Fred Pickering

Fred Pickering holds a proud boast - he remains Everton’s leading goalscorer in Europe.

The striker made his name at Goodison in a three-and-a-half year spell after joining the Blues from his hometown club Blackburn in March 1964.

Harry Catterick paid Rovers £85,000 for his services and it turned out to be money well spent as he netted 70 goals in 115 appearances.

Speaking in 2009, he said:  “I didn’t realise I was still the club’s leading scorer in Europe but it’s not a bad thing to be able to say when you think of some of the strikers we’ve had such as Joe Royle and Bob Latchford.

“To be honest, I can’t remember too much of those games but I know all six of my goals came in the 1964-65 season when we played in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.”

Fred’s best memories are of the second round game against Scots Kilmarnock.

“I scored twice in the first game against Valerenga and I do remember us going over to Oslo for the game, but I have clearer memories of the games in the next round against Kilmarnock. Killie had a central defender called Jackie McGrory, who I had played against a few weeks earlier. I had played for England Under 23s against Scotland Under 23s at St James’s Park. Jimmy Gabriel and Billy Bremner were also in the Scottish team that day but we won 3-0 and I scored a hat-trick.

“So I remember being quite confident about playing against this lad again and I managed to score twice.
 
“We played Manchester United in the next round and I’m told I scored at Old Trafford and at Goodison but I can’t recall much about them. I do remember we went out after conceding two late goals and I think they were both from errors by Ray Wilson…at least that’s what I tell him whenever I see him and he hates that!”

"To be honest, I don’t think I would still hold that record for top goalscorer if it weren’t for the ban on English clubs after 1985 but hopefully the current team can make a name for themselves.”