It was on this day in 1987 that Everton beat Norwich City at Carrow Road to clinch our ninth league title. 

On that day, 39 years ago tonight, our opponents Manchester City had two top flight championship wins to their name and were fighting another relegation from the top league. A sobering thought, eh. The Bank Holiday Monday league title-winning match was decided early doors by a Pat Van Den Hauwe strike. You all know the story: we won 0-1, the red shite had to "hand it over" (remember that chant?!) and Howard Kendall asked coach driver Jimmy Martin to crawl home so the squad could savour their second First Division title in three seasons. But when I think of that brilliant Bank Holiday Monday, April 4 1987, my mind's eye shows me pictures of two days before... when we played Manchester City at home, funnily enough. 

I was the mascot that day. The facts? We drew 0-0 in front of 37,541 at Goodison Park. But my memories are different: the boxes of Champagne by the dressing room that Howard wouldn't open no matter how many times my Dad asked, 'cause we still needed three points; referee George Courtney giving me a fiver at the end of the game; Kevin Langley being on-loan at City from us but coming to see me after the game for a photo; panicking as we missed the kick-off and opening few minutes climbing up from the pitch to our seats in the Main Stand; my Mum's heels getting stuck in the mud (remember how pitches used to look come May?!); an injured Sharpy inviting me into the dug-out for a picture before the game; Reidy getting a concussion and being sent to a nursing home (!) after saying hello to me post-match; and my awe-struck face seeing all the team pictures going back to the previous century lining the walls of Goodison Park from reception to the boardroom.

Being inside those corridors, walls and rooms was absolutely magic. City were a footnote in English football history and we were leading the way. Things have changed, of course, but I still approach games against them feeling we should win. And should we win tonight, we'll all have another magical Bank Holiday Monday memory to cherish.

 Up the fucking Toffees. 

Words | Alan O’ Hare
Pat signing session image | Thomas Regan