Everton have twice gone into the final day of a Premier League season with their top flight status on the line and on the anniversary of their first ‘Great Escape’ against Wimbledon in 1994, many wouldn’t bet against loyal but long-suffering Blues having to endure a third such nail-biting scenario at the end of this month.
Just like then, and when they faced Coventry City in 1998, Everton end the campaign at Goodison Park with Bournemouth the visitors on Sunday May 28 (4:30pm kick-off). Such has been the team’s struggles this term though, that plenty of Evertonians have already proclaimed that if offered the opportunity to be in a position where they needed Sean Dyche’s men to beat the Cherries on the final day to stay up and avoid what would be the club’s first relegation in 72 years, they’d take that now.
With four games left to play, Everton are currently second bottom of the table having taken just 29 points ahead of their trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday (5:30pm kick-off). Here’s how things panned out on May 7, some 29 years ago…
James Hunt, the Formula One world champion of 1976 once declared: “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel.” While Mike Walker’s side weren’t putting their actual lives on the line this day like former motor racing drivers like Hunt – who died in Wimbledon less than a year before this game aged just 45 – for Evertonians and their proud boast of being the club with the most seasons spent in the English top flight, this felt like the football equivalent.
Not only was this possibly the most nerve-racking day Goodison Park ever experienced in terms of high drama, but the manner in which it all unfolded was like a real life Roy of the Rovers type story. At the time of Howard Kendall’s resignation on December 4, Everton were 11th but they were left to drift over the festive period – losing six out of seven games during caretaker boss Jimmy Gabriel’s winless tenure.
Despite starting with a 6-2 home thrashing of Swindon Town in his first Premier League game in charge, Kendall’s successor Walker was unable to stop the rot and having lost seven out of 10 in the run-in, the Blues went into the final game of the campaign in the relegation zone for the first time all season. Everton knew they needed a result to avoid the drop but even that in itself might not be enough as they also depended on their rivals not triumphing elsewhere.
READ MORE: Managers with Everton connections will play pivotal role in whether club survives
READ MORE: What Conor Coady is doing behind the scenes at Everton after losing place
