Everton's men's first team are preparing to leave Goodison Park - which hosted its first-ever European match against the Pars. (Image: Ross Hart.)
Everton's men's first team are preparing to leave Goodison Park - which hosted its first-ever European match against the Pars. (Image: Ross Hart.)
This weekend will mark the end of an era for one of English football's most historic and iconic venues as it hosts its last senior men's team fixture - but it will forever hold Dunfermline Athletic as a first in its storied past.
Goodison Park has been the home of Everton since 1892 and, on Sunday, is set to be emotionally-charged for its final Premier League match.
The game with Southampton will bring the curtain down on 133 years worth of triumphs, memories and firsts in the men's game before the Blues, managed by former Dunfermline defender, David Moyes, make the move to their sparkling new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Former Pars defender, David Moyes, is in charge of Everton for a second spell and will lead their men's side from their historic home to their new base next season.
Former Pars defender, David Moyes, is in charge of Everton for a second spell and will lead their men's side from their historic home to their new base next season.
(Image: Dunfermline Athletic FC.) Arguably, for Evertonians, their team's greatest-ever night came 40 years ago when, in the second leg of the European Cup Winners Cup semi-final - a stage the Pars reached in 1969, losing out to eventual winners, Slovan Bratislava - they defeated Bayern Munich 3-1 at Goodison to reach the final, which they won against Rapid Vienna in Rotterdam.
When they leave their beloved stadium, which it was announced this week will be saved from demolition and become the home for Everton Women, the Toffees will have played 45 home games in continental competition - a run which began against the Pars.
READ MORE: Stars hail 'unreal' championship win
In 1962, Jock Stein's Athletic etched their name into the history of the Merseysiders and the 'Grand Old Lady' when they went head-to-head in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Dunfermline travelled to Goodison park for the Toffees' first match in continental football in the 1962 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Dunfermline travelled to Goodison Park for the Toffees' first match in continental football in the 1962 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
(Image: Ross Hart.) Replaced by the UEFA Cup - now the Europa League - in 1971, the tournament saw Dunfermline became Everton's first-ever opponents in Europe, with the first leg taking place at Goodison.
Taking on the 'Mersey Millionaires'
The Pars were veterans of competitive non-domestic football in comparison, having played three, two-legged ties in the previous season's European Cup Winners Cup, the reward for winning the Scottish Cup in 1961.
They headed south to take on a side that were dubbed the 'Mersey Millionaires' due to the backing of Sir John Moores, the owner and founder of Littlewoods, who became Everton chairman in 1960.
Dunfermline Press:
Boasting talents such as Scot Alex Young - known by Toffees fans as 'the golden vision' - and the likes of captain Brian Labone, they would
become champions of England that season.
The Jock Stein suite contains memorabilia from European clashes from that era, including against the Toffees. (Image: Newsquest.) Late Pars legend Harry Melrose, who sadly passed away in February last year, spoke to the 'Walking Down the Halbeath Road' podcast, which features a host of Pars legends in conversation with Michael Mlotkiewicz, in 2022.
He played in both ties and, of the first game, recalled: "They were called the Bank of England team at the time because they were buying all the good players in England and Scotland.
"They bought Alex Young from the Hearts, George Thomson from the Hearts, then they had wee Billy Bingham, the Irish international. They had the England goalkeeper, (Gordon) West.
"They had just been buying all the good players and thinking that would be the success."
Despite going on to win their sixth of nine top flight titles achieved in their history - only Liverpool and Manchester United (20), Arsenal (13) and Manchester City (10) have won more south of the border - that season, they fell at the first hurdle in Europe as Stein's side achieved one of Athletic's most memorable results.
The nod to Athletic's role in Everton's, and Goodison Park's, history adorns the exterior of the Gwladys Street end of the ground. (Image: Ross Hart.)
'Smothered by the Stein plan'
The report from the first leg in the Press suggested that Everton were "baffled" by Dunfermline's tactics, which included their manager producing "his surprise moves" - one of which was deploying Willie Cunningham as a sweeper.
Reporting that his plan had "smothered the devastating attack of "millionaire club" Everton before their home crowd at Goodison Park", "Manager Stein planned surprise defensive moves for Dunfermline Athletic, which succeeded so well that the star-studded Everton team succeeded in scoring only once - a doubtful goal at that - and so will only have a single goal advantage when they face the Athletic again next Wednesday at East End Park.
The Press report details the action from the first leg, including the Stein plan. (Image: Newsquest.) "Everton had watched Dunfermline for three weeks before Wednesday's game at Goodison Park. As Dunfermline had played attacking football on those occasions, Everton had little idea of their defensive qualities.
"Manager Stein during this period had been studying Everton's style, methods and strengths. He devised a plan to turn aside these strengths and cushion every blow from the feared Everton attack, which has given them leadership of the English First Division.
READ MORE: Talented trio of teenagers sign new deals with the Pars
"The Dunfermline manager quickly produced his surprise moves.
"In spite of the numbers on their backs, (Willie) Callaghan became the left back and Cunningham came in as floating defence man to allow (Jim) MacLean to shadow Young, regarded as the Everton danger man and undoubtedly the most subtle and elusive centre-forward in British football today.
"After 15 minutes, Mr Stein appeared on the touchline to direct another switch, which sent (Dan) McLindon to the left wing and moved (George) Peebles to inside-forward."
Melrose commented: "That was big Jock's genius again.
"This was the first time we'd ever played with a sweeper behind the back four.
"Big Jock had been abroad and things like that, studied, and this is what he did when we went down to Everton. He played big Willie behind a back four.
"He was a forward-thinking guy, big Jock."
Jock Stein's innovative tactics to deploy Willie Cunningham as a sweeper played a key role in Athletic's win in the tie. (Image: Dunfermline Athletic FC.) Despite Stein's meticulous attention to detail, Everton scored in the 25th minute when Dennis Stevens headed in a Bingham corner.
However, as Cunningham tried to head clear, the ball "shot up, hit the underside of the crossbar, and bounced down".
Melrose said that there "was a doubt about the goal, if it was ever over the line", with the Press report noting: "In spite of the protests of the Dunfermline players that the ball had come out, the Irish referee, who was on the bye-line, ruled that it had crossed the goal-line, and awarded a score".
Orange peel, newspapers and cushions
That would prove to be the only goal of a match that the Press stated was "too strenuous to satisfy lovers of pure football, most of which was played by Everton, with (Jimmy) Gabriel and Stevens always working purposefully", whilst (Alex) Smith and (Charlie) Dickson looked dangerous with their isolated raids for Dunfermline".
At full-time, some of the 40,240 crowd inside Goodison made clear their feelings: "At the final whistle, as the Dunfermline manager, Mr Jock Stein, and his players made their way to the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms, a startling scene occurred such as one thought happened only in continental football.
It was reported that the Pars stars were hit by orange peel, bits of newspaper, and even cushions at full-time. (Image: Newsquest.) "Mr Stein and his players were showered with orange peel, bits of newspaper, and even cushions by Everton supporters.
"Police surrounded the entrance to the tunnel. The situation was electric."
The Liverpool Echo's Leslie Edwards was, however, left unimpressed, writing: "This performance, if it could be so described, did the game nothing but harm. To be candid, it was disgraceful.
"If Dunfermline, by their negative, defensive chivvying of Everton players in possession got the game off on the wrong foot, Everton for their part did little to bring sense and sound football to it."
Valencia bound after East End glory
The Pars, though, had set themselves up for one of East End's greatest nights in the return match.
Attracting "one of the biggest crowds in the history of East End Park", 22,713, George Miller levelled the tie by giving Athletic a first half lead, before Melrose, sent running in on goal by Cunningham's defence-splitting past, slotted beyond West with three minutes to go to seal a stunning triumph.
"It was getting near the end of the game," Melrose said.
"Big Willie played this ball from his own penalty area, down through the inside left position, but I still had about 25-30 yards to go before the goal.
"I was getting slower and slower as I was getting to the goal. The goalkeeper was coming out, but I just put it by him with the outside of my right foot."
The Press report called it a goal which "stuns Everton stars", and saw them "bound for Valencia", where another incredible European tie awaited them.
Dunfermline's second leg win over the Toffees sent them through to what proved to be a memorable tie with Valencia. (Image: Newsquest.) Roy Vernon, Everton's captain, said afterwards that "it was good tactics" by Stein and, whilst the game at Goodison "did not do either side credit", added: "Tactically, they played better at Goodison, but they got the breaks tonight".
Toffees boss Harry Catterick later stated that going out of the tournament to the Pars aided his team en-route to becoming champions: "One can feel relieved that Dunfermline did us a good turn when they defeated us in the Fairs Cup.
"At least we were relieved of those extra games."
The historical nature of the tie is reflected around Goodison Park's exterior, which has a photographic timeline of key moments in Everton's history.
That features the cover of the match programme for the first leg , a copy of which is also proudly on display within the Jock Stein Suite at East End, noting that "Everton makes their first appearance in Europe against Dunfermline Athletic in the Fairs Cup".
Press reporter, Ross Hart, holds aloft a Pars scarf during a recent visit to do a tour of Goodison Park. (Image: Ross Hart.) It is located outside the Gwladys Street end, named after Howard Kendall, the Blues' most successful-ever manager, showcasing the major part played by the Pars in Everton and Goodison Park history.
It is a venue steeped in tradition and firsts, which include being the first British club ground to stage a World Cup semi-final, whilst also hosting greats such as Pele and Eusebio when Brazil and Portugal played there earlier in that same 1966 tournament, and having hosted more top flight matches in England than anywhere else.
That Dunfermline Athletic will always have its place in its history is for me, someone who has visited Goodison many times down the years, is something to be proud of as a Pars fan as Everton prepare to bid farewell to the 'Grand Old Lady'.
Dunfermline Athletic FC
Everton
Football
History
Sport
Share
0 Comments