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15m agoMoyes: 592 up!
To the excited chatter of playgrounds up and down the country members of a certain jaded generation, this fixture is a re-run of the 1987 General Motors FA Charity Shield. Coventry, who had won the FA Cup just nine weeks previously, took 35,000 fans to Wembley, a record for the season curtain-raiser, while Everton supporters, making their eighth appearance at the grand old pile in four years, were comparatively thin on the ground. But the latter were the ones who got to celebrate, Wayne Clarke scoring the only goal just before the break, while Kevin Ratcliffe popped Cov’s new £750,000 record signing David Speedie in his pocket. All the post-match talk was of Everton retaining their First Division title: they ended the season in fourth; City, hoping to build on their breakthrough cup win, finished tenth. Both clubs were slightly disappointed with those returns back then; they’d deal on them for this season, right here, right now.
David Moyes = Harry Catterick. Well, not quite: Top Catt did win two league titles (1963 and 1970) and Everton’s first FA Cup in 33 years (1966) after all. But in another way: yes! Our man Tom Garry reports.
With David Moyes tonight set to equal Harry Catterick’s all-time record of 592 matches in charge of Everton across his two spells at the club, his colleague, the Everton women’s team head coach Scott Phelan, has spoken of his fond memories of his role as a ball boy on the day of Moyes’ first match at the helm at Goodison Park in 2002. Phelan, now aged 38, is a former Everton academy player and he said: “The opportunity to be a ball boy was a big thing. I think I was 14, 15 years of age. Just seeing the players close up, with the best seat in the house, was something I’ll always remember. The sense of occasion, the atmosphere and [Moyes] starting on a positive footing is what I remember. “What he is about to achieve is really important in his own career but, for this club as well, he’s brought stability in his first and second phase. I have massive respect for him and what he has achieved here. “He’s had an amazing career. Hopefully he can celebrate with a win.”
There’s no Jack Grealish in the Everton squad, by the way. But then did anyone really expect that?
Coventry City are in If It Ain’t Broke mode. They’re unchanged following last weekend’s 3-1 home win over Sunderland. Bobby Thomas is getting back up to speed after a calf issue but is not risked.
Everton are coming off the back of two victories over Newcastle United. They can’t play them every week, but they can near as dammit name the same starting XI, which is what’s happened in the wake of Monday night’s 1-0 win on Tyneside: Tyler Dibling comes in for Jake O’Brien, who drops to the bench.
Everton: Pickford, Rohl, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Armstrong, Garner, Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Barry. Subs: Travers, Maitland-Niles, Keane, O’Brien, Johnson, Norgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham.
Coventry City: Rushworth, van Ewijk, Mfuni, Pinnock, Dasilva, Yirenkyi, Torp, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Gboho, Awoniyi. Subs: Bentley, Grimes, Simms, Tchaouna, Kesler-Hayden, Latibeaudiere, Thomas-Asante, Hamer, Cherif.
Referee: Stuart Attwell VAR: Timothy Wood
If Everton win this match tonight, they go above Liverpool; if they win it big – five goals big – they leap over Chelsea into fourth spot. Things are going pretty well for David Moyes and his men, who are outperforming expectations that were set miserably low after an underwhelming transfer window. It’s one heck of a turnaround.
But then Coventry City will be pretty pleased with their efforts so far too. After a cold start, they’ve won three of their last five matches, and while nine points and 16th place isn’t exactly the most comfortable state of affairs, there’s been more than enough promise in performances, so spirits remain high as the Sky Blues embark on their first top-flight campaign for a quarter of a century.
Two clubs heading in the right direction, then; two teams and two support bases happy and hopeful. Everton go into this evening’s showdown as favourites, but Coventry have shown plenty of moxie away from home so far, with narrow defeats at Manchester City and Tottenham, plus a win at Nottingham Forest … and they won the last staging of this particular fixture, albeit in the days of Mustapha Hadji and Gary Breen, back on Boxing Day 2000. So they’ll be dreaming of three points too. It could be lots of fun. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
