When Joe Royle took charge of Everton in November 1994, the club was in deep trouble — bottom of the Premier League with just eight points from 14 games. His first game in the dugout? A Merseyside derby against a strong Liverpool side. The odds weren’t just against him — they were laughing.

But under the Goodison floodlights on 21 November, Royle’s Blues rewrote the script.

With Duncan Ferguson rising like a warrior to head in the opener — his first goal for the club — and Paul Rideout sealing it with a poacher’s finish, Everton stunned the Reds 2–0. The atmosphere was thunderous. Steam rose from the terraces into the cold night air. Goodison Park was alive.

“It felt like the roof had lifted,” Royle later said. “Goodison was like a 12th man that night.”

Though Everton didn’t climb off the bottom that evening, the win changed everything. It sparked a turnaround that saw Royle’s side storm to safety and go on to win the FA Cup that same season.

For Royle, a Blue born and bred, it was more than a debut — it was a dream.

And for Evertonians, it was one of Goodison’s greatest nights.

 

Tell your friends!

Refer them to this easy-to-remember address: evertontimes.com/goodison. This is an important historical document for future generations who will never know what Goodison Park was like unless we record the memories and pass them on through the generations.

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