[lfc-news] Counting down to the big derby: Part 1 - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 6 Dec 2004
Counting down to the big derby

ON Saturday, Everton and Liverpool will contest the 200th Merseyside derby
match.

It is the most played domestic dust-up in England - it was also the first -
and to celebrate the landmark tonight we kick-off a special Echo build-up
to the big match.

Every night this week we will bring you some of the stories and highlights
which have made the Mersey derby the most celebrated local rivalry in the
country.

The sides first met on October 13, 1894 - three weeks before Manchester's
big two met for the first time, four years before Sunder-land and Newcastle
kicked off their North East rivalry and 20 years before Arsenal and Spurs
first fired shots in anger.

Every league clash since then has been in top flight action (170 of them).
There have also been 20 FA Cup ties - including two finals, four League Cup
ties (in its Milk Cup and Littlewoods Cup guises), three Charity Shield
clashes and two Screen Sport Super Cup meetings.

No other domestic rivalry can come close to matching that achievement - and
tonight we commence the countdown to the double century.

McInnes gets ball rolling for Blues
NUMBER ONE

THERE have been 508 goals scored in Merseyside derby matches.

The first - scored by Tom McInnes 110 years ago - was received just as
riotously as every one since.

Huge interest surrounded the first meeting of the two teams at Goodison Park.

The great split from which Liverpool were born had taken place only two
years earlier - and the Reds spent all week at Hightown undergoing special
training in preparation for the match.

Everton made the brighter start. Only 10 minutes had elapsed when Stewart
took a free-kick into the Liverpool semi-circle (penalty areas and six yard
boxes were still many years off) and Tom McInnes headed the first derby goal.

The goalscorer was injured 10 minutes before half-time and in the days
before substitutes Everton had to continue with 10-men.

He returned after the interval when, according to the ECHO "the crowd had
assumed abnormal proportions, estimated at between 35,000 and 40,000."

The second goal came from Alex Latta, who shot in from a difficult angle,
then after Everton had seen a third goal disallowed they did add another.

Most record books give Bell the credit for the goal, but according to the
ECHO report "Everton attacked strongly, the ball being put into the net by
one of the Liverpool backs, this making Everton's third goal."

As it would so many times in the years to follow, the first Mersey derby
had ended on a controversial note.

Ref blunder robs Reds of landmark victory
HALF CENTURY

CONTROVERSY surrounded the 50th meeting of the clubs on November 12, 1921 -
when "Anfield was agog with excitement."

Liverpool had the better of the game, but Everton escaped with a draw
thanks to an 82nd minute equal-iser from Sam Chedgzoy which led to "the
booing of the referee."

Monday's analysis of the incident concluded that Everton's crowd-pleasing
Irishman, Bobby Irvine, had picked up possession when he was ruled offside
by the referee.

The referee, however, realised he had made a mistake and threw the ball
down. The quick-thinking Chedgzoy (pictured right) immediately drilled it
into the Liverpool net.

"The Liverpool partisans did not relish this unexpected development," ran
the report "but Irvine might well have scored had he not been wrongly
judged offside."

The report stated that "Liverpool were the better side," and in Dick
Forshaw had "the best forward on the field. He was the mastermind of the
Liverpool attack and as a shooter had no equal."

Predictably he opened the scoring for the Reds, but the home side missed
numerous chances to make the game safe.

This was the age of the Sufragette movement, and Monday's report also
added: "I ought to mention that the Press-box was partially filled with
femininity - which is a compliment to our good looks, though rather
distracting when one's mind is seriously bent upon the game.

"The operations of the fair sex, however, were inspiring and stimulating
and add a new attraction to the winter pastime. The mere male, in cheering
his side on, utters a raucous roar. The ladies cheer on their champions in
dulcet tones attuned to the highest pitch of passion."

After the 50th Mersey derby both sets of supporters were screaming.

Toffees land big upset
A CENTURY OF DERBIES
Football League Division One. 19 September, 1964. Liverpool 0, Everton 4.

ACCORDING to the special preview edition of the "Liverpool Evening Express
and Echo" ahead of the 100th Merseyside derby: "You can't be without
internationals of the calibre of Alex Parker, Roy Vernon, Alex Young and
Ray Wilson, plus the absence of Tony Kay, and then go into a Derby happy
over prospects."

Liverpool only had Alf Arrow-smith missing from their championship-winning
side of the previous season. Everton were forced through injury "to turn
out what can only be called a makeshift side."

In true derby upset tradition, Everton triumphed 4-0!

The atmosphere was as fraught as ever.

Reports noted that: "The Kop supporters, who reached the heights with a
fine reception for the Reykjavik team on Monday night, touched the depths
of bad sportsmanship before the great derby game at Anfield this afternoon.

"When the young lady dressed as Mother Noblett who walks round the ground
before Everton matches, dispensing toffees to the crowd, appeared, she was
greeted when she walked in front of the Kop with a barrage of abuse, orange
peel and rolled up pieces of paper."

The Reds fans were silenced, however, when Derek Temple struck after just
54 seconds.

Fred Pickering, making his derby debut, then struck a shot which Tommy
Lawrence misjudged to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute and four minutes
before half-time another derby debutant, Colin Harvey, "breasted down
Harris's cross from the right and with the assurance of a veteran lobbed it
neatly and accurately into the top of the net for a beautifully taken goal."

Johnny Morrissey, who started his career at Anfield, rubbed salt into the
wound with a magnificent individual goal midway through the second half.

And with 2004 marking the 10th anniversary of Eric Cantona's famous one-man
crowd invasion, how about this postscript - which merited just two
paragraphs at the end of the 1964 match report.

"When referee Finney was speaking to Stevens and Thompson after a mild
altercation, a large, irate fan emerged from the Kemlyn Road Stand and
swung a hefty fist at Stevens.

"He connected slightly on the back of Stevens' head.. the police chased and
caught the man in the stand, took his name and address and an inspector
subsequently asked Stevens if he wished to prosecute. Stevens declined -
and on that felicitous note ended one of the most memorable games ever
between the clubs."

Barton treble puts Dixie in the shade
HIGHEST SCORING Liverpool 7, Everton 4. February 11, 1933.

HAROLD BARTON was a crowd-pleasing Liverpool right winger who just 12
months earlier had scored all four goals in the Reds' 4--2 FA Cup win at
Chesterfield.

But on the afternoon of February 11, 1933, he was widely expected to shrink
into the background.

After all, he was in direct opposition to the experienced and formidable
Warney Cresswell, and Everton also had Dixie Dean in their starting line-up.

Dean did score twice - the second "a sensational header" - but for once he
was upstaged by Barton's glorious hat-trick.

In a stunning match, Everton weren't just beaten. . . they were taken apart
by a youthful Liverpool side.

Dean opened the scoring within nine minutes, exploiting a mistake by Tiny
Bradshaw and crashing a shot past Elisha Scott.

But just as the home crowd feared the worst, Barton equalised, Hanson gave
the Reds a 22nd minute lead and Morrison made it three before half-time.

Tommy Johnson tapped in on the stroke of half-time to reduce the deficit to
one goal.

Rather than an end-to-end tussle, the second half was a procession.
"Barton, a mere pretender among such class, showed the value of enthusiasm
when he seized on the ball as Cresswell stumbled and forced it over the
line." Four-two.

Then "Barton again moved through brilliantly for Liverpool's fifth."

Dean broke free of Bradshaw's shackles again to make it 5-3, but Roberts
and Barton added a sixth and seventh before Jimmy Stein scored a fourth for
the visitors which was scant consolation.

Monday's report concluded: "No wonder someone sprang the gag - 7-4, and
that was only the first innings score!"

Wilkinson upstages legendary names

THE 150th Merseyside derby had nothing but local pride at stake - but
despite Everton being without three-quarters of their title-winning
midfield plus top scorer Graeme Sharp, and Liverpool leaving out Lawrenson,
Gillespie, Kennedy and Walsh ahead of the following week's European Cup
final - more than 51,000 fans still crammed into Goodison.

"Baptism of Fire for Wilkinson" declared Thursday night's ECHO ahead of the
big game.

But Paul Wilkinson overshadowed more celebrated strikers like Ian Rush,
Kenny Dalglish and Andy Gray on the pitch by scoring the only goal of the
game - while John Wark sent a penalty kick scudding wide of the target.

Everton had already clinched the championship three weeks earlier, but the
victory gave them their first double over their rivals for 20 years (a
treble if the Charity Shield nine months earlier was included).

The following day Howard Kendall was named Manager of the Year to cap a
stunning season for the Blue half of the city.


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