Golden goals: Trevor Steven (1985)

"If you talk to any Evertonian who was there that night, who actually got in this ground that night, and you said, 'You can take one game to the grave with you'. Say there was 55,000, I'm betting you 50,000 would take this game with them."

The words of Andy Gray during the brilliant Howard's Way film regarding the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich are not hyperbole. Admittedly the official crowd figure was 49,476, but that apart, Gray was accurate in his belief that the majority of Everton fans would view April 24, 1985 as the ultimate night in the history of Goodison Park.

1988/89: Everton v Arsenal

Maybe the Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey knew their ball, as the kids may or may not say now, in respect to Arsenal's 2022/23 season. "The word is about, there's something evolving. But to me it seems quite clear, that it's all just a little bit of history repeating."

You may be wondering if the introduction above is one of those legendary unfathomable clues on 321, yet it really is just my ham-fisted way of drawing comparisons with Arsenal's forthcoming match at Goodison Park and their Division One fixture at the same ground in January 1989. Because, in certain regards, what is evolving at Arsenal in 2023 does have elements of history repeating itself.

Golden goals: Tony Morley (1981)

Generally there are always matches that a team will look back on at the end of a title winning season as the moment they knew something special was happening. The belief-affirming victory that convinced players, fans and media alike that this team could last the duration. Think Everton at Anfield in 1984/85; Arsenal at the same ground in 2001/02; Chelsea at Blackburn in 2004/05; Leicester at the Etihad.

In February 1981, Aston Villa travelled to Goodison Park neck and neck in a title race with Bobby Robson's Ipswich Town. A month earlier hopes had been raised in the claret and blue section of the second city that the title could be coming to Villa Park for the first time in 71 years. The 2-0 victory over champions Liverpool was a vital step towards the ultimate goal, and another would come at Everton.

1984/85: Everton v Tottenham

It was hard not to get carried away by the rise of Everton in 1984. Supporters were swept along as a team previously struggling under Howard Kendall turned the corner and hit the road to Wembley twice. There may have been disappointment in the Milk Cup final, but an FA Cup triumph pointed to a brighter future.

"It will be remembered joyously by those who love Everton, as the day this great club emerged again from the gloomy shadows cast by their conquering neighbours," Frank McGhee wrote in the Express, after the 2-0 win over Watford. A Charity Shield win against Liverpool increased the belief that Everton were now real contenders for the big prize.

1981 FA Cup Sixth Round: Everton v Manchester City

Forty years is a long time in sport. It's a long time in life (sadly, I know this for a fact). When Everton take on Manchester City in the FA Cup Sixth round at Goodison Park this weekend, the tie will see two Champions League winning managers lock horns, as their (rotated) multinational squads strive for a place in the last four at Wembley.

The past is indeed a foreign country. When the two teams met at the same stage of the competition in March 1981, the situation was understandably different. Two mid-table teams clashed in high intensity matches at Goodison Park and Maine Road, on far from perfect playing surfaces and in front of packed terraces. The 1981 tussles would be a very domestic affair that were not for the faint-hearted.