Fan Comment

Memories of the New Millennium – January 2000.

At the end of the last Millennium, Everton Football Club had amassed more top-flight points than any other club. Guy Hodgson of The Independent, reporting on a dour goalless draw in Everton’s final match of 1999 played at Bradford City, opined “On this evidence, the next thousand years will not compare favourably.”

In the previous game at Goodison Park, most Evertonians were dreaming of better things as Bill Kenwright had won his battle for control of the Goodison Park club. Everton FC remained £15M in debt, with the deal valuing the club at approximately £30M and Kenwright was expected to have to pay £20M to buy out Peter Johnson’s 68% majority shareholding by late January 2000.

A good start to the Kenwright era was witnessed as Peter Reid’s high-flying Sunderland were despatched by five goals to nil. Kenwright took his seat 12 minutes into the game, just in time to see two goals from Don Hutchison, and one apiece from Francis Jeffers, Mark Pembridge and Kevin Campbell. Smith was moved to describe it as "the best we have played in my time".

It completed an enjoyable Christmas for Kenwright. "I cried when I was told I had succeeded," Kenwright said. "It has been a very difficult year, because there was no guarantee that I would manage it. My mum still thinks I'm mad, but I am a very happy man. We have no magic wand, but there is hope for us now."

So much for the previous Millennium then; as an injury-ravaged out-of-form Leicester City managed by Martin O’Neill were Everton’s first opponents of the 21st Century as The Toffees looked to maintain their unbeaten home record. A special issue of the matchday programme, a parade of former players, all was set fair for another three points and a goal-fest – but we should have listened to our inner Evertonian – even as far back as January 2000, we could rely on the presence of Sky TV to put us off our stroke.

Lyndon Lloyd, in his match report for ToffeeWeb, wrote:

A new year, a new century, a new millennium (the media has said so) but more importantly a new decade offering Evertonians the chance to leave the 1990s behind. Sadly, the Everton of the '90s hasn't read the script and exited right because it is still there.

Every time the team looks like it's going somewhere, every time the media sits up and takes notice, Everton lapse into their bad old ways. Following the 5-0 hammering of Sunderland, Everton had once again risen to prominence in the media and much was expected from this first televised game of 2000 against Leicester.

City, who came into the game on the back of 4 straight defeats, were faced with a catalogue of injuries and a key suspension to Emil Heskey that forced Martin O'Neill to field a patched-up side and defender Matt Elliott as a makeshift striker. The script was written...

Steve Bickerton, also on behalf of ToffeeWeb, wrote:

When asked what I felt the outcome of today's game would be, I was a little reticent to predict a win for us. I know that's not in keeping with being a fan, when blue-tinted glasses means that you never criticise those in the Royal Blue, but you must know what I mean... a forward hasn't scored for 3 years and who does he score against? A team doesn't win away all season till they visit Goodison, first goal for a club... you see the sort of thing I mean.

So, when Leicester City arrived here in the middle of a slump, haven't won for four games, odds are the run'll end here. Nevertheless, having demolished Sunderland and come away from the Bradford and Bingley Stadium with a point, I had a sneaking feeling we might be in for a repeat of Boxing Day.

3rd January 2000: Everton 2-2 Leicester (BBC report)

Everton have saved their unbeaten home run with a late penalty as they drew 2-2 with Leicester. Stand-in striker Matt Elliott ended the Midlanders' losing streak with two goals that looked to have bagged all three points, until Everton defender David Unsworth scored from the spot on 56 minutes.

With Emile Heskey suspended, Elliot was pushed up front as a makeshift striker in a gamble that more than paid off for manager Martin O'Neill.

Leicester slipped a goal behind to a David Weir strike before the Scotland defender stuck the ball in the net twice in six minutes to give the visitors the advantage.

Everton were curiously disjointed throughout and, although they would have gone seventh if they had won, they will almost certainly be heaving a sigh of relief that they managed to garner a single point from this performance.

England internationals Tim Flowers and Nicky Barmby were stretchered off after a heavy collision, but it was subsequently established that both had suffered bruising rather than broken bones.

Leicester's replacement goalkeeper, Frenchman Pegguy Arphexad, had barely had time to settle before Weir fired the ball towards the goalmouth, receiving a lucky deflection off Don Hutchison that guided it into the net.

Leicester went close through Theo Zagorakis and Robbie Savage was perhaps unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty for a shove in the area. But they did not have to wait long before Elliot grabbed the equaliser, running onto a Zagorakis through ball and slamming it home.

The home side failed to regroup before the Scot was back again, capitalising on poor defending to power the shot home off a deflected Paul Gerrard strike.

Everton have yet to lose at home this season and it was with this in mind that they finally put together a coherent attack of sorts to set up an equalising opportunity.

Campbell chipped into the box, where Frank Sinclair clearly handled the ball. He was lucky not to earn himself a second yellow card following an early rash tackle. Unsworth thumped in the equaliser and his fifth goal of the season.

Everton: Gerrard, Unsworth, Gough, Watson, Weir, Pembridge, Hutchison, Collins, Barmby, Jeffers, Campbell. Subs: Gemmill, Ward, Clarke, Moore, Simonsen.

Leicester City: Flowers, Taggart, Walsh, Sinclair, Savage, Lennon, Zagorakis, Oakes, Eadie, Elliott, Cottee. Subs: Gunnlaugsson, Campbell, Gilchrist, Arphexad, Thomas.

Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees)

Attendance: 30,490

The remaining fixtures for January 2000, saw Everton despatch Birmingham City and Preston North End at Goodison Park and earn themselves a place in the sixth round of the FA Cup. Preston Manager David Moyes said after the tie, “At times it was hard to tell who was the Premier League team, and it was only in the last 10 minutes, when we threw caution to the wind to try to grab an equaliser, that Everton created anything.”

The win over Preston ended a good week for the Toffees, which saw Bill Kenwright complete his takeover and manager Walter Smith sign a new contract which was to keep him at Goodison until the Summer of 2003.

In the Premier League, Everton maintained their proud unbeaten home record as they drew two apiece with Tottenham Hotspur. Joe-Max Moore who had been recommended to Everton by Richard Gough, scored a last-minute equaliser.

However, the Blues lost away to lowly Southampto,n managed by former Everton player David Jones. Second-half strikes from Jo Tessem and Matthew Oakley put paid to Everton’s hopes of a first Premier League win of the new millennium.

For more details of any of the games mentioned above or indeed any Everton match during the last 25 years, ToffeeWeb has a huge array of information and match reports plus line-ups etc just click on ‘Seasons’ then select ‘Past Seasons’.

Reader Comments (28)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

About these ads

---

---