Adrian Heath - 1982 -1988:

When Adrian Heath joined Everton from Stoke City in January 1982 it cost a club record transfer fee of £700,000. He struggled early in his Everton career, partly due to the weight of expectancy and partly due to the team not setting the league on fire. It wasn't too long before he settled in and in his second full season hit 11 goals in all competitions.

It is arguably a goal scored at Oxford United that was the most important one Heath scored. Trailing 1-0 to the lower league outfit he pounced on a poor back-pass and scored an equaliser that was to prove vital to both the team and manager Howard Kendall. It was not to be the only vital goal Heath scored that season as the team progressed to both the League Cup and FA Cup finals. Everton drew Southampton in the semi final of the FA Cup and the game had gone into extra time when up stepped Heath to score the winner that sent the team to Wembley for the second time.

He started the 1984-85 season in electric form, scoring 13 goals in 26 starts and was on the verge on an England call-up when he was badly injured in a game against Sheffield Wednesday at the beginning of December. He was to miss the rest of the season which was big personal disappointment as Everton went on to win the League and record their first European victory.

He fought back from the injury and regained a first team place during the 1985-86 season scoring 10 goals. Heath was an ever present the following season and was leading scorer with 16 goals in all competitions as Everton went on to win the league. He was only to play for one more full season and in 1988 left to join Spanish club Espanyol, he returned to England 12 months later for an ill-fated 6 months at Aston Villa. He spent a successful two and a half years with Manchester City before entering into management with Burnley. He joined Howard Kendall at Sheffield United and followed him to Everton, he is currently Assistant Manager at Coventry City.

Everton playing record (figures in brackets are substitution appearances):

League appearances 206 (19), goals 71

FA Cup appearances 24 (5), goals 6

League Cup appearances 33 (2), goals 11

European appearances 4, goals 1

Other appearances 11 (2), goals 5