Great Evertonian. Similar attributes to Jagielka.

I was living in Ithaca, New York, in 1995 and could not believe we had made it to the Cup Final.
I got to the only sports bar in the town open at 6am and bribed the staff to show the game. I was there with 5 Cornell University soccer players, (not a bad team), and 7 South Americans, all come to see Utd beat us.
What an amazing game! I was totally hoarse at the end.
Let's do it again Saturday!

I recall it being a rubbish game of football, but who cares.

Rideout!!!

"These days he is more positive in attack, too" - apparently!

Top skipper who gave his all - quality!

I'm not sure if any of our current strikers could score 38 goals in 523 games.

Get him back.

Thought the title would mean some scathing review of Pip... favourite commentary of 95 was Motto shouting "AMOKACHI!"

Met Dave and his family a few times when I used to live in Jersey, a genuinely nice bloke who always had time to chat to fellow blues.

38 goals in 523 games

Pah, Derek Mountfield scored half as many in just one season!

I thought Dave Watson was great but Degsy, a proper Evertonian to boot, was brilliant!

Michael, here is one poster who appreciates the time consuming job it must be to make this the best football site on the web.

There have been times when we have not seen eye to eye, (I have had a few red pencils) I still reckon you and everyone connected with Toffeeweb deserve fulsome praise.

An Everton icon for me too. Corinthian spirit - Labone style, the type of player who'd run through fire for the cause.

For the misty-eyed amongst us, the footage of Waggy & Horne celebrating the FA Cup in 95' is just wonderful!

Everton?s gonna win the Cup,
Big Dave?s gonna lift them up,
Let?s go, let?s go, let?s go, let?s go!

"Limpar?s still running, feeds it towards Horne, Stuart?s available wide, should be played back, Stuart?s cross, AND AMOKACHI...heads Everton into the 1995 FA Cup Final, the substitute?s only been on about 10 minutes, it?s Everton 3 Spurs 1"

....shivers down spine just remembering that as a 15 year old!!!

Dave Watson was a great Evertonian....just like Michael Kenrick and Lyndon Lloyd. Thanks for all the work over the years guys, very much appreciated.

Would quite possibly have been relegated in the early nineties without Waggy.

Always vaguely remember a televised game from when I was a kid with 'Big' Ron Atkinson commentating. Don't remember the opposition or result, just recall Dave Watson went in for a challenge he had no right to win and left the other player flattened. Ron started laughing his flabby tits off and exclaimed "Watson's just put the reducer on him there. They've both gone in hard and big Dave's just totally reduced him." From then on Watson was always known as 'the reducer' in our house.

The dogs of war!...and we had pace in Limpar. How we could do we that now....

It wasn't a great game but who could forget the semi-final? My abiding memory was of Des Lynam after the final apologising to the nation for the fact that Everton won and spoiled everyone's party. To his immense credit Alan Hansen was upbeat and commented that Everton deserved their win on the day. Dave Watson, great athlete and Evertonian, won every header as Southall never came for a single cross!

Player, coach & briefly managed this club! Never gave nothing less than 100% and was robbed of England caps in my opinion! Can you tell me the differences between him & John Terry (onfield pls! haha)

13. Still IS a great Evertoninan! hahaha

And I echo the thoughts, great work from Lyndon and Michael and it really is appreciated... without you I would actually have to do some work!

You're right their Kevin... Jurgen's dream final it was billed. And even though it was officially Everton v Utd, try getting the media to remember that.

Captain Marvel indeed.

The Look of sheer joy on Amokachi's face after he scored in the Semis.

Dogs of War? Committed side laced with talent... take note Mr Moyes.

Didn't make it to the semi, but watched it on telly - what a game! The final was a shit game but we won & that was the main thing.

Unfortunately my over riding memory of the day was getting into a fight with a manc inside wembley who decided to rip my flag down after the final whistle. Even then I thought to myself, can't you even be gracious in defeat for once! It's not like you never win anything. That for me sums up United's supporters; many a time I've had to share a train journey with them on a match day and they really are scum.

Dave Watson is a legend in my book & many thanks to Michael & the team, your efforts are very much appreciated.

Thanks for putting this together Michael/Lyndon. Brings back some memories seeing all those old names!

Thanks Michael.
I've just been looking back over the match reports for '94-95. Great memories of my last year in Liverpool, especially the home derby and the semi. Time and distance really does give you a rose-tinted perspective. I'd begun to forget how desperate things were in those first few months of the season.
There's some familiar names on the reports, myself included, but there is one conspicuous by his absence - Dave Shephard. My guess is that most of the flowery, cleverly worded reports without a contributor's name are his. Failing that, anything that slags of Earl Barrett will be a good starting point!

This website is the only thing that keeps me sane, I am so glad that working for Ford/Jaguar for 35 years gave me the rudimentary computer skills to access it. I have looked at other sites but nothing comes close to the intensity, camaraderie and love of a sporting institution that this site shows. Thanks to Mr Kenrick and his associates for maintaining a top class and ever improving forum - I wish that EFC were run half as well.

As all have said, thank you Michael and Lyndon. A truly wonderful site, or to give it it's proper title, forum.

Correct me if i'm wrong but didn't big Dave score the winner in the FA Cup replay against the shite?

If I'm right I'll bet that was one of big Dave's best moments. It sure was one of mine.

Keep up the good work guys, truly appreciated.

COYB

Neville Southall - Weakness - Personal Grooming.... HAHAHAHAHA

Quite right, Michael, Watson is a perfect example of a Captain Marvel, a true legend in my opinion.

And talking about the semi-final against Spurs, Joe Parkinson played a blinder that day... far more talented than his image of pieman would suggest. I wish his career hadn't come to an end.

Found Watson scoring a goal on Ferguson's debut against Pompey on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AzKkT2CmLQ&feature=related

Cuts off at a very wrong moment but the Amo Ferg partnership looked great here.

Also, I forgot Samways came in before the Cup final, always thought he came in pre-season and scored in Charity Shield on debut...

Michael, this might bring a tear (of laughter) to your eye.

You remember Dr Dave Shepherd? We became mates when I started at Uni, even though he was at Bradford, and I was then at Aberystwyth. Anyway, thanks to JANET, we got to know each other on a BB called UNaXcess (or similar) and discovered we were Everton fans.

Each Saturday when we were at home, I'd take the bastardly early 5.00 am departure to change at Shrewsbury and get home around 9.30am, in time for a cooked brekkie at me Mum's, and off to The Mons (and then the County) to meet Dr Dave, have some scoops, go to game, more scoops after etc.

We kept up this ritual at many home games, and then at some aways with the NTAS lot (don't remember much about the games, and I thought I could drink)

Fast forward to 95, FA Cup semi at Elland Road, me and a mate travel up from the south the day before, stay at Dr Dave's place, so we can start the semi day in the proper way. Great day, so I offer to return the favour, and he could stay at my place in Lewes, East Sussex, night before the Final.

I'd arranged to go up to my older bro's Mother-in-Law's place at St Albans early next day, and we'd all go from there.

Unfortunately, below where I lived was a boozer. And I knew the manager, and he thought we should have a lock in. Dave liked his cider, and this place had farmhouse cider... So 3am, back up to the apartment. 4 hours later, I'm trying to wake him up. No chance. Check he's got a pulse. Great, okay so I leave a note and have to get going.

My day: another fry up at bro's ma-in-laws. Everton's hotel was on the same road. Bro wanders down (I still needed coffee), meets the players, ticket stub signed by Paul Rideout (goalscore) and Dave Watson (captain), we go to Wembley, great craic before the game, the game, and well party on.

Dave's day: eventually comes out of the farmhouse cider coma, drags himself up to Wembley. Hear's the crowd "oooooh" (Diamond hit's the bar), then the mental noise that means he knows it's us that's scored. Get's in just in time to see the end of the game and the trophy presentation.

I am sure I saw him after that, but can't really be certain. Wonder why..?

Some fantastic posts, guys. Much appreciated. The semi-final was of course really the greatest occasion of that season.

It's cheezy in the extreme but every time I hear All Together Now (increasingly rare these days) those brilliant snippets of commentary bring back vivid video-clear memories of the goals... starting with that great header of a brilliant Andy Hinchcliffe corner, wizzed home from an impossible angle by ? of all people ? Matt Jackson!

Get the vids out, Davie, and show Mikey how a corner is supposed to whipped in!

I remember buying the single in the run up to the final. It was a small independent in Sussex. They'd display the top 40 CD singles in a window display, and that was the only copy they had!

The only time I can ever listen to that not-so-closeted Kopite Alan Green with any pleasure!

Matt Jackson only played in that cup run cos Earl "The Pearl (WTF?)" Barrett was cup-tied.

Matt Jackson's goal at Bristol City in Rd 4 was even better though ? I remember listening to Waggy talk about the cup run and the issues at Bristol City (apparently most of the bench were struggling with illness and every time they got up to warm up had to sit down again!).

The 1-0 win at Bristol City was described by a few as the best result of the cup win becuase of the circumstances and team availability.

I love big Dave, absolute legend. True blue and a warrior of a defender. I remember the footage on the team bus after the cup final when he wanders onto the coach with the cup, "Sorry I'm late gaffer, I've been getting mobbed!" Barry Horne was still probably carrying the base around with him at that point, not sure he ever gave it back.

I was at the quarter final against Newcastle when he scored the winner and it somehow crept in the far post. I was convinced from then on as a 13 year old that we were going to win the cup and I told my kopite pals that every day. Brilliant memories.

I also loved his albeit brief, oldest centre half pairing in the world ever with Richard Gough. They could have played masters football together!

I was Park End for Waggy's header in the quater final against Newcastle, loved Big Dunc pogoing on the spot in celebration. As a 15yr old at the time, and my first trip to Wembley, these are fond memories. Good old Davey Watson!

Matt Traynor, I can fill in one or two blanks on Dr Shepherd's FA Cup Final day.

I'd bought his ticket for him in the manic scrum that followed the 24 hour queueing round the ground, and sent it in the post, expecting to meet up with him in the ground.

About ten minutes into the game he hadn't shown up, then a very large and scary bloke appeared and took the seat next to me. I wrongly assumed Dave had been unable to make it and sold his ticket on, only for him to show up looking like death early in the second half. "I've been ill" was the only explanation as he squeezed onto my seat. The bloke without the ticket wasn't going anywhere and he obviously wasn't up for an argument.

One thing that stands out for me is that he wasn't overly impressed with the playing of "We are the champions" on the tannoy because "We're the Cup Winners not the champions," but that was Dave for you. Even though he was clearly the worse for wear, we still managed to walk what felt like miles to a pub for a couple of beers afterwards though. Legend.

I keep rewatching that 1-armed catch Big Neville did in the last minutes of the final. It was a bit cocky (or rather confident), but makes me shiver everytime, because I still think he'll drop the ball (even 15 years later... :)