Dunfermline Athletic

Everton make another visit to East End Park

Author: Jason Barber Date: Tuesday, 23rd Jul 2002

Ex Pars centre half Davie Moyes returns to East End Park this Saturday with his new Premiership side Everton. After bringing his old Preston team up a few years ago, we now welcome the Merseysiders to Fife for this year's most attractive pre season friendly.

Here we take a quick look at the Blue's squad as well as their previous visit to East End Park.......

Moyes will be looking for Everton to make big improvements in what will be his first full season in charge after replacing Walter Smith. Everton have slipped from their position as one of the 'big five' clubs of the 1980s and will be looking to make up some ground on all the front runners down South, not least Liverpool!

Moyes has built himself a great reputation as a manager after doing so well in a short space of time at Preston. He was hotly tipped to be number 2 to Sir Alex at Man United but stayed his ground until the opportunity arose to be his own man at the higher level.

He has not been slow to change the Goodison Park squad. England goalkeeper Richard Wright is expected to join within the next 24 hours and could make his debut on Saturday, though the transfer may come too late for him to join the squad for this trip.

Well known faces likely to travel North include Scotland caps David Weir, Scott Gemill, Gary Naysmith and Duncan Feguson, who does not have the best scoring record against DAFC! Alan Stubbs is another face well known to fans with World Cup stars Joe Max Moore and Niclas Alexandersson also likely to travel. Other players who might stand out include Steve Watson, David Unsworth and Kevin Campbell (whose pace may well test Dunfermline's defence)

However, a look into the history books will see that a fine Everton team (one of the best in England at the time) came to Dunfermline on serious business back in 1962. After reaching the quarter finals of the CWC in their debut European season, Dunfermline were pitched into the Inter City Fairs Cup (UEFA) for 62/63 season.

The first round draw could not have been harder for the Pars. Everton, known at the time as the Bank Of England side, were to be played home and away.

In front of over 40,000 fans, Everton won the first leg at Goodison Park 1-0. The narrow lead was seen as enough, due to the fact that Dunfermline would surely be beaten on home ground as well.

On the 31st October 1962, the two sides met again this time at East End Park. A crowd of nearly 22,000 saw Dunfermline take a fifth minute lead through defender George Miller. The Pars were now level with the side who had cost over £250,000 to put together, an amazing sum for the day.

The game looked to be heading for an aggregate score of 1-1 until Harry Melrose popped up in the 87th minute with what would prove to be the winning goal! Dunfermline were through and the media must have been forced to take notice of what must have been a great achievement for Scottish football.

The next round saw the classic ties with Valencia, Dunfermline eventually going out in a replay after the 6-2 defeat and 4-0 victory.

Everton's current squad have cost slightly more than £250,000 to put together, but they struggle to match the success of the 60s team, or indeed the trophy winning side of Howard Kendall's in the 1980s.

As they strive to recover successful days, we take the opportunity of welcoming them to East End Park and hope that the match is a good opportunity for flowing footbal from both sides.



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