EVERTON 2 CITY 1
League Division 1
9th October 1982
Attendance 25,158
Scorers
City Cross(26)
Everton King(24), McMahon(48)
ref George Tyson
City Williams, Ranson, Power, Reid, Baker, Caton, Tueart, Hareide, Cross, Jones, Reeves – sub Simpson(80)
Everton Southall, Burrows, Bailey, Higgins, Wright, Sheedy, Johnson, Heath, Sharpe, McMahon King – sub Ross(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
SIMON INGLIS WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 11TH OCTOBER 1982
They say that soccer is dying. and that a gate of only 25,000 for a fixture like this is proof of its moribund state. And anyway, why pay when you could watch it on the box? Goodison, however, positively bristled on Saturday with reasons why it is still worth paying for the genuine, “live” article, most of them provided by Everton.
Yet the home fans at the Gwladys Street End, having paid to watch men play goodnfootball, sang abuse at one City player who did just that, all because he wore the wrong skin.
They saw, too. Everton’:s f’resh-faced, pink-legged men tear into Manchester City with such gusto that it seemed as if Bobby Robson or Jock Stein must have been watching, but they were not and you wonder what Heath or Sharp must do to find favour.
And does anyone know that Sheedy plays 40-yard cross-field balls like his manager Howard Kendall once did, and that is now clean-shaven Johnson is playing like a teenager again, because all around him are men who look as if they really enjoy this game and spectators full of anticipation?
Citv hardly wanted the ball anyway. Some of them looked moody because they were playing out of position. and often let Sheedy or McMahon run up and steal the ball to save them the bother of pushing up beyond the haliway line.
Williams saved them anyway most of the time, except when Sharp flicked On Sheedy’s corner to the far post. where King bent low to head Everton’s first, and again just alter half-time, when Sheedy put over one of many first-time crosses to a space quickly filled by the hurtling McMahon
Two goals from a total of 25 attempts. Maybe you saw the scoreline or watched the highlights and find it hard to believe that City only had four shots at goal. including the one that went in from Cross. But Everton are a team to make you want to see_the game live again.
