During the 1984–85 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the Football League First Division and finished as champions for the first time in 15 years, also winning the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Season summary Everton enjoyed a hugely successful season, winning the First Division with 90 points (13 more than runners-up Liverpool) and the Cup Winners' Cup with a 3–1 win over Rapid Vienna. In recognition of these achievements, Howard Kendall was voted Manager of the Year while goalkeeper Neville Southall and midfielder Peter Reid picked up the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year awards respectively. Domestically, the only downside to the season was the FA Cup Final defeat to Manchester United which prevented Kendall's team from completing a domestic double and continental treble. Further disappointment would follow when UEFA's blanket ban on English clubs following the Heysel stadium disaster denied Everton the opportunity to compete in the following season's European Cup.
Everton had ended the 1983–84 campaign by beating Watford 2–0 in the FA Cup final to claim their first piece of silverware for 14 years. Kendall saw little need to make major alterations to his squad although midfielder Paul Bracewell was a notable acquisition, signed for £425,000 from Sunderland, and another was made a few weeks into the new season when Everton paid Birmingham City £100,000 for Pat Van Den Hauwe who quickly made the left-back spot his own. The defence was augmented by right-back Gary Stevens and the centre-back pairing of Derek Mountfield and skipper Kevin Ratcliffe, with Southall by now established as first-choice goalkeeper. Reid and Bracewell were flanked in midfield by Trevor Steven and Kevin Sheedy while Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray ended the season as the regular forward line after a serious knee injury suffered against Sheffield Wednesday ended Adrian Heath's season prematurely.
Although the season opened with victory over Liverpool in the Charity Shield, Everton's league campaign began poorly with a 4–1 thrashing by Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park followed two days later by a 2–1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion. However, a Kevin Richardson goal gave them victory at Chelsea on the last day of August and they went through September unbeaten, notching up further away wins at Newcastle United and Watford, although three home matches produced only a narrow win over Coventry City and two draws.
October began with defeat at Arsenal but Everton then found their best form with successive victories over Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United. Sharp's wonder goal clinched their first win at Anfield since the 1969-70 championship season and they were arguably even more impressive in beating Ron Atkinson's United the following week. Sheedy (twice), Heath, Stevens and Sharp scored in a 5–0 win that in no way flattered Everton. As if to prove a point, they went to Old Trafford three days later and beat United again, this time in the third round of the Milk Cup.
A 3–0 win over Leicester City saw Everton go top of the league and further victories over West Ham United and Stoke City cemented their position. However, a shock home defeat by Grimsby Town in the Milk Cup triggered a dip in form that saw Everton win only once in six matches and a 4–3 defeat by Chelsea at Goodison just before Christmas saw them surrender the leadership to Tottenham.
Thereafter, Everton were virtually unstoppable. A 2–1 win at Sunderland on Boxing Day began an unbeaten run of 28 matches which saw them collect 50 out of a possible 54 league points and reach two cup finals along the way. They reclaimed top spot in January by beating Newcastle 4–0 and victory at Tottenham at the start of April opened up a four-point lead with games in hand on their closest challengers. A 2–0 win over Queens Park Rangers on 6 May secured the title with five league matches still to play.
The Cup Winners' Cup campaign began with a surprisingly tight aggregate win over University College Dublin but Everton breezed past Inter Bratislava and Fortuna Sittard to set up a semi-final against Bayern Munich. After a goalless first leg in West Germany, they fell behind to a Dieter Hoeness goal at Goodison but roared back to reach the final thanks to goals from Sharp, Gray and Steven. Rapid Vienna were no match in Rotterdam's Feyenoord Stadium and goals from Gray, Steven and Sheedy clinched Everton's first ever European trophy.
In the FA Cup, Everton beat Leeds United, Doncaster Rovers and non-league Telford United without too much difficulty but needed a late Mountfield equaliser in the quarter-final to take Ipswich Town to a replay which they won courtesy of a Sharp penalty. In the semi-final against Luton Town, they were again trailing with time running out when Sheedy equalised with a free kick, and Mountfield headed the winner near the end of extra time.
Ultimately, the final against Manchester United - played just three days after the Cup Winners' Cup final - proved a match too far and Everton went down to a single Norman Whiteside goal in extra time. It could not take the shine off what is regarded by many as the greatest season ever in the history of the club.
Squad
1984-1985 Summary: Appearances and Goals
Transfers
In Paul Bracewell - Sunderland, £425,000, July 1984 Pat Van Den Hauwe - Birmingham City, £100,000, August 1984 Ian Atkins - Sunderland, £100,000, August 1984 Paul Wilkinson - Grimsby Town, £250,000, March 1985 Bobby Mimms - Rotherham United, £175,000 March 1985
Out Mark Higgins - retired, July 1984 Ian Bishop - Carlisle United, July 1984 Alan Irvine - Crystal Palace, July 1984 Andy King - Wolverhampton Wanderers, January 1985 Ian Macowat - Gillingham, January 1985 Stuart Rimmer - Chester City, January 1985
Results
Charity Shield DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance18 August 1984LiverpoolN1–0Grobbelaar 56' (o.g.)100,000
Everton's Record in 1984-85
First Division
DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance25 August 1984Tottenham HotspurH1–4Heath 16' (pen.)35,63027 August 1984West Bromwich AlbionA1–2Heath 89' (pen.)13,46431 August 1984ChelseaA1–0Richardson 57'17,7344 September 1984Ipswich TownH1–1Heath 78'22,3148 September 1984Coventry CityH2–1Steven 72', Sharp 81'20,01315 September 1984Newcastle UnitedA3–2Sheedy 25', Steven 52', Gray 88'26,94422 September 1984SouthamptonH2–2Mountfield 5', Sharp 9'22,35429 September 1984WatfordA5–4Steven 33', Heath 34', 45', Mountfield 61', Sharp 72'18,3356 October 1984ArsenalA0–137,04913 October 1984Aston VillaH2–1Sharp 26', Heath 74'25,08920 October 1984LiverpoolA1–0Sharp 48'45,54527 October 1984Manchester UnitedH5–0Sheedy 5', 24', Heath 35', Stevens 81', Sharp 86'40,7423 November 1984Leicester CityH3–0Steven 55', Sheedy 57', Heath 79'27,78410 November 1984West Ham UnitedA1–0Heath 78'24,08917 November 1984Stoke CityH4–0Heath 28', 34', Reid 69', Steven 73'26,70524 November 1984Norwich CityA2–4Sharp 27', Sheedy 50'16,9251 December 1984Sheffield WednesdayH1–1Sharp 29' (pen.)35,4408 December 1984Queens Park RangersA0–014,33815 December 1984Nottingham ForestH5–0Sharp 20', 76', Sheedy 32', Steven 43', Reid 50'22,48722 December 1984ChelseaH3–4Bracewell 35', Sharp 69', 89' (2 pens)29,88726 December 1984SunderlandA2–1Mountfield 12', 19'19,71429 December 1984Ipswich TownA2–0Sharp 61', 86'16,0451 January 1985Luton TownH2–1Steven 11', 69'31,68212 January 1985Newcastle UnitedH4–0Sharp 17', Mountfield 32', Sheedy 62', 86'32,1562 February 1985WatfordH4–0Stevens 56', 62', Sheedy 69', Steven 77'34,02623 February 1985Leicester CityA2–1Gray 66', 82'17,3452 March 1985Manchester UnitedA1–1Mountfield 41'51,15016 March 1985Aston VillaA1–1Richardson 42'22,62523 March 1985ArsenalH2–0Gray 27', Sharp 89'36,38730 March 1985SouthamptonA2–1Richardson 48', 51'18,7543 April 1985Tottenham HotspurA2–1Gray 9', Steven 62'48,1086 April 1985SunderlandH4–1Gray 34', 37', Steven 50', Sharp 68'35,97816 April 1985West Bromwich AlbionH4–1Atkins 3', Sharp 26', 78', (pen), Sheedy 54'29,75020 April 1985Stoke CityA2–0Sharp 23', Sheedy 46'18,25827 April 1985Norwich CityH3–0Mountfield 42', Steven 46', Bracewell 56'32,0854 May 1985Sheffield WednesdayA1–0Gray 26'37,3816 May 1985Queens Park RangersH2–0Mountfield 26', Sharp 82'50,5148 May 1985West Ham UnitedH3–0Gray 12', Mountfield 43', 78'32,65711 May 1985Nottingham ForestA0–118,78423 May 1985LiverpoolH1–0Wilkinson 67'51,04526 May 1985Coventry CityA1–4Wilkinson 42'21,22428 May 1985Luton TownA0–211,509
Club1Everton4228688843+45902Liverpool42221196835+33773Tottenham Hotspur42238117851+2777 Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
European Cup Winners' Cup DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance19 September 1984Round 1First leg University College DublinA0–09,7503 October 1984Round 1Second leg University College DublinH1–0Sharp 10'16,27724 October 1984Round 2First leg Inter BratislavaA1–0Bracewell 6'15,0007 November 1984Round 2Second leg Inter BratislavaH3–0Sharp 12', Sheedy 43', Heath 63'25,0076 March 1985Quarter-finalFirst leg Fortuna SittardH3–0Gray 47', 74', 77'25,78220 March 1985Quarter-finalSecond leg Fortuna SittardA2–0Sharp 15', Reid 75'16,42510 April 1985Semi-finalFirst leg Bayern MunichA0–067,00024 April 1985Semi-finalSecond leg Bayern MunichH3–1Sharp 48', Gray 75', Steven 86'49,47615 May 1985Final Rapid ViennaN3–1Gray 57', Steven 72', Sheedy 86'40,000
League Cup DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance26 September 1984Round 2First legSheffield UnitedA2–2Sharp 69', Mountfield 78'28,38310 October 1984Round 2Second legSheffield UnitedH4–0Mountfield 6', Bracewell 56', Sharp 67', Heath 74'18,74030 October 1984Round 3Manchester UnitedA2–1Sharp 42', (pen.), Gidman (o.g.) 84'50,91820 November 1984Round 4Grimsby TownH0–126,298
FA Cup DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance4 January 1985Round 3Leeds UnitedA2–0Sharp 40', (pen.), Sheedy 85'21,21126 January 1985Round 4Doncaster RoversH2–0Steven 19', Stevens 33'37,53716 February 1985Round 5Telford UnitedH3–0Reid 67', Sheedy 71', (pen.), Steven 87'47,4029 March 1985Quarter-finalIpswich TownH2–2Sheedy 5', Mountfield 85'36,46813 March 1985Quarter-finalReplayIpswich TownA1–0Sharp 76' (pen.)27,73713 April 1985Semi-finalLuton TownN2–1 (a.e.t.)Sheedy 86', Mountfield 115'45,28918 May 1985FinalManchester UnitedN0–1100,000
References