Matchday Memories: On This Day 1996 – See Strachan’s Sky Blues Earn An Everton Point
Gordon Strachan -City’s ‘gaffer’
Big Ron
On this Monday evening (4th October) in 1996 SKY TV cameras were in place for an 8pm kick off, along with 31,477 fans, to watch the Sky Blues take on Everton at Goodison Park. This was the first game with Gordon Strachan fully in charge of team matters. Previously WGS had been a playing coach assisting Sky Blues Manager (and now fellow CCFPA member) Ron Atkinson.
‘Big Ron’ had ‘moved upstairs’ to the boardroom after the previous week’s 0-0 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday. Here was a chance for the former Scottish international to make his managerial mark. In large degree he succeeded overseeing a 1-1 away draw (and playing himself from the bench) in an exciting game in Liverpool.
Oggy in the Sky Blue red
Sky Blue Kevin Richardson
The home team had the best of matters in the earlier parts of the game as they paraded their £5.75m signing Nick Barmby in front of an expectant Goodison crowd. The Toffees, however, failed to turn their pressure into a goal until the last knockings of the first half.
In the last minute before the break City midfielder Kevin Richardson was unlucky to have been adjudged to have handled the ball in the box after our ‘keeper Steve Ogrizovic (now a CCFPA member) failed to hold on to a cross. Barmby had shot in the goal mouth melee following Oggy’s spill and it cannoned off Kevin’s thigh on to his hand. Everton’s Graham Stuart gleefully put the spotkick away to send the home team into the break on a high.
Thanks to Dean Nelson you can watch some (fuzzy) highlights of the game by clicking on the link or image below:-
Gary in the Sky Blue
The Sky Blues gave as good as they got in the second half but it depended on another Scottish future Sky Blue player-manager Gary McAllister to find an equaliser in the 68th minute with a screamer of a strike (possibly assisted by a deflection off the Toffees’ Craig Short). Macca took a throw in on the left, moved in to take a pass from Noel Whelan (now a CCFPA member) and hit a stunning shot from near the edge of the area right past the diving Neville Southall into the Toffees’ net. To their credit the Sky Blues did not play for the draw and our nippy Zimbabwean sub. (and CCFPA’s 300th member) Peter Ndlovu might have put the visitors ahead four minutes from the end but shot over close in when it looked easier to score from Noel’s low cross. All square then and the Sky Blues left Merseyside with their fifth (out of six) successive Premier League draws in eighteenth spot.
Gordon’s pick of the Sky Blues comprised (CCFPA members underlined):-
Noel in the Sky Blue
Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows (sub. Peter Ndlovu -60), Richard Shaw, Kevin Richardson, Liam Daish, Paul Williams, Paul Telfer, Gary McAllister, Dion Dublin, Noel Whelan (sub. Gordon Strachan -86) and John Salako.
Unused Subs: Eoin Jess, Lorcan Costello and John Filan (gk)
Joe Royle‘s Toffees team lined up as follows:-
Neville Southall, Earl Barrett, Andy Hinchcliffe, Craig Short, Dave Watson, David Unsworth (sub. Paul Michael Branch -73), Andrei Kanchelskis, Joe Parkinson (sub. Tony Grant -82), Nick Barmby, Graham Stuart and Keith Speed Unused Subs: Marc Hottiger, Anders Limpar and Paul Gerrard (gk) Referee:- Graham Poll
The two sides fought out another draw, this time goalless in the Highfield Road return towards the end of February.
CCFC 1996-97
A fairly good string of results at the back end of December plus a spirited rally in the final six games of the 1996-97 season, culminating in that brilliant status-saving 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the season saved the Sky Blues’ bacon so they lived to fight another top level season! The Toffees ended up by far the inferior of the competing Merseyside sides in the Premier League, Everton finishing fifteenth whilst Liverpool were fourth.
Not so lucky were the relegated trio of Sunderland (a point adrift of both the Sky Blues and Southampton), Middlesbrough, having also had three points deducted, and bottom of the pile, Nottingham Forest. The glory this season went to Champions Manchester United well clear of runners-up Newcastle United.
