The end of the current season saw League football bid farewell to one of its most iconic stadiums when Everton, who had called it home since 1892, played their final match there before moving across the city to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It’s a stadium Derby have visited many times down the years (69 times, I make it), most of which were in the First Division or the FA Cup but there was one solitary Second Division fixture in there which is the programme I’m going to feature this week.

Everton were relegated at the end of the 50/51 season and had finished 52/53 in 16^th place in Division Two, their lowest-ever position. Derby, of course, had just suffered relegation themselves. Back then, clubs were less inclined to jettison their manager after demotion – Stuart McMillan was in his eighth season at the Baseball Ground and Cliff Britton had been in charge at Goodison since 1948.

The Rams lay in sixth place in the table when they made the trip to Merseyside on September 26^th having lost just once in their nine games to date. Everton, however, were the only unbeaten side in the division and lay in second place, one point behind leaders Doncaster Rovers. Despite their recent woes, the fans had stuck with the home side and gates at Goodison were far and away the highest in the Second Division. The stage was set for an entertaining contest – only West Ham had scored more goals than Everton and Derby’s defence was one of the meanest in the division with only Doncaster having conceded fewer goals.

For the match, Everton issued a 12-page programme (volume 12, issue 12) costing 3d and good value for money it is, too.

Advertising is minimal and there is copious coverage of Derby in terms of both the club and the individual players. On page 9 can be found an article detailing a very young-looking Eddie Thomas, then playing inside-forward in Everton’s Central League team. (Eddie, of course, would have a highly productive spell at the Baseball Ground some 10 years later, scoring in each of his first six games for the Rams). There’s a general ‘feel’ of a pre-war programme, exemplified by a large cartoon feature on page 5 similar to those found in Chelsea issues of the era. Lots to read here and even a few words on Everton’s ‘D’ team who played in the Bootle I.O.C. League! The only criticism I would make of this issue is that there are no match details on the front cover.

On to the match itself, then, and it’s worth noting that the referee was Mr. A. Ellis of Halifax – those of a certain age will remember Arthur as the head judge (and butt of Eddie Waring’s jokes) on ‘It’s A Knockout’, that staple of Saturday night telly in the 70s.

Derby made only one change to the side which had beaten Hull 2-0 the previous week, the injured Colin Walker at left half replaced by Rex Osman for his one and only appearance that season. Both sides made a bright start with Norman Nielson and top scorer Jack Lee going close for Derby and Dave Hickson close to converting crosses for the home team. It was Everton, however, who struck not just once but twice in the space of 90 seconds as, first, Tommy Eglington netted from Hickson’s lofted pass then ‘keeper Ray Middleton misjudged a 30-yard speculative strike from left-half Cyril Lello.

Now two goals down, the Rams were concentrating their attacks down the Everton left via Reg Harrison and Hugh McLaren and, on 40 minutes, Nielson headed home powerfully from a McLaren cross. A goal down at the interval, then, and the general consensus was that Derby had looked the more threatening team, but it was Everton, five minutes into the second half, who extended their lead when Wally Fielding and John-Willie Parker combined for the latter to drive the ball under the diving Middleton.

Continuing to push forward, Nielson and Lee were each denied a goal by goal-line clearances from both Everton full-backs. Everton briefly went down to ten men when Hickson needed to go off for lengthy treatment to an injury but it wasn’t till he had returned, and with only six minutes remaining, that McLaren finally got the goal his play had deserved.

Time ran out, however, and so it was Everton who took the points and, with Doncaster losing at Bury, they also moved to the top of the table. The Toffees would eventually finish the season second (behind Leicester) and have been a top-flight club ever since.

The Rams dropped to ninth place with this defeat and, despite being lauded as the best visiting side seen at Goodison that season, they would lose six of their next eight games, conceding goals galore – a run poor enough to finally spell the end of Stuart McMillan’s tenure in charge.

Jack Barker would replace him but the Rams would eventually finish the season in 18^th position, four points clear of a relegation zone they would become only too well acquainted with in the following campaign.

Everton: Leyland; Donovan, Lindsay; Farrell, Jones, Lello; Buckle, Fielding, Hickson, Parker, Eglington

Derby: Middleton; Mozley, Barrowcliffe; Mays, Oliver, Osman; Harrison, McLaren, Nielson, Lee, Law

Attendance: 54,216