1984–85 Everton F.C. season explained

Club:Everton
Season:1984–85
Chairman:Philip Carter
Manager:Howard Kendall
League:First Division
League Result:1st (champions)
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:Runners-up
Cup2:League Cup
Cup2 Result:Fourth round
Cup3:FA Charity Shield
Cup3 Result:Winners
Cup4:European Cup Winners' Cup
Cup4 Result:Winners
League Topscorer:
Graeme Sharp (21)
Season Topscorer:
Graeme Sharp (27)
Highest Attendance:51,045 v Liverpool (23 May 1985)
Lowest Attendance:16,277 v University College Dublin (3 October 1984)
Average Attendance:32,131
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Prevseason:1983–84
Nextseason:1985–86

During the 1984–85 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the Football League First Division and finished as champions for the first time in 15 years, also winning the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Season summary

Everton enjoyed a hugely successful season, winning the First Division with 90 points (13 more than runners-up Liverpool) and the Cup Winners' Cup with a 3–1 win over Rapid Vienna. In recognition of these achievements, Howard Kendall was voted Manager of the Year while goalkeeper Neville Southall and midfielder Peter Reid picked up the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year awards respectively. Domestically, the only downside to the season was the FA Cup Final defeat to Manchester United which prevented Kendall's team from completing a domestic double and continental treble. Further disappointment would follow when UEFA's blanket ban on English clubs following the Heysel stadium disaster denied Everton the opportunity to compete in the following season's European Cup.

Everton had ended the 1983–84 campaign by beating Watford 2–0 in the FA Cup final to claim their first piece of silverware for 14 years. Kendall saw little need to make major alterations to his squad although midfielder Paul Bracewell was a notable acquisition, signed for £425,000 from Sunderland, and another was made a few weeks into the new season when Everton paid Birmingham City £100,000 for Pat Van Den Hauwe who quickly made the left-back spot his own. Southall was by now established as first-choice goalkeeper with the defence augmented by right-back Gary Stevens and the centre-back pairing of Derek Mountfield and skipper Kevin Ratcliffe. Reid and Bracewell were flanked in midfield by Trevor Steven and Kevin Sheedy while Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray ended the season as the regular forward line after a serious knee injury suffered against Sheffield Wednesday ended Adrian Heath's season prematurely.

Although the season opened with victory over Liverpool in the Charity Shield, Everton's league campaign began poorly with a 4–1 thrashing by Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park followed two days later by a 2–1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion. However, a Kevin Richardson goal gave them victory at Chelsea on the last day of August and they went through September unbeaten, notching up further away wins at Newcastle United and Watford, although three home matches produced only a narrow win over Coventry City and two draws.

October began with defeat at Arsenal but Everton then found their best form with successive victories over Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United. Sharp's wonder goal clinched their first win at Anfield since the 1969-70 championship season and they were arguably even more impressive in beating Ron Atkinson's United the following week. Sheedy (twice), Heath, Stevens and Sharp scored in a 5–0 win that in no way flattered Everton. As if to prove a point, they went to Old Trafford three days later and beat United again, this time in the third round of the Milk Cup.

A 3–0 win over Leicester City saw Everton go top of the league and further victories over West Ham United and Stoke City cemented their position. However, a shock home defeat by Grimsby Town in the Milk Cup triggered a dip in form that saw Everton win only once in six matches and a 4–3 defeat by Chelsea at Goodison just before Christmas saw them surrender the leadership to Tottenham.

Thereafter, Everton were virtually unstoppable. A 2–1 win at Sunderland on Boxing Day began an unbeaten run of 28 matches which saw them collect 50 out of a possible 54 league points and reach two cup finals along the way. They reclaimed top spot in January by beating Newcastle 4–0 and victory at Tottenham at the start of April opened up a four-point lead with games in hand on their closest challengers. A 2–0 win over Queens Park Rangers on 6 May secured the title with five league matches still to play.

The Cup Winners' Cup campaign began with a surprisingly tight aggregate win over University College Dublin but Everton breezed past Inter Bratislava and Fortuna Sittard to set up a semi-final against Bayern Munich. After a goalless first leg in West Germany, they fell behind to a Dieter Hoeness goal at Goodison but roared back to reach the final thanks to goals from Sharp, Gray and Steven. Rapid Vienna were no match in Rotterdam's Feyenoord Stadium and goals from Gray, Steven and Sheedy clinched Everton's first ever European trophy.

In the FA Cup, Everton beat Leeds United, Doncaster Rovers and non-league Telford United without too much difficulty but needed a late Mountfield equaliser in the quarter-final to take Ipswich Town to a replay which they won courtesy of a Sharp penalty. In the semi-final against Luton Town, they were again trailing with time running out when Sheedy equalised with a free kick, and Mountfield headed the winner near the end of extra time.

Ultimately, the final against Manchester United - played just three days after the Cup Winners' Cup final - proved a match too far and Everton went down to a single Norman Whiteside goal in extra time. It could not take the shine off what is regarded by many as the greatest season ever in the history of the club.

Squad

[1]

Transfers

In

Out

Results

Charity Shield

[2]

First Division

DateOpponentsH / AResult
F–A		ScorersAttendance
25 August 1984Tottenham HotspurH1–4Heath (pen.)35,630
27 August 1984West Bromwich AlbionA1–2Heath (pen.)13,464
31 August 1984ChelseaA1–0Richardson17,734
4 September 1984Ipswich TownH1–1Heath22,314
8 September 1984Coventry CityH2–1Steven, Sharp20,013
15 September 1984Newcastle UnitedA3–2Sheedy, Steven, Gray26,944
22 September 1984SouthamptonH2–2Mountfield, Sharp22,354
29 September 1984WatfordA5–4Steven, Heath (2), Mountfield, Sharp18,335
6 October 1984ArsenalA0–137,049
13 October 1984Aston VillaH2–1Sharp, Heath25,089
20 October 1984LiverpoolA1–0Sharp45,545
27 October 1984Manchester UnitedH5–0Sheedy (2), Heath, Stevens, Sharp40,742
3 November 1984Leicester CityH3–0Steven, Sheedy, Heath27,784
10 November 1984West Ham UnitedA1–0Heath24,089
17 November 1984Stoke CityH4–0Heath (2), Reid, Steven26,705
24 November 1984Norwich CityA2–4Sharp, Sheedy16,925
1 December 1984Sheffield WednesdayH1–1Sharp (pen.)35,440
8 December 1984Queens Park RangersA0–014,338
15 December 1984Nottingham ForestH5–0Sharp (2), Sheedy, Steven, Reid22,487
22 December 1984ChelseaH3–4Bracewell, Sharp (2 pens)29,887
26 December 1984SunderlandA2–1Mountfield (2)19,714
29 December 1984Ipswich TownA2–0Sharp (2)16,045
1 January 1985Luton TownH2–1Steven (2)31,682
12 January 1985Newcastle UnitedH4–0Sharp, Mountfield, Sheedy (2)32,156
2 February 1985WatfordH4–0Stevens (2), Sheedy, Steven34,026
23 February 1985Leicester CityA2–1Gray (2)17,345
2 March 1985Manchester UnitedA1–1Mountfield51,150
16 March 1985Aston VillaA1–1Richardson22,625
23 March 1985ArsenalH2–0Gray, Sharp36,387
30 March 1985SouthamptonA2–1Richardson (2)18,754
3 April 1985Tottenham HotspurA2–1Gray, Steven48,108
6 April 1985SunderlandH4–1Gray (2), Steven, Sharp35,978
16 April 1985West Bromwich AlbionH4–1Atkins, Sharp (2 including 1 pen), Sheedy29,750
20 April 1985Stoke CityA2–0Sharp, Sheedy18,258
27 April 1985Norwich CityH3–0Mountfield, Steven, Bracewell32,085
4 May 1985Sheffield WednesdayA1–0Gray37,381
6 May 1985Queens Park RangersH2–0Mountfield, Sharp50,514
8 May 1985West Ham UnitedH3–0Gray, Mountfield (2)32,657
11 May 1985Nottingham ForestA0–118,784
23 May 1985LiverpoolH1–0Wilkinson51,045
26 May 1985Coventry CityA1–4Wilkinson21,224
28 May 1985Luton TownA0–211,509
width=30Clubwidth=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30
1Everton4228688843+4590
2Liverpool42221196835+3377
3Tottenham Hotspur42238117851+2777
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

European Cup Winners' Cup

DateRoundOpponentsH / AResult
F–A		ScorersAttendance
19 September 1984Round 1
First leg		 University College DublinA0–09,750
3 October 1984Round 1
Second leg		 University College DublinH1–0Sharp16,277
24 October 1984Round 2
First leg		 Inter BratislavaA1–0Bracewell15,000
7 November 1984Round 2
Second leg		 Inter BratislavaH3–0Sharp, Sheedy, Heath25,007
6 March 1985Quarter-final
First leg		 Fortuna SittardH3–0Gray (3)25,782
20 March 1985Quarter-final
Second leg		 Fortuna SittardA2–0Sharp, Reid16,425
10 April 1985Semi-final
First leg		 Bayern MunichA0–067,000
24 April 1985Semi-final
Second leg		 Bayern MunichH3–1Sharp, Gray, Steven49,476
15 May 1985Final Rapid ViennaN3–1Gray, Steven, Sheedy40,000

League Cup

DateRoundOpponentsH / AResult
F–A		ScorersAttendance
26 September 1984Round 2
First leg		Sheffield UnitedA2–2Sharp, Mountfield28,383
10 October 1984Round 2
Second leg		Sheffield UnitedH4–0Mountfield, Bracewell, Sharp, Heath18,740
30 October 1984Round 3Manchester UnitedA2–1Sharp (pen.), Gidman (o.g.)50,918
20 November 1984Round 4Grimsby TownH0–126,298

FA Cup

DateRoundOpponentsH / AResult
F–A		ScorersAttendance
4 January 1985Round 3Leeds UnitedA2–0Sharp (pen.), Sheedy21,211
26 January 1985Round 4Doncaster RoversH2–0Steven, Stevens37,537
16 February 1985Round 5Telford UnitedH3–0Reid, Sheedy (pen.), Steven47,402
9 March 1985Round 6Ipswich TownH2–2Sheedy, Mountfield36,468
13 March 1985Round 6
Replay		Ipswich TownA1–0Sharp (pen.)27,737
13 April 1985Semi-finalLuton TownN2–1Sheedy, Mountfield45,289
18 May 1985FinalManchester UnitedN0–1100,000

Notes and References

  1. http://www.evertonresults.com/198485summary.htm 1984-1985 Summary: Appearances and Goals
  2. http://www.evertonresults.com/198485.htm Everton's Record in 1984-85

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