When Everton took three replays to beat Sheffield Wednesday in FA Cup
23-Jan-2021 08:00:12 | The Guardian
After three 1-1 draws in 16 days, Everton went to Hillsborough and scored five goals in 38 minutes to finally settle the tie
By Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog
Even though Everton were the reigning league champions, the summer of 1987 was an unsettling time for the club. Howard Kendall departed for Athletic Bilbao, leaving his former assistant Colin Harvey with the unenviable task of filling his great friend’s shoes. Most of the players stayed but, by the turn of the year, it was apparent that the league title would be going across Stanley Park to Anfield. Liverpool went on to finish 20 points clear of their local rivals, who dropped down to fourth in the table. Although Harvey did have the satisfaction of knocking Liverpool out of the League Cup. And, of course, the FA Cup provided the chance of winning some silverware.
The draw for the third round paired Everton with a club that had suffered a stuttering start to the 1987-88 league campaign. Sheffield Wednesday had won just one of their first 12 league matches – a dire run that included a 4-0 defeat at Everton. Yet their fortunes improved when manager Howard Wilkinson signed centre-back Nigel Pearson from Shrewsbury in October. With Pearson slotted into a five-man defence, Wednesday won eight of their next 11 matches and shot up the table.
Related: When Wolves were trounced 3-0 by non-league Chorley in the FA Cup
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