TOFFEE GLORY WITH A DASH
IT is hard to know who made the bigger impact in the 1966 FA Cup Final – Everton’s two-goal
Mike Trebilcock or pitch invader Eddie Cavanagh.
Trebilcock’s goals rubbed out Sheffield Wednesday’s 2-0 lead, enabling Derek Temple to strike the winner for Harry Catterick’s side.
While Cavanagh’s evasion of a chasing policeman by removing his jacket has gone down in Wembley folklore.
Today’s fourth-round tie between the two clubs at Goodison Park brought both a smile and a grimace to Toffees legend Colin Harvey (below).
“For the first hour Sheffield Wednesday absolutely murdered us,” admitted Harvey.
“I’ve never watched any footage of the game because I’m too embarrassed at my performance. The result was absolutely brilliant, but I know I enjoyed a lot more games in an Everton shirt than that.”
For Trebilcock, who only ended up playing a total of 13 games for the Toffees after his move from Plymouth, it was an afternoon he will never forget after being given the nod over England striker Fred Pickering.
“Fred had been struggling with a knee injury for quite a while,” said Harvey. “Trebs had played in the semi-final and had done all right.
“They were two really well-taken goals, as was the winning goal from Derek Temple.”
As for Toffees fan and ex-reserve team player Cavanagh, he had taken on a bet that he would run the length of the Wembley pitch during the game.
“I think if he’d been a few years younger, he might have made it all the way,” said Harvey. “He’d let himself go a bit, but he was a good lad.
“I recognised him straight away. He and his brother Jimmy had both been on Everton’s books.
“Brian Labone and Gordon West went up to the coppers to go easy on Eddie once they had finally grabbed him because they knew him as well having been together at Everton at the same time. I think he was chucked out, but was able somehow get back into the ground.”
Just like Harvey’s grandad. “One of my everlasting memories was seeing my grandad after the game. When we were 2-0 down, he had gone out of the ground and went for a pint in one of the local pubs,” he explained.
“When he discovered we had got back to 2-2, he somehow blagged his way back in and was in time to see Derek Temple score the winning goal.
“Of course the tie this weekend will bring back memories. I also joined Sheffield Wednesday after leaving Everton.
But my hip was starting to go and I didn’t really do myself justice there.”
Three hip replacements later, Harvey, 76, is enjoying watching his beloved Everton under current manager Carlo Ancelotti.
“It’s great to see Carlo in charge,” he added.
“You’d put his record up against anybody’s, wouldn’t you?”