The sad passing of Gordon Banks has inspired me to start a new series: great saves of the 1980s. The first entry involves a Welshman at the peak of his powers, and a defining moment in the 1984/85 Division One season.
Although he is often regarded as one of the world’s best goalkeepers of the 1980s, it had actually taken Neville Southall a few years to establish himself as Everton’s number one. Making his debut in 1981, a spell out on loan at Port Vale in early 1983 suggested that his days at Everton were numbered.
Southall’s fortunes during the 1984/85 season would mirror that of his club. Becoming the fourth goalkeeper to win the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year, Southall was the rock upon which Everton’s tilt at a treble was built on.
There were many saves that the Welshman pulled off during the season, any one of them potentially the subject of this blog; denying Ian Rush when through on goal at Anfield; a fantastic tip over against Leicester; this stunning save at Hillsborough.
But there was one particular stop on April 3, 1985, that made the headlines. A save that gained the ultimate accolade of being compared by some to that Gordon Banks save in Mexico in terms of quality. It also proved to be a pivotal moment in the 1984/85 title race.
Unbeaten in 17 matches, Everton arrived at White Hart Lane with confidence soaring. Three points ahead of Tottenham and with a game in hand, a draw against their nearest challengers would be welcome. But a win would be priceless.
On the back of a league defeat against Aston Villa, Tottenham could ill afford to lose further ground on Howard Kendall’s team. “Our ambition all season has been to win the title,” Tottenham manager Peter Shreeves revealed. “In that context, this game is as big as they come.”
Tottenham’s fine away form had been the catalyst for their title challenge, a 4-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park on the opening day of the season an example of their joy on the road. In front of 48,108 at White Hart Lane, Tottenham were desperate to derail the Everton juggernaut.
They could have done without gifting goals to their opponents, yet a poor Paul Miller header from a Southall punt gave Andy Gray the opportunity to edge Everton in front, and a Mark Bowen error allowed Trevor Steven to double the lead just after the hour.
It would take a special strike to beat Southall, as Graham Roberts long range screamer brought Tottenham back into the match with 17 minutes remaining. And then came Southall’s moment of brilliance.
With three minutes remaining, a fine Glenn Hoddle cross was met by Mark Falco, his firm header from six yards destined for the roof of the net. You could argue that Tottenham’s striker should have headed the ball down. But in fairness, his effort would have beaten most keepers.
Demonstrating lightning-quick reflexes, Southall acrobatically turned Falco’s header over the bar, Tottenham players and fans immediately placing their heads in their hands in unison. Roughly 100 yards away, Ray Clemence sunk to his knees before applauding his opposite number.
“Southall tightens Everton’s grip” proclaimed the Times headline the next morning, after Everton’s 2-1 victory had hammered a nail in the coffin of Tottenham’s league aspirations. “Southall makes it Everton’s crown,” the Express claimed. Understandably, Southall’s save was the big news.
“The talking point in my dressing room has been that world class save,” Shreeves said. “It has prevented us from getting an important draw.” Falco admitted his astonishment. “I thought it was in. So did our players and even Everton thought we had equalised. No one on the pitch could believe it.”
“He’s been doing it all season,” Kendall stated. “But that one was something special.” Skipper Kevin Ratcliffe later commented that a keeper of Southall’s class can gain you an extra 14 points in a season. At White Hart Lane, Southall had banked two extra points for his team.
The press were equally as enthusiastic. “Not since the steamy afternoon when Gordon Banks kept out a header from Pele in the 1970 World Cup has a goalkeeper produced quite such an astonishing save as Southall conjured at White Hart Lane last night,” Steve Curry wrote in the Express.
Jeff Powell in the Mail was in full agreement, writing that it was “the most astonishing save since Gordon Banks left Pele dumbfounded in Mexico.” Stuart Jones in the Times described the save as astonishing, and added that it was over in an instant “but is likely to have a substantial effect on a season that lasts 10 months.”
What of the man himself? Modesty prevailed at the time, with Southall adamant that “It was a bit of a fluke. The ball just hit me.” A closer inspection highlights that this was not the case, but the passage of time has not changed Southall’s assessment that the save was routine.
Writing in his Binman Chronicles biography, Southall discusses the save. “What more can I say? It was straight at me and I’ve saved plenty like that on the training ground. I always knew I was going to get it. My team-mates certainly didn’t congratulate me. Ratcliffe yelled at me: ‘Why didn’t you catch it? Why are you f**king giving a corner away?’”
Unlike the save itself, it appears as if Southall and his team-mates are trying to keep his feet on the ground. Bigging yourself up or receiving heaps of praise from your colleagues is often frowned upon in a dressing room environment. But Ratcliffe and his team-mates knew the value of Southall.
“That is what wins you league championships,” Andy Gray said after the final whistle had sounded, and it is hard to disagree. “For many people that was the moment we won the league title,” Southall adds. It certainly hit another nail in Tottenham’s coffin.
Winning the title and European Cup Winners’ Cup, it needed a special strike from Norman Whiteside to deny Everton their treble. Beating a keeper of Southall’s stature, and a team as good as Everton, required something out of the ordinary.
Interestingly, Southall blamed himself for Manchester United’s winner in the FA Cup final. He had no need to admonish himself, though. The perfectionist in him may have been frustrated with Whiteside’s winner. But there were plenty of times that Big Nev had saved his team throughout that season; Tottenham could vouch for that.
Great post as always, thanks. I have to say, though, I'd tend to agree with Neville that it wasn't actually that remarkable a save; the Banks 1970 comparisons seem wildly excessive. It was a good reaction stop for sure but the header was indeed straight at him. Then again, I seem to be the one person in the world who doesn't think Maradona's second in the 1986 WC QF was all that . . . maybe I just don't see these things.
ReplyDeletevery interesting blog. i am really happy to read it.
ReplyDelete