Today I'm going back 39 years to 1983 and the FA Cup 4th Round tie between Everton and Shrewsbury Town played at Goodison Park on a Sunday afternoon before 35,188 supporters. Interestingly there's no cover price shown on the programme and, tucked away inside, I have retained a single page team sheet priced at £4 which was Everton's way around the Sunday trading laws in place at the time when Sunday was not regarded as a day on which football should be played (not on the sabbath for God's sake!).
This was my second of ten visits to Goodison Park. I have mentioned in a previous article that building work on Everton's new home is well underway at Bramley-Moore Dock with an expected move date in time for the start of the 2024/5 season. Another link with the past will be gone once Goodison falls into disuse which is a shame but is the almost inevitable price of the modernisation and progress that The Toffees have to make if they wish to keep up with their illustrious neighbours and other top clubs in England. Goodison's past is illustrious however, having hosted matches in the 1966 World Cup including the Semi-Final between West Germany and Russia as well as the 1894 FA Cup Final plus a host of England and other internationals.
We went over the Pennines for the featured match simply because we could. Myself and Russell Morgan (RIP) plus our respective girlfriends at the time (old romantics huh?) made the trip on a biierly cold and snowy day. Perfect weather for football! I had been in London the day before watching Spurs against West Bromwich Albion, also in the FA Cup 4th Round, just to prove that my obsession with football and the FA Cup isn't a new thing.
The programme cover star is Graeme Sharp pictured pitting his wits against West Brom's John Wile at The Hawthorns, match action from a few weeks earlier. Sharp, signed by Everton from Dumbarton in 1980, made 322 League appearances for The Toffees, scoring 111 League goals before leaving for Oldham Athletic in 1991. Sharp (what a great name for a striker eh?) was also a Scottish international and earned 12 caps (scoring one goal) in the period 1985-88.
We didn't know it at the time but the Everton team that we were watching, managed by Howard Kendall, were on the threshold of a golden age and would win the FA Cup the following season and the League Championship and European Cup Winners Cup the season after that, so the side on show was more than useful. Shrewsbury, under the management of Graham Turner themselves fielded a decent side including Steve Ogrizovic in goal, Nigel Pearson at centre half and ran Everton close that day only losing 2-1, The Everton goals came from Kevin Sheedy and Adrian "Inchy" Heath with Steve Cross getting the Shrews solitary reply.
Having watched both Everton and Tottenham negotiate their FA Cup 4th Round ties on consecutive days, wouldn't you just know it that the two came out of the hat paired together in the 5th Round draw meeting almost 3 weeks later. Everton were victors that day too but would exit the competition one round later in their Quarter-Final against Manchester United at Old Trafford. United would go on to win the FA Cup that season beating Brighton & Hove Albion in the Final after a Replay.
CRB Match No. 226
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