On the opening afternoon of the 1990-91 season, there was a surge in anticipation. Italia 90 had re-invigorated the England national team in the summer and, sure enough, English football had its largest first-day attendance for nine years.
For Leeds United, the last eight of those had been spent in the Second Division. But under Howard Wilkinson Leeds had won what is now the Championship and here they were at Goodison Park to take on Everton. At half-time Leeds were 2-0 ahead.
Chris Fairclough and a 20-year-old Gary Speed scored the visitors’ goals and soon after the interval Imre Varadi would add a third. Leeds were back.
Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall was a frustrated man at the start of the 1990 season
Everton fans unveil a huge banner of former keeper Neville Southall at Goodison Park
Trailing 3-0 at home to a newly promoted side, Everton were not sharing the national exuberance.
Everton had finished sixth the previous season, only four points off third place. Colin Harvey was manager at Goodison. Harvey, had been a member of Everton’s esteemed midfield trio with Howard Kendall and Alan Ball, from the 1960s and 70s.
Four years earlier he had been Kendall’s assistant when Everton were champions for the second time in three seasons and the blue side of the city were the power in the land. Everton were contenders.
In 1990, there were still members of that squad at Goodison and Neville Southall, a truly great goalkeeper, was one of them. Southall, however, was a disgruntled man. If Everton had finished four points off third a few months earlier, they were, nevertheless, 20 points behind their neighbours, champions Liverpool.
The club was unsettled and Southall’s dissatisfaction at what he perceived, correctly, to be a decline was such that this Evertonian giant asked for a transfer.
Understandably, the club refused. Southall was selected for the opening day. Those first-half Leeds goals did not improve his mood, though, nor did seeing Neil McDonald miss a penalty for the hosts.
‘It was s***. We were s***,’ Southall said in his autobiography about the Leeds United match
‘It was s***. We were s***,’ Southall said in his autobiography, The Binman Chronicles. ‘By half-time we were 2-0 down and conceded a third not long after.’
As he walked into the home dressing room at the interval,
