn.

As we made our way into the stadium at about 2pm we could sense the growing excitement of the fans as everybody started to forget the trappings of Cup Final day and realised that there was a football match to be played. Various songs rung out “Tell Me Ma”, “Here We Go” and other familiar ditties were booming out from behind the goal opposite the tunnel end. Our seats were to the left of the Royal Box and parallel to the corner-flags. Butterflies appeared as the nerves began to show and we said our hello’s to the people who sat in the same area as us at Goodison.

The way the tickets had been allocated by the club to fans of one particular section of the ground meant that it almost felt like a home game as many of the fans had sat close to each other for many, many, years. Abide with me was sung with gusto by everyone in the stadium and now it was time for the kick-off to see who would lift the cup. Thanks to the FA website I don’t have to go through each moment of the game and here is their report on the 1984 FA Cup Final.

Classic Cup Finals: 1984

As part of our regular feature looking back at Classic Cup Finals, we look at 1984 and the match between Everton and Elton John's Watford. Everton ultimately emerged victorious but the match is largely remembered for the controversial second goal for the 'Toffeemen' scored by Andy Gray... Saturday, 19 May 1984: The FA Cup Final Wembley Stadium, Everton 2-0 Watford

For Everton, the 103rd FA Cup Final was their second Wembley game in three months, while Watford were making their first visit in the sixty-two years of Wembley finals. In terms of FA Cup Final appearances alone, however, it was a meeting of clubs enjoying a rare experience.

Everton had last played in the Final 16 years ago and since their Championship season of 1969-70 had been forced to live in the shadow of Liverpool's success. Watford had completed an unprecedented rise from Fourth Division to runners-up in the First in six seasons under their astute young manager Graham Taylor, and reaching the Final had meant a personal dream come true for the club's flamboyant singing superstar chairman, Elton John.

The finalists were billed as two teams with vastly different playing styles. Everton played it short in midfield, probing for openings and using the wings, while Watford favoured the long-ball game- getting the ball into their opponents' penalty area by the quickest route.

The Everton defence largely stopped the usual Watford ploy by pushing up so much that Reilly and Johnston barely had to step over the halfway line to be pulled up for offside. And their dangerous winger Callaghan, who was expected to supply a stream of crosses from the right, was effectively marked out of the game. But, for all that, the crowd was still treated to some scintillating football in the first half.

Watford had the more chances in the first half-hour, Southall saving Barnes's close-range header and foiling Barnes again and then Johnston after surging runs through the middle. Captain Taylor's determination also took him into two scoring positions but his shooting finally let him down, though he was less than a yard wide on both occasions.

Then came the fateful 38th minute when Watford for once lost their defensive concentration to allow the Merseysiders to sneak in front. Reid put Richardson away down the left and his cross was half-cleared by Sinnott, the youngest man on the field, to Stevens some thirty yards out. Under pressure from Barnes, the Everton full back could only knock the ball a few yards forward, though he clearly had been looking to shoot, but it fell conveniently for Graeme Sharp.

The Watford defence had moved swiftly forward to try to catch the Everton man offside. Referee Hunting was on hand to observe their marginal failure and Sharp was left to strike an instant right-foot shot past Sherwood, the ball clipping the inside of the left-hand post on its way into the net.

'The Hornets' were by no means out of contention at this stage and during the half-time interval Everton might have reflected on their good fortune to be in front. Then, six minutes into the new half, Watford conceded a controversial second goal which shattered their dreams of ultimate victory. Steven set off down the right, two defenders in hot pursuit, before curving the ball over towards the far post. With Sherwood stretching his 6ft-4in frame to gather the ball, it seemed unlikely that Andy Gray, charging in with Terry at his side, would even get close to it. But the leaping Scotsman appeared to head the ball almost out of Sherwood's hands and into the net for a bizarre goal.

Watford wilted and, though they fought on bravely, their chances of even being able to force the fourth replay in four years looked remote. Pulling a goal back would have made for a more exciting finish but Southall and skipper Ratcliffe remained in uncharitable mood in front of goal all the way until the final whistle.

Everton: Southall, Stevens, Bailey, Ratcliffe, Mountfield, Reid, Steven, Heath, Sharp, Gray, Richardson Watford: Sherwood, Bardsley, Price (Atkinson), Taylor, Terry, Sinnott, Callaghan, Johnston, Reilly, Jackett, Barnes Referee: J Hunting, Attendance: 100,000, Goals: Sharp 38’, Gray 51’.

A fantastic day at Wembley and a wonderful weekend in London, it is an occasion that I shall never ever forget. It would have been a pleasant weekend if the result hadn’t gone Everton’s way but I can speak from experience that there is nothing quite like winning a trophy at Wembley and the first time you witness it as a fan is the best – I hope many of the younger Evertonians experience it in the future as it is a magnificent experience. Those of us who attended Wembley that Saturday afternoon had little or no idea of what was to follow in the next twelve months and I think if you had told us we would have had you down for being a little daft.

But the beauty of Football is that it can turn Frogs into Princes or Caterpillars into Butterflies in the twinkle of an eye, but it can also be a cruel game as well. It’s frustrating but good if you go through the bad times first. Enjoy the good moments when they happen and never get too down-hearted when things don’t go the way you want – the longer the wait the more you will appreciate the good times, when they come along. Hopefully next year we will all share in a similar triumph at Wembley in May.

Anyway that's it for this season; I hope everybody who has taken the time to read these articles has enjoyed them and a big thank-you to all those who gave a positive response to them. If time allows I will try to submit similar for next season.

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