THIS WIN WAS TOFF TO EXPLAIN

TO Everton fans it is a game that went down in Goodison folklore.

The Blues have spent more seasons in the top flight than any other club.

Yet, on the last day of the 1993-94 campaign they were losing 2-0 at home to a Wimbledon side skippered by John Fashanu and the drop seemed inevitable. But they fought back for a 3-2 victory that ensured they survived and Sheffield United were relegated.

Yet, questions were raised about the game, especially the Graham Stuart winner from the edge of the box, a shot that carried little venom but beat keeper Hans Segers.

Former Everton striker Tony Cottee (celebrating with Stuart, top) recalled: “The first time I knew we were safe was when I was walking along the tunnel and Fash is in the tunnel and he’s waiting for me and he’s gone, ‘Yes, TC, you’re safe’ – and he’s given me the high fives and everything.

“I said, ‘Oh cheers, Fash,’ and I don’t know why Fash was so happy that we’d stayed up.”

Cottee assumed it was because Fashanu was a friend, although he felt it odd an opponent should be so pleased. Match-fixing allegations came to light months later. Cottee added: “As soon as it was mentioned I thought straight away, ‘What about that third goal?’

“I wonder about it just because of the way it went in. When you look at it in slow motion, it looks like one of those shots that Hans would have saved 99 times out of 100, but perhaps it was just the one time out of 100.”

In his book, The Final Score, Segers explained: “He hit a shot that took a deflection off another player’s leg, so that made the ball change direction slightly. The pitch was uneven and the ball hit a bump and spun beyond my control as I dived.”

Two years later that goal was at the centre of match-fixing claims that were refuted and never proved. Fashanu (above) had a simple explanation for the goal: “I remember Hans had a howler. But we’re not going to fix for our arch-rivals Everton.”