 |
|
Everton 3 Sheffield Wednesday 2 Everton: G.West, T.Wright, R.Wilson, J.Gabriel, B.Labone, B.Harris, A.Scott, M.Trebilcock, A.Young, C.Harvey, D.Temple. Sheff Wed: R.Springett, W.Smith, D.Megson, P.Eustace, S.Ellis, G.Young, G.Pugh, J.Fantham, J.McCalliog, D.Ford, J.Quinn. There were surprise inclusions on both sides for the showpiece event of the domestic season. Wednesday were forced into fielding the inexperienced centre half Sam Ellis in place of the injured Vic Mobley and another youngster, Graham Pugh, took his place on the right hand side of midfield. Everton had made a more surprising selection. England international centre forward Fred Pickering was left out in favour of a little known Cornishman Mike Trebilcock. The Toffees, who were yet to concede a goal in the cup that year, were undoubtedly the favourites. There was a frantic start with both sides playing at 100 miles an hour and tackles flying in everywhere. The Everton goalkeeper Gordon West was hampered by a thigh strain and was unable to kick. This was not to prove too great a handicap in the days when keepers could pick up back passes. He also showed quickly that he had an olympian throw on him, regularly hurling balls way over the half way line for Alex Young. By the end his shoulder must have been sorer than his thigh. Wednesday managed some early pressure as the lively Jim McCalliog won a corner off Brian Harris and then poor control by Brian Labone gifted the Owls a throw in deep in Everton territory on the left. Peter Eustace threw the ball into Dave Ford and with the Everton defence sleeping he turned and knocked a ball back into McCalliog's path on the edge of the box. McCalliog shot low and West seemed to have the effort well covered until it deflected off one of the two players in front of him and ended up in his net. Everton looked to respond quickly and the quicksilver Young showed his immaculate control to turn away from Ellis and get in a low drive which flew straight at Ron Springett in the Wednesday goal. It needed a smart interception by Eustace to halt the next Everton attack and then Derek Temple found Young with a fine pass. There was great expectation among the Everton ranks as Young ran at Ellis but the youngster timed his tackle perfectly on the edge of the box and cleared. Another huge throw by West then started the best move of the match so far. Young gathered it to feet and fed Temple. The roving winger set off at pace, riding one tackle before playing Trebilcock into space down the right hand side of the box. His cut back into the area spelled danger but Wilf Smith was the man who got there first to snuff out the danger, taking a hefty knock in the process. On the quarter hour Everton thought they were level. Pugh extricated himself from trouble just outside his own area with a lovely turn but then dwelt on the ball far too long and was robbed by Jimmy Gabriel. This led to a swift counter that was only half cleared to Ray Wilson. He returned the ball quickly to the far post and when Gabriel headed down Young arrived to stab the ball home ahead of Springett. The iconic Scotsman's joy was shortlived as the linesman on the far side flagged for offside. It looked a highly dubious decision. Don Megson had already shown his eagerness to go in hard on Alex Scott but his next challenge, deep in the Everton half, was absolutely ridiculous, launching his opponent high into the air with no thought about the ball. It was a free kick but no booking, defenders could get away with just about anything in those days. Everton, though behind, continued to have the better of the game. Young had more cause for grievance shortly afterwards when he hared through onto a Trebilcock pass to be taken out by Springett as he looked to go round him. Somehow the referee, Jack Taylor, saw nothing amiss. Since the goal Wednesday had constructed a few neat moves through the midfield but had scarcely posed another threat around the goalmouth. They remedied this with a fine move on 21 minutes. Megson started it deep in his own half heading clear to Pugh at the back post. The youngster decided to run the ball clear and left Scott trailing before sending a precise ball up the line for Dave Ford who had made himself available. Ford held the ball up before starting a quick, short passing move which involved Pugh, Eustace and Fantham and ended with McCalliog being presented a shooting chance eight yards out in front of goal. The shot was strong but West plunged bravely at the danger and managed a crucial block, winding himself in the process. Everton were still able to produce such moments more frequently and Young and Gabriel combined cleverly to present Harvey with a shooting chance from 25 yards. The low shot was true but straight at Springett. Then Johnny Fantham linked with McCalliog to send a shot at West which he bundled behind for a corner rather uncomfortably. The game was now more even as Wednesday's attack began to function again. Megson conceded another free kick for felling Scott and Trebilcock had a decent chance from Labone's knock down. The shot again went straight at Springett. Seconds later Megson was again late on Scott. Just past the half hour Wednesday were inches away from a second. Fantham picked up a headed clearance and drove towards the box. His sudden centre took everyone by surprise but Ford flicked an instinctive header towards goal that completely wrong footed West. The ball grazed the outside of the post, however. Fantham's surging runs were becoming an increasing feature of the final and the next one ended with him going to ground in the area under a suspicious challenge from Tommy Wright. The defender had certainly not played the ball but there was reasonable doubt about this one and again no penalty was awarded. Wright was not having the best of afternoons and he then presented Ford with a chance with an awful back pass. From the left hand side of the area the striker snatched his shot, however, and the danger passed. The half ended with Wednesday enjoying their best spell of possession and their fans taunting the Evertonians with cries of "Easy" as well as an impromptu rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. Fantham's strong running continued to impress but the two blatant handballs he perpetrated to start two of his surges were less laudable. Fortunately the referee was wise to his cunning. Half Time: Everton 0 Sheffield Wednesday 1 Johnny Fantham began where he had left off after enjoying his half time orange. Collecting possession on half way he tore past Wright and charged straight through on goal. No defender could get across to challenge but they were spared punishment when his last touch was a heavy one and allowed West to gather. Ray Wilson then took a short free kick to Temple whose centre found the chest of Young. Turning and shooting in one movement Young's drive was goalbound only for Springett to produce a magnificent full length save. The two workers of the Wednesday midfield, Eustace and John Quinn, engineered a move down the left which ended with McCalliog having a half chance at the far post but he snatched at his shot and failed to hit the target. Then Fantham set off on another of his direct runs. Rounding Labone he sent in a low drive which West should have gathered comfortably but let slip from his grasp and Ford was there to mop up the rebound. 56 minutes had gone and Wednesday were two up. It might have been time for Everton to panic but their next move through the midfield was typically composed. Harvey, Gabriel and Harris worked the ball forward and when the latter lifted the ball into the box Temple produced a surprising leap above Ellis to head down into Trebilcock's path and he drove first time, low into the corner to put Everton instantly back into it. Don Megson must have worked out by now that, short of murdering the referees' wife, he was not going to get booked for anything. When Colin Harvey floated a superb pass over him that would have sent Scott racing clear down the wing the full back leapt full length into the air to intercept the ball two handed. Free kick but no booking. Two minutes later he hacked Scott down yet again and was still not asked for his name. On 63 minutes, therefore, there was something approaching poetic justice when Megson was harshly penalised for one of his tamer challenges on Scott. The winger sent over the free kick and when it was cleared to the edge of the box Trebilcock was waiting to send another first time effort sliding off the outside of his right boot low into the same corner of Springett's goal. Until five minutes ago Trebilcock had been virtually anonymous. Now he was immortal. There was then the famous pitch invasion which was nowhere near as amusing as it seems now with the podgy little Scouser leaving a policeman grounded by removing his jacket as he's being grabbed. The two intruders had already wrestled an unsuspecting Trebilcock to the floor in their excitement and it is fortunate that he survived their attentions unscathed. The stuffing had been more effectively knocked out of Wednesday, however. Fantham now appeared to have lost his energy and the clever McCalliog had all but disappeared. Everton's midfield was as neat and tidy as ever and looked much the fresher. When the decisive moment came, however, it was not Everton quality that made the difference but an awful Wednesday mistake. Gerry Young had been excellent sweeping up around the youngster Ellis but when a long ball forward by Harvey dropped straight at his feet he managed to stand on the ball in trying to collect and it ran free straight into the path of Temple. There was no chance of recovering against Temple's pace and Young could only watch as he sped forward to drive clinically past Springett from the edge of the box. There was another mini pitch invasion to follow this goal and when the dust settled Wednesday had just over a quarter of an hour left to save themselves. The game could have been put beyond them completely when the otherwise excellent Eustace was robbed by Trebilcock who slipped Young clear. Faced with Springett "the Golden Vision" tried to return the ball to Trebilcock for his hat trick but the pass was too close to the keeper who managed to smother the shot. There was a bizarre moment when Scott, who had been abused all afternoon by Megson, actually found himself being warned by the referee after catching Young late with his one indiscretion of the game but the important thing was Wednesday's inability to fashion anything resembling a chance. The minutes ticked away as Everton kept possession with some comfort in the midfield. With five minutes to go the Owls finally managed to stir themselves. McCalliog produced a lovely piece of skill to baffle Wilson before setting up Fantham for a drive from just outside the area which flashed wide. Then there was a better chance. McCalliog had a shot charged down in the area and the rebound fell to Ford. With the defence spreadeagled his shot from twelve yards passed a couple of feet wide of the left hand post. Then another bomb into the box by Wilf Smith saw West fluff a punch and Fantham dived forward to head for goal. The ball looped up and over the bar, however. Jimmy Gabriel then proceded to produce the finest piece of keep ball ever, jogging the ball fifty yards into the corner and keeping it there for what seemed an age before winning a throw in and turning round with arms aloft to salute the fans. The last half chance came to the full back Smith who was in position to collect a weak clearance just inside the corner of the area. His snap shot was well wide of the near post, however, and the cup was Everton's. A bizarre game then had a bizarre ending as proceedings were stopped for a rendition of God Save The Queen before both sides set off on a lap of honour. At the end of a breathless game there was little doubt that, despite the fact Wednesday had briefly held a two goal lead, the better side had prevailed. Full Time: Everton 3 Sheffield Wednesday 2
|
