Cup Fever
Tomorrow is the 2009 FA Cup Final between Everton and Chelsea.
I remember Everton's last final appearance in 1995. A spotty 16 year old, struggling to revise for his GCSEs, sat in my parent's front room cheering on the blues in the final that No-one (i.e. the press) wanted - Man U v Everton should have been Man U v Tottenham if Fleet Street had their way. It was the first time I'd really seen proper success - the league win in 87 was just to early for me to fully appreciate as an eight year old. All that mattered then was Everton v Liverpool in the school playground (goalhanger extraordinaire, me). I'd been to 2 games in the 95 cup run - Norwich were thumped 5-0 at Goodison, then Newcastle also at home with a 1-0 win, Dave Watson's header giving us a place in the semis. Extraordinary atmospheres in both games - after a relegation threatened season a year before, it was great to be on the path to glory.
Rideout's header in the first half, Big Nev's saves and Big Dunc with the ball after Schmeichel had gone up for a corner late in the second half (40000 shouting GO ON!) were all I remember about the game. I was soon shooed upstairs to continue revising, after seeing Dave Watson lift the cup.
14 years on, it's going to be sunny (it's always sunny for the cup final!), and hopefully the sun will shine on Everton tomorrow. It's been a great season even though I've been a worser blue and only managed to get to 1 game. Hopefully I'll manage more next season.
Some highs for me:
The first home win, which I did get to, massive relief after a bad start
Baines looking like the proper quality full back we knew he could be
Cahill at Anfield in the league
Fellaini's equaliser against Man U
Arteta bossing the center of midfield for months, and his thunderbolt against Hull
Pienaar's goal at Villa
Jagielka's winning penalty in the semi against Man U
And last but most certainly not least, Gosling's goal against the RS at Goodison - or rather the replay after the TicTac fiasco
WE SHALL NOT, WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED
EVERTON FOR THE CUP
COYB
I remember Everton's last final appearance in 1995. A spotty 16 year old, struggling to revise for his GCSEs, sat in my parent's front room cheering on the blues in the final that No-one (i.e. the press) wanted - Man U v Everton should have been Man U v Tottenham if Fleet Street had their way. It was the first time I'd really seen proper success - the league win in 87 was just to early for me to fully appreciate as an eight year old. All that mattered then was Everton v Liverpool in the school playground (goalhanger extraordinaire, me). I'd been to 2 games in the 95 cup run - Norwich were thumped 5-0 at Goodison, then Newcastle also at home with a 1-0 win, Dave Watson's header giving us a place in the semis. Extraordinary atmospheres in both games - after a relegation threatened season a year before, it was great to be on the path to glory.
Rideout's header in the first half, Big Nev's saves and Big Dunc with the ball after Schmeichel had gone up for a corner late in the second half (40000 shouting GO ON!) were all I remember about the game. I was soon shooed upstairs to continue revising, after seeing Dave Watson lift the cup.
14 years on, it's going to be sunny (it's always sunny for the cup final!), and hopefully the sun will shine on Everton tomorrow. It's been a great season even though I've been a worser blue and only managed to get to 1 game. Hopefully I'll manage more next season.
Some highs for me:
The first home win, which I did get to, massive relief after a bad start
Baines looking like the proper quality full back we knew he could be
Cahill at Anfield in the league
Fellaini's equaliser against Man U
Arteta bossing the center of midfield for months, and his thunderbolt against Hull
Pienaar's goal at Villa
Jagielka's winning penalty in the semi against Man U
And last but most certainly not least, Gosling's goal against the RS at Goodison - or rather the replay after the TicTac fiasco
WE SHALL NOT, WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED
EVERTON FOR THE CUP
COYB