Neville Southall - 1981 -1997:

Howard Kendall signed Neville Southall from Bury for £150,000 in July 1981 and so began one of the longest services to the club by any player. He made in debut on 17th October 1981 in a 2-1 home win over Ipswich Town but was dropped in favour of Jim Arnold after 26 appearances. He went on loan to Port Vale during the 1982-83 season, on his return to the club he regained his first place and reached such a high level of consistency that he was being claimed as the best goal keeper in the world.

Southall was magnificent in the air and possessed cat-like reflexes that often left opposing forwards staring at him in disbelief. In his first full season as first choice keeper he helped the team to two Wembley appearances, winning the FA Cup by beating Watford and losing the League Cup to Liverpool.

The following season, 1984-85, Southall played in all 63 games that Everton were involved in, as the club stormed to league and European honours and runners-up in the FA Cup. At the end of the season he was rewarded by being named as the Football Writers Player of the Year. He suffered a serious injury during the next season, which saw the team finish runners-up in both the league and FA Cup. The injury proved to be broken ankle, sustained while on international duty with Wales, and was to keep out of action from March to October 1986.

Although his understudy, Bobby Mimms, did not let the team down, Southall returned mid October and played in all the remaining games as Everton went on to win the league title for the second time in three years. It was during this season that Southall scored his one and only goal for the club, although it does not appear in any records as it was in a penalty shoot out in the Full Members cup against Charlton Athletic.

For the next 10 seasons Southall played in all but a hand full of games, being an ever present in six of them. It was during the 1994-95 that he proved the critics, who thought he should retire , wrong, when he helped Everton retain their Premier league status and reach the FA Cup final. In the second half of the final Southall turned the clock back ten years to put in an inspired performance that was to thwart Manchester United's attempts to wrestle the Cup from Everton's grasp.

During the nineties people were expecting his retirement announcement with each passing year but he just kept on going. He passed Ted Sagars incredible appearance record and the first game of the 1996-97 season against Newcastle United saw appear for the 700th time in an Everton shirt.

Potential replacements were brought in, firstly by Joe Royle and then Howard Kendall, but Southall went on to make a further 50 appearances and played his last game for Everton against Tottenham Hotspurs on 29th November 1997. He went on loan, firstly to Southend and then Stoke City, and it was during his time with Stoke that he took the decision to leave Everton and accept a position as player / coach.

Neville Southall's 16 year association with Everton had ended, he had made 750 appearances for the team in all competitions, a record that is unlikely to be broken in the modern game and he will always be remembered by all as one of the greatest players ever to play for the club.

Honours won with Everton

League Championship - winners 1985 & 1987, Runners-up 1986

FA Cup- winners 1984 & 1995, runners-up 1985, 1988

European Cup Winners Cup - winners 1985

League Cup - runners-up 1984,

Charity Shield winner - 1984. 1985 and 1995

Football Writers Player of the Year 1985

MBE 1996

93 Caps with Wales (National record)

 

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

League appearances 578, goals 0

FA Cup appearances 70, goals 0

League Cup appearances 65, goals 0

European appearances 13, goals 0

Other appearances 24, goals 0