ToffeeWeb - Season 2008-09

The Mail Bag

William Ralph Dean

It all started at the dinner table on Christmas Day. One of the grandchildren asked me about the responses from an earlier post I had mailed to ToffeeWeb. I told them I was overwhelmed (all present were Evertonians). She then chirped up with "Did you ever see Dixie Dean play, Grandad?"

"No, Darling, I'm not that old!"

My brother-in-law, and best mate since we were in our teens, said, "Yes you have, I was with you."

I cannot remember this, but do recall something of what he was going on about. He was quite emphatic about a game we went to at Holly Park, the old South Liverpool ground (Garston), organised by EFC and LFC, apparently it was to try out a new idea called floodlighting!

The game was ex-Everton vs ex-Liverpool, and he is certain Dixie made a few minutes' appearance, scored, then went off. It did not ring a bell with me, but there was silence as nobody challenges his wisdom when it comes to all things Blue.

Hopefully one of you WILL shed some light (pardon the pun) on this; if it is factual, I will die a happy man to have been there and seen HIM grace the pitch.
Teddy Draper, North Wales Posted 26/12/2008 at 07:27:19

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Michael Kenrick

Ah... sounds like a good one foor pour man, Steve Flanagan, who has recently returned from an extended work assignment...

Reg Gates
1 Posted 27/12/2008 at 00:08:07

Ted, SURELY if you had seen Dean you would of remembered. Mind you he could've got that out of a Christmas cracker.

Phil Bellis
2 Posted 27/12/2008 at 01:55:07

I have a memory of seeing a match at Holly park between (I think) an Alex Young XI v Costa Periera?s (?) XI where the Great Man kicked off. Would have been about 1967; I?ve got the programme in one of many shoe boxes in the loft.

Cian Long
3 Posted 27/12/2008 at 02:17:45

Our Christmas diiner involved Dixie Dean and Everton's Irish history and the former players foundation!! Mad but true!!!

Daniel Miller
4 Posted 27/12/2008 at 11:50:10

The ex-Everton - ex-Liverpool game was played at Holly Park in 1950. I?m pretty sure Dixie played a part in it.

Teddy Draper
5 Posted 27/12/2008 at 11:59:16

Daniel M, thank you for info, I forgot to say in my original post, my brother-in-law did say it was very late forties/maybe fifties. It makes sense if you think about when floodlighting came into the game (for us Brits). Also to Reg G, after many years and hundreds of matches you do not always remember things quite as they actually happen, especially as young men we always had a few scoops before/after a game. Still not totally convinced about Dixie, nevertheless if its factual it must be recorded somewhere. Thanks gents.

Derek Turnbull
6 Posted 27/12/2008 at 14:45:05

Teddy, I know Daniel has answered it but there was a match where Dixie scored in while as a referee in a charity game, not sure if it was the same match!

I take it you were a regular follower of Everton in the 50s? Do remember any of the Everton chants from then?

Andy Crooks
7 Posted 27/12/2008 at 16:08:40

I think that there are many of us who forget that football didn?t begin with the Premier League. Dixie was the greatest striker who ever lived and scored his goals with the equivalent of a medicine ball. I?d love to see Beckham or Ronaldo bend one of those into the roof of the net.

Howard Don
8 Posted 27/12/2008 at 16:26:48

Having a few pre-Christmas drinks with the neighbours and the oldest one (aboput 86 I think) regaled me with stories of having seen Dixie play. Misty-eyed he was and still reckons he was the most lethal striker ever, bar none ? and he?s seen them all come and go.

Teddy Draper
9 Posted 27/12/2008 at 16:17:25

Derek T, not so much chants as continued cheering (very loud) not forgetting we all stood then on the terraces, unless you had a few bob to go in the stands. I do recall singing from one corner of the ground, sounded like kids voices. The tune was to "All the nice girls love a sailor" ? it was about the great Dave Hickson! I can remember a couple of lines, so here goes:

"All the fans roar for Davie Hickson, 
You can hear them shout encore, 
All the fans roar for our Davie, every time he scores, 
He's fast and clever, 
He bangs the leather, 
He's the toffees pride and joy. 
Keep roaring for our Davie, 
Ship ahoy, Davie boy"

Also, gents let us not forget gates of 50/60,000 even with poor teams visiting. I wonder if anyone remembers a chant called the DRONE in the sixties? that was amazing when 50,000 did it.

Derek Turnbull
10 Posted 27/12/2008 at 16:43:27

Thanks Teddy! Brilliant song! I wonder if that was the Boys Pen?

What was the Drone? and do you recall one to That’s Amore?

Rick Tarleton
11 Posted 27/12/2008 at 18:18:25

To the tune of "Davey Crockett":
"Born in the grasslands of Ellesmere Port,(He was actually born in Salford, but we?ll let that pass)
Football was his favourite sport.
Signed on for Everton at seventeen,
And he?s the best since the great Dixie Dean,
Davie, Davie Hickson,
King of Goodison Park."

Denis Byrne
12 Posted 27/12/2008 at 18:24:22

Really nice post. I wonder if the David France collection might hold the key - surely St David would have the programme for this game or at least know the anwser? On another, adjacent point, can?t find any updates on the archiving of the collection and when it will be displayed or made available ... after all the pain of ensuring we secured the collection, it all seems to have gone quiet ... anyone point us in the right direction to find out more?

Derek Turnbull
13 Posted 27/12/2008 at 18:42:04

Rick, not heard that version before of Davy Crocket I’ve been told of one with the ending of:

Got sent off when he was only 3
For giving the ups to referee

There is a fantastic and refreshing innocence to the songs mentioned here. What others do you remember from that period Rick?

Steve Flanagan
14 Posted 27/12/2008 at 18:40:23

Teddy, it could have been one of two matches played at South Liverpool in 1950.

The first was on 25 January when Former Everton thrashed Former Liverpool 5:1 at South Liverpool.

The Former Everton scorers were Cyril Leyfield, a past reserve player by the name of Yates, Alex Stevenson got a brace with Dixie Dean also netting.

The Everton team that day was:
Frank King in goal (Ted Sagar’s deputy); Billy Cook, Gordon Watson, Cliff Britton, Charlie Gee, Jock Thomson, Ted Critchley (who was substitued by Yates), Albert Geldard, Dixie Dean, Tosh Johnson (who was replaced by Alex Stevenson) and Cyril Leyfield.

Almost 3 months later on 19 April, Former Everton played Former Liverpool at South Liverpool for a second time, with the result being a 2:2 draw.

I don’t know the full team for this game but do know that Ted Sagar, Warney Cresswell, Jimmy Dunn, Dixie Dean, Alex Stevenson and Cyril Leyfield all started with the Everton goals coming from Dixie Dean and Alex Stevenson.

Less than a month later, an Ex-Everton XI drew 2:2 again with an Ex-Liverpool XI at Hawthorne Road, Bootle. Again, the full team isn’t known at the moment - but we do know that the starters included Ted Sagar, Warney Cresswell, Albert Geldard, Dixie Dean, Alex Stevenson and Cyril Leyfield with Geldard and Leyfield getting the goals.

Hope this brings some memories back for you.

Teddy Draper
15 Posted 27/12/2008 at 20:47:55

Thank you so much Steve, just one little querie, I recall a Cyril Lello but not a Cyril Leyfield. Anyway, Gents thank you all for the trouble you have all taken to sort out an old codger like me, God Bless you all.

Jon Hannah
16 Posted 27/12/2008 at 21:47:37

Phil Bellis, I went to that game you mention, my uncle Tom was either the ref or one of the linesmen.

Steve Flanagan
17 Posted 28/12/2008 at 11:36:57

Teddy

Sorry, my mistake - it was actually Charlie Leyfield (not Cyril)

Rick Tarleton
18 Posted 29/12/2008 at 14:01:44

To be honest, Derek, that?s about it. As a boy (first game as an 8-year-old in the season we returned to the First Division) my memory is of a fairly low-key crowd and the song is a rare memory of those times when things were a little livelier. I remember little of glory 'til we signed the wonderful Bobby Collins.