Everton and technical partner hummel are proud to collaborate to present My Everton, a weekly series of first-hand accounts describing the most-treasured memories of fans, players, and staff both past and present.
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In terms of Everton, the day that changed my life came when we played a League Cup tie at Oxford United's Manor Ground in 1984.
My wife was an Oxfordshire girl and we married in October 1981 in Oxford before returning to Liverpool to begin married life.
We soon had two baby Evertonians, with three more to follow.
On that January day, I drove to Jane’s home in Wallingford to drop her and the children at her parents and meet my two mates at the local pub, The Cross Keys.
The landlord had refused to serve them until they told him they were meeting me. Thereafter the beer flowed.
We got to the ground and were stuck in the top-right corner of the end where Bobby McDonald scored to give Oxford the lead.
Oxford were in the old Division Three but they had knocked out Manchester United in the previous round and the TV company was getting exactly what it desired until that back pass from Kevin Brock was seized on by the great Adrian Heath.
The rest is history.
We won the FA Cup a few months later and would win the league twice and the European Cup Winners' Cup in the space of three years.
Absolutely incredible. The Club was great and the fans were just magnificent.
I love Everton as much as ever and we still have our season tickets.
That day nearly 40 years ago changed my footballing life and I pray it happens again for all those incredible fans who support the greatest club in the world.
COYB.
By Tom Doherty, Evertonian
