“Skippy” settles the Derby as Reds close in on top spot
Everton 1 Liverpool 3, 27th March 1982
The video linked immediately at the end of this introductory paragraph is one of my better ones but self regarding nonsense aside just look at the oldest iron bridge in the world providing THE most perfect of backdrops, the stillness of the River Severn providing some sublime reflections and at precisely 10 minutes and 16 seconds a leaf falls squarely upon my bald head to ruin it all! But the bells of nearby St Luke’s church toll their chimes of freedom on a perfect Summer’s afternoon last year and I invite you to join me “down by the riverside” once more.
"Skippy settles the Derby as the Reds close in on top spot - Youtube
“Skippy” settles the Derby as the Reds close in on top spot - Original Article
"Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles" - Available via Amazon
Welcome to the 126th playing of a league Merseyside Derby between the home team Blues of Everton and their neighbours in Red from less than a mile away in the football mad city of Liverpool, and in front of a heaving, swaying and baying crowd of 51,847. Even four decades ago it was stereotypically a given for the TV commentator (Martin Tyler) to confirm this fierce local “derby” split families down the middle but what’s wondrous here (apart from the win for my favoured heroes in Red, obviously!) is the intense atmosphere created by a mainly standing terraced crowd and in amongst this throbbing mass of footballing humanity sanity prevailed, with Reds and Blues standing amongst each other and side by side and, a personal sporting love of mine, moments captured of a goal being scored by the opposition and the sporadic leaps for joy amongst the “home” sections of the crowd. This was brilliantly (and pleasingly) demonstrated on three separate occasions here as the Reds took all three points away from their nearest neighbours in Blue but it arguably shouldn’t have been the case. Everton were by far the better and more cohesive team on the day but Liverpool far more clinical in front of goal.
More of which shortly.
With the Reds of Liverpool closing the gap at the top of the English 1st Division to just 4 points behind pacesetters Southampton as well as having 4 games in hand on the team from the south coast, they were “short priced favourites for the League Championship” and, as was de rigueur four decades ago, largely unchanged from their incredible team of the early 1980’s with only Craig “Skippy” Johnston notable for his inclusion and his first ever taste of a Merseyside “Derby”. The home team Blues of Everton on the other hand gave derby debuts to six: Neville Southall in goal, Brian Borrows in defence, the brilliantly skilful winger Alan Irvine and future Arsenal star Kevin Richardson in midfield as well as both strikers, Adrian Heath and Graeme Sharp, who would go on to play in many more of these fixtures in the coming seasons as huge crowd favourites here at Goodison Park.
Whereas the Reds of Liverpool were closing in on the 1st Division Championship, the Blues of Everton were well clear of the relegation zone and solidly in a mid-table 12th position in the league and started a bitty and typically frenetic and niggly local derby by far the better team. Whilst Billy Wright’s early speculative shot, and the first shot on goal of the game being played on a typically heavy and boggy March pitch, went high and wide of the Liverpool goal, Everton were on top and negotiating the early stages of this white hot local derby in total control. Future Liverpool Red Steve McMahon was everywhere for his current team in Blue, linking with the speedy Scottish winger Alan Irvine and taking the fight forward for Everton with his usual brio and gusto. Irvine was particularly prominent in a first half whereby his wing play drew crude challenges, one which resulted in a booking for Reds defender Alan Kennedy and together with the probing of Kevin Richardson and the nagging attacking threats from Adrian Heath and Graeme Sharp, Everton were fully on top if not threatening the goal of Liverpool’s goalkeeping custodian, Zimbabwean eccentric, Bruce Grobbelaar.
But the pattern of the game seemed set: the Blues of Everton faster and quicker in attack, the Reds of Liverpool looking to hit their near neighbours in quick counter attacking breakaways, but not yet meaningfully in the game.
All this changed on 21 minutes.
GOAL! Everton 0 Liverpool 1 (Whelan 21)
“It’s Whelan who shoots. And it’s in!”
It would be easy to discount the work from Ian Rush that led up to the game’s opening goal but being an avid Red of over four decades, it was highly expected. In the footballing vernacular, Rush truly “defended from the front” as all great strikers always do, chasing and harrying defenders into mistakes and some times, and with a dash of luck to go with the hard work, these mistakes lead to crucial goals such as this one. Blocking a clearance from Mark Higgins, Rush then wins a tangle with Steve McMahon for the loose ball before releasing a quick pass to the ever impressive Kenny Dalglish. Eventual goal scorer Ronnie Whelan makes a fantastic overlapping run and receiving a pass from Dalglish, the Irishman chips an instant cross that Craig Johnston heads arching over a stranded Neville Southall in the Everton goal, but against his crossbar and back into a mass of Red and Blue shirts in his penalty area. Rush miskicks, his Welsh national teammate Kevin Ratcliffe scuffs a partial clearance to the feet of Whelan, and the Irishman steers a low shot through a mass of defenders and past the despairing dive of Southall into the bottom far corner of his goal.
The Reds are undeservedly in front, but their lead lasts just 3 minutes.
GOAL! Everton 1 Liverpool 1 (Sharp 24)
“And Liverpool’s lead lasted only three minutes!”
With the massed ranks of Liverpool fans behind the goal defended by their new goalkeeping hero Bruce Grobbelaar serenading their rivals with the tune (and rip off of the British Airways advert of the day) “You’ll, win, fuck all again. Everton. Everton”, the Blues win a corner and immediately silence the celebratory songs from their visitors. Kevin Richardson’s corner is only partially cleared by a weak punch from Bruce Grobbelaar before Graeme Souness inexplicably heads back towards his own goal, Mark Lawrenson miskicks, Graeme Sharp doesn’t, and the Blues of Everton are jubilantly and deservedly level.
Either side of half-time Liverpool nearly snatch a goal to regain their lead. Firstly, and after a brilliant mazy run from defender Alan Kennedy, through an Ian Rush shot that beats his Welsh national teammate Neville Southall in the Everton goal but also his far post, by inches, then Graeme Souness shoots high and wide early in a second half that only requires a further 12 minutes before the Scotland international finds the back of the Everton net with a footballing “piledriver” and so typical of the Scotsman in his majestic pomp.
GOAL! Everton 1 Liverpool 2 (Souness 57)
“And Souness! All courtesy of Kenny Dalglish”
The goal itself is majestic and rifled into the back of Neville Southall’s net with incredible velocity giving the Welshman no chance, but again, do not discount the hard work and persistence leading up to the goal scoring thunderbolt. The goal scorer himself starts the move on the halfway line with a fierce sliding tackle that sees the ball squirm free, firstly to Phil Neal and then Craig Johnston. The Australian is boxed in and surrounded by defenders but recovering from the floor and through nagging persistence releases Sammy Lee further along the right wing before the locally born youngster releases Dalglish in the Everton penalty area. As was so typical of the Liverpool legend, Dalglish had his back to goal yet with his famously large backside backing into defenders, protecting the ball and awaiting a footballing “runner” from midfield. That runner was Souness who after winning the ball on the halfway line has continued his run forward, appearing perfectly into the running pass from his Scotland teammate before smashing an unstoppable shot past Southall in the Everton goal. The celebrations were huge after this goal and indicative of how important this goal could and indeed would be. Goal scorer Souness is incredibly animated as he leaps in front of the massed ranks of Liverpool fans on the terraces behind and to the side of the goal.
This was a true goal for the ages, a Merseyside Derby goal too, and one which Everton would try their damnedest to equal, but fail.
Almost immediately Adrian Heath shoots weakly for that equaliser and from hereon in the highlights show a barrage of long balls from an Everton team seeking parity, and coming very close to doing so. Long kicks from Southall are routinely won in the air by Graeme Sharp and laid off to his strike partner Adrian Heath before either Heath or indeed Sharp force tough saves from Bruce Grobbelaar in the Reds goal. One chance in particular falls to Sharp who forces a brilliant full length leaping and diving catch from the Zimbabwean goalkeeper and Everton are fully on top again and threatening to score as the game enters the final 10 minutes of play.
The Blues are creating good goal scoring chances.
The Reds meanwhile are wasting their opportunities to break quickly through midfield for a killer third goal with Johnston in particular spurning a great chance after a wonderful counter attacking move from one end of the boggy Goodison Park pitch to the other. Then with 9 minutes left to play, the Australian would cap a Merseyside derby debut with a Merseyside derby goal.
GOAL! Everton 1 Liverpool 3 (Johnston 81)
“Johnston had a swing at it, and it looped over a despairing Southall!”
A scrappy passage of play was finally settled with a sublime pass from the outside of Graeme Souness’ right boot that set Ian Rush free on the left side of the Everton penalty area. His sliding cross into the centre was met by an almost scooping shot from Craig Johnston that looped and arched high over a despairing Neville Southall and in off the far post of his goal. In an after match interview the Australian would say he meant to chip the goalkeeper as he saw him off his goal line but would quickly counter this and confirm he was joking. He got lucky, and with the pass from Rush slightly behind him and running at speed, he fortuitously “dug out” a shot that looped pleasingly into the Everton net and all three precious league points were Liverpool’s.
From the derby game onward, the Blues of Everton would snag a further 23 points from their final 11 league games of the season to finish in 8th position in the English 1st Division whilst their neighbours and Reds of Liverpool would win 10 and draw 3 of their final 13 league games of the season and, a following a 1–0 win over Notts County on 2nd April 1982 when they finally regained top spot in the league, win the 1st Division Championship by 4 points over their final and nearest challengers for the title, Ipswich Town.
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering and the right way up in an upside down world.