Unnecessary sequels can often be a tough watch and that certainly applied to Everton’s second ‘Great Escape’ but the current Blues side now have an opportunity to avoid a trilogy that nobody associated with the club ever wanted. On this day in 1998, Everton drew 1-1 with Coventry City to remain in the Premier League by a wafer thin margin, finishing above relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers on goal difference.
It was the second time in just four years that the Blues’ top flight status had gone to the final day of the season but unlike those two occasions in the 1990s, Frank Lampard’s men know they must complete the campaign without the comfort blanket of their last fixture being at Goodison Park. Even with last season’s unprecedented conditions of a behind closed door fixture in which Everton triumphed 1-0 thanks to home keeper Bernd Leno spilling Richarlison’s cross into his own net to give the visitors their first ever win at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal away remains their least-successful individual fixture in 30 years of Premier League history.
Since 1992, the Blues have suffered 22 defeats away to the Gunners – more than any other opponent – and their points per game average taken from such matches is just 0.38, the lowest equivalent score against everyone they’ve ever faced. Even with his side’s recent upturn in form, Lampard will understandably not want to be heading to north London with Everton’s safety still not secured.
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After taking 10 points from the last 15 on offer, the Blues moved out of the drop zone with Sunday’s 2-1 victory at Leicester City, only their second Premier League away win all season and their first since the opening month of the campaign. Now a point above both Burnley and Leeds United, Everton play their long-awaited game in hand at Watford on Wednesday night and another success on the road against an opponent whose own relegation was confirmed last weekend would potentially be a massive step towards survival being secured before the final day.
Back in 1994 when Everton stayed up by the skin of their teeth against Wimbledon, the ECHO carried a banner headline screaming: “Never again… please.” Over the next couple of years, the Blues would win the FA Cup – still their last trophy to date – and record their only top half finish in the first decade of the Premier League but somehow in 1998 in was Groundhog Day at Goodison Park.
The difference was, while the class of 1994 had been underachievers, just 12 months later, eight of the starting XI against Wimbledon defeat Manchester United to taste Wembley glory, Dave Watson, the man who lifted the cup that day, and Cup final substitute Duncan Ferguson were the only survivors from then to face Coventry City. Many of the supporting cast though just weren’t good enough and it’s no surprise they found them and it was no surprise that they found themselves in relegation danger again going into the final fixture.
Unlike in 1994 when five clubs were in the mix for going down on the last day, this time around it was a straight shoot-out between Everton and Bolton Wanderers, managed by former Blues defender Colin Todd. With one game to go, the Trotters were a point better off than Howard Kendall’s side but Everton had a superior goal difference.
Once again the Blues’ destiny was not in their own hands and they had to better Bolton’s result against a Chelsea side – playing a European Cup-Winners’ Cup final in Stockholm against Stuttgart just three days later – at Stamford Bridge. Having been through the gut-wrenching experience before so recently, many Evertonians didn’t have the stomach to do it all again.
There was talk of Kopites parading a royal blue coffin down Bullens Road while an Everton shirt hanging up at Stanley Dock market that morning had an additional letter G placed next to the sponsors’ logo so it read: “GOne 2 One” – a reference to the imminent threat of demotion from the Premier League to First Division. The tension proved all too much for Blues legend and former captain Brian Labone who was famously photographed wearing his club tie and blazer, pacing up and down the pavement on Goodison Road in the shadow of the Main Stand as the action unfolded inside.
Also in contrast to four years earlier when Everton stayed up in a blaze of glory after a wretched start, on this occasion they got their noses in front early on, only to proceed to make life difficult for themselves. Just as Barry Horne had proven an unlikely goalscorer from midfield against Wimbledon, upped popped Gareth Farrelly just seven minutes in.
The Irishman had netted just once in 27 games in his debut Blues season until that point – in a League Cup tie at Scunthorpe United back in September – but the ECHO’s David Prentice enthused: “Farrelly has been readjusting his sights at the Park End goal all season. This time he lined up his right foot beautifully and the ball soared into the top corner.”
Clinging on for most of the match – and with Gianluca Vialli putting Chelsea ahead against Bolton on 73 minutes – Everton had the opportunity to wrap things up six minutes from the end when they were awarded what Prentice considered an extremely fortunate penalty. He said: “Coventry bossed the possession and looked much the likelier scorers – until referee Paul Alcock made a decision quite astonishing in its ineptitude.
“Paul Williams’ tackle on Danny Cadamarteri was beautifully timed. The defender prodded the ball to safety but the official ludicrously pointed to the spot. Nick Barmby ‘98 assumed the Graham Stuart ‘94 mantle but Magnus Hedman made a superb save.”
Things then went from bad to worse. Prentice added: “If Barmby was distraught in the 84 th minute, in the 88 th minute he was desolate. (Former Liverpool and Everton man) David Burrows swung over a cross from the left-flank, Dion Dublin (the man whose non-signing caused Kendall to resign second time around) rose unimpeded and directed a header which Thomas Myhre flapped into the net.
“Just one more goal from Coventry – or Bolton – would have dumped the Blues into Division One. Instead the only other goal of an amazing afternoon came from Chelsea (Jody Morris in the 90 th minute). That was enough to bury Bolton.
“Everton had survived because of another club’s inadequacies rather than their own efforts. It was a grimly fitting way to end a season which has stumbled from one catastrophe to another.” Long-suffering Evertonians have been through enough in recent months so they could do without a repeat of all that on May 22 if the necessary points can be accrued beforehand if at all possible please.
