Blue plaque unveiled at Dixie Dean’s primary school in Birkenhead

14/12/201814/12/2018 by David Prentice Comment Closed

Legendary goalscorer's daughter and another Everton striking legend perform unveiling ceremony Everton legend Graeme Sharp, left, together with Barbara Dean, right, daughter of the club's goal-scoring legend Dixie Dean,pictured below the EFC Heritage Society plaque at Portland School in Laird Street, where the football hero first went to school in Birkenhead. Photo by James Maloney The EFC Heritage Society commissioned plaque at Co-Op Portland Academy in Laird Street, where Everton legend Dixie Dean first went to school. A blue plaque commemorating the site of the school where Everton and England legend Dixie Dean first studied has been unveiled. Dixie's daughter Barbara Dean, and the second highest goalscorer in Everton's history, Graeme Sharp, unveiled the plaque at the Co-Op Academy Portland on Laird Street. The unveiling ceremony was witnessed by pupils and staff from the Birkenhead primary school, Everton legend Derek Mountfield, officials from Conservation Areas Wirral and members of the Everton Heritage Society who commissioned the plaque. Everton legend Graeme Sharp, right, together with Barbara Dean, left, daughter of...

Dixie Dean’s most cherished medal comes home – David Prentice

06/05/201814/12/2018 by David Prentice Comment Closed

Dixie Dean’s most prized medal came home at the weekend - and Everton have been given the opportunity to secure it for good. Famed memorabilia collector Gordon Wallis bought Dixie Dean’s 1927/28 League Championship winning medal - the season he set the Football League’s 60-goal scoring record - at auction in 1991. But to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Dixie’s remarkable achievement Mr Wallis agreed to bring the cherished medal back to its spiritual home. And at a special event organised by the Everton Heritage Society to celebrate the medal’s return, Mr Wallis hinted that it could one day enjoy permanent residence in an Everton Museum. © Provided by Trinity Mirror Plc Speaking at the People’s Club Lounge on Friday night, wallis said: “Joe Mercer’s 1938/39 League Championship winning medal will be auctioned on May 22 - and it belongs here at Everton Football Club, where he won it. “If the Everton board could be persuaded to acquire that medal for its fan base, I think...

Dixie Dean’s most cherished medal is coming home to Goodison Park – David Prentice

20/04/201814/12/2018 by David Prentice Comment Closed

Dixie Dean's most cherished medal comes home to Goodison Park The 1927/28 League Championship medal presented to Dixie Dean will be back at Goodison Park on eve of anniversary One of the most cherished medals in Everton’s history is coming home. The League Championship medal presented to Dixie Dean after his record-breaking 60-goal season in 1927-28 will be back at Goodison Park - on the eve of the 90th anniversary of the legendary And fans are being invited to see it at a special celebration event. Saturday May 5, when Everton entertain Southampton, will be the 90th anniversary of the occasion Dixie scored a hat-trick against Arsenal to break the top flight scoring record. Dixie Dean footage from 1928. Courtesy of the British Film Institute The night before, on Friday, May 4, at the People’s Club Lounge at Goodison Park, the medal presented to Dixie will be back at the stadium for the first time in decades. Poignantly, with Everton planning a move to a new stadium, it...

When Parker Tamed Tigers by David Prentice

06/06/201724/07/2018 by David Prentice Comment Closed

Run through the list of Everton’s record scorers against almost every club we’ve ever faced and one name predictably dominates. William Ralph Dean. Everton’s top scorer against Arsenal? Dixie with 12 goals. Liverpool? Dixie with 19. Chelsea? Dixie again with 10. But not today’s visitors Hull City. The man who tormented the Tigers even more than the celebrated Dixie throughout his career was another Everton striker, a man who doesn’t feature as frequently whenever lists of Everton’s great forwards are mentioned but whose goals return was impressive. John Willie Parker was described as a “stylish inside- forward” who played much of his football for Everton during the brief spell we spent outside the top flight between 1951 and 1954. He scored 89 goals in his 176 Everton appearances, many of them in that spell – and in the promotion campaign of 1953/54 top-scored with 31 goals in 38 starts. He scored once against Hull that season, but it was in Everton’s first campaign of Second Division football...