The History of Everton Football Club
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John Willie Parker - 1950 -1956:
John Willie Parker was born in Birkenhead and came through from junior football to establish himself in the Everton first team during the early years of the 1950's. He played seven times in the ill-feted 1950-51 season which saw the club relegated for the second time. The following season Parker established himself firmly in the side and finished the season as top scorer with 16 League and Cup goals.
The next three seasons were to see Parker top the Everton scorers list and during the club's promotion season, 1953-54, he netted an impressive 31 times. Despite leaving Everton during the 1955-56 season for Bury after only four full seasons his record of a goal every other game stands up against most of club's top marksmen.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 167, goals 82
FA Cup appearances 9, goals 7
Jimmy O'Neill - 1950 -1960:
Jimmy O'Neill joined Everton from junior football in Ireland in 1949 and was to stay with the club for eleven years. He was earmarked as the man to replace Ted Sagar but the begining to his career was stuttering and after making ten successive appearances at the start of the 1950-51 he lost his place and the job was shared between Burnett and Sagar for the rest of the season. Despite the club being relegated at the end of the season O'Neill still found it difficult to make the goalkeeper spot his own and he had to wait until December 1951 to establish himself as Everton's number 1.
As the 1951-52 season drew to a close O'Neill was to become the club's first international goalkeeper since the end of the war when he won his first of 17 Republic of Ireland caps when he picked to play against Spain.
Jimmy O'Neill was to remain the number 1 choice in goal until 1956 when he lost his place to Albert Dunlop. He stayed with the club until July 1960 when he joined Stoke City for a fee £5,000, he later went to play for Darlington and Port Vale.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 201, goals 0
FA Cup appearances 12, goals 0
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Albert Dunlop - 1950 -1963:
Signed as a junior in 1950 Albert Dunlop had to wait until October 1956 to make his debut when he replaced Jimmy O'Neill at Old Trafford. It was to be remarkable debut for him, Manchester United were the reigning League Champions and had been unbeaten in the last 26 games but Everton pulled off an astonishing 5-2 victory. In the next game Arsenal were beaten 4-0 and Dunlop kept his place until the end of the season.
Dunlop was unchallenged for the goalkeeper's jersey for the next six years and in 1960-61 was an ever-present and helped the club to 5th in the first division, their highest post war position. The following season he was to play in the first 29 games before being replaced by Gordon West as Everton started to build for the future.
Albert Dunlop's last game for Everton was to be the club's best post war moment as they beat Fulham at Goodison Park to clinch the 1962-63 League title, during the summer he was to leave and joined Wrexham.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 211, goals 0
FA Cup appearances 20, goals 0
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Mick Meagan - 1952 -1964:
Mick Meagan joined Everton in 1952 when he signed from a Dublin youth team but had to wait until the 1957-58 season to make his league debut. Although not guaranteed a first team place he stayed with the club until 1964 when he was transferred to Huddersfield Town.
One his longest runs in the team coincided with the return to Everton's trophy winning ways. Season 1962-63 saw Meagan play 32 time at left back as the club won the league title for the first time since the war. This was to be his last season with Everton and after a spell with Huddersfield Town he joined Halifax Town, who he helped to promotion from the old fourth division.
Along with his league title medal Mick Meagan won 21 Republic of Ireland caps and became their 1st full time manager in 1969 and led them for two seasons.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 165, goals 1
FA Cup appearances 10, goals 0
Jimmy Harris - 1955 -1960:
Jimmy Harris was born in Birkenhead and joined Everton as a schoolboy, graduating through the various junior sides to join the professional ranks in 1951. He started his career as a centre forward but due to Dave Hickson being in possession of that position had to wait until the 1955-56 season to make his debut. Hickson moved to Aston Villa after only two games of the season so Harris was handed his chance to impress and he grasped it with both hands.
He did not miss a game and ended the season as the sides top scorer with 21 goals in both the league and FA Cup. He only played in 13 games the following season but when Hickson returned to Everton at the start of the 1957-58 season Harris was moved to the outside right position. The move meant that he could exploit his pace but still retain his eye for goal, in fact he ended the season with the second highest goal total with 14 goals.
Harris continued to score on regular basis from his wide position until he was transferred to Birmingham City during the 1960-61 season, were was to win his only medal when city won the League Cup.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 191, goals 65
FA Cup appearances 14, goals 5
League Cup appearances 2, goals 2
Brian Harris - 1955 -1966:
Brian Harris joined the club as an amateur and made his way through the various junior and reserve sides before making his Everton debut in 1955. A local lad from Bebington, he was an accomplished golfer and could easily made a living from the sport, he was also the joker in the squad and was seen during the 1966 cup final wearing a policeman's helmet after is was knocked off while chasing a fan who had ran onto the pitch after Everton had equalized.
During his eleven years with Everton he played under four managers and although he started his career as a winger he possessed skills that allowed him to adapt to any position and, though wing half was his usual role in the team, he played everywhere except in goal.
After helping Everton to the FA Cup win Brian Harris moved to Cardiff City during the summer of 1966 and later joined Newport County as player manager.
Brian Harris died on 17 February 2008
Everton playing record :
League appearances 310, goals 23
FA Cup appearances 31, goals 4
League Cup appearances 5, goals 0
European appearances 12, goals 2
Other appearances 2, goals 0
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Derek Temple - 1956 -1967:
Derek Temple was courted by both big Merseyside clubs as a free scoring schoolboy, choosing Everton over Liverpool. Having come through Everton's reserve sides he made his debut on 30th March 1957 against Newcastle United at Goodison Park at centre forward. His progress has hampered when he was called up to do his National Service and a promising partnership with Dave Hickson ended. When Temple returned from East Africa Hickson was coming to an end of his Everton career and Temple was out of form.
When Harry Catterick became manager in April 1961 he moved Temple to the left wing and it was here that he found his niche in the team. During his first season as a wide player he scored ten goals in just seventeen appearances but when Catterick signed Johnny Morrissey from Liverpool during the 1962-63 season Temple was often moved to inside forward in order to accommodate the newcomer.
He was unlucky to miss out of a championship medal in 1962-63 because of injury but when he returned to the first team his form earned him his one and only England cap when Alf Ramsey picked to play against West Germany in 1965.
Temple's arguably greatest moment came on the 14th May 1996 when he was not only part of the Everton side that came from two goals down to win the FA Cup but he scored the winning goal. With just ten minutes left of a pulsating final he followed a Colin Harvey clearance up field and picked up the ball following a dreadful error by the Sheffield Wednesday player Gerry Young and darted towards goal were he finished with a great low shot from the edge of the area.
Derek Temple only played one more full season for Everton and During 1967-68 season he was join Preston North End in a deal worth £35,000
Everton playing record (figures in brackets are substitution appearances):
League appearances 231 (1), goals 72
FA Cup appearances 21, goals 8
League Cup appearances 4, goals 0
European appearances 16, goals 2
Other appearances 4, goals 2
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Booby Collins - 1958 -1962:
Booby Collins was signed at the start of the 1958-59 season from Glasgow Celtic were he had enjoyed 10 years of success. He was known as a strong, hard working midfield player, an area of the pitch he more that often made his own, which earning him the nickname of "The Little General ".
His influence on an Everton side, which was struggling at the end of the 1950's, can not be underestimated, He was one the major factors that helped the club maintain it's top flight status and helped lay the foundations of the success that was to come Everton's way in the 1960's.
Bobby Collins only stayed with Everton for three and a half season but had proved to be one of the most astute in the club's history. Moving to Leeds United during the 1961-62 season was seen as an end of career move, but Collins proved everyone wrong and captain them to promotion to the old First Division in 1964 and League and FA Cup runners up the following season. He later went into management with several clubs in England, Australia and the Republic of Ireland before entering the world of quiet retirement.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 133, goals 42
FA Cup appearances 9, goals 5
League Cup appearances 5, goals 1
Alex Parker - 1958 -1964:
Alex Parker had made a reputation for himself as strong right full back with Falkirk during the mid 1950's and in 1957 was voted Player of the Year in Scotland after helping his club win the Scottish FA Cup. After six years with Falkirk he was signed by Everton for £20,000 in May 1958 although he missed the first three months of the 1958-59 season because of National Service.
Parker played six years for Everton and helped the club to the league title in 1962-63 and to the Charity Shield victory over Manchester United at the start of the following season. He left Everton during the 1964-65 season and joined Southport, firstly as a player then as their manager. He also managed Ballymena before going into pub management.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 198, goals 5
FA Cup appearances 12, goals 0
League Cup appearances 5, goals 0
European appearances 4, goals 0
Other appearances 1, goals 0