Players – Everton FC Heritage Society

Earning His Wings: Flight Lieutenant (and Outside-Right) George Dalgliesh

04

Jun

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1940-1949, Articles, Everton Collection, Jamie Yates, Latest, Players, WW2

Earning His Wings: Flight Lieutenant (and Outside-Right) George Dalgliesh

Jamie Yates Author’s Note: Spelling of the surname Dalgliesh varies across publications and official records, appearing as Dalgliesh or Dalgleish interchangeably. For clarification I have quoted sources verbatim throughout this article. George’s family employ the ‘Dalgliesh’ spelling. Finding the right George Dalgliesh was no easy task and took a couple of false starts. There was a George Dalglish born in Liverpool in 1922. It wasn’t him. Next came George Robert White Dalgleish, born in Edinburgh in 1924, a Civil Engineer and son of a prominent Church of Scotland minister. Close, but no cigar. And then there he was. We were…

02

Jun

By Rob Sawyer

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2000-2009, 2010-2019, Everton Women, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Lindsay Johnson – My Everton Years

As told to Rob Sawyer Lindsay with Everton in 2004 Lindsay Johnson went from kicking a football on a patch of grass as a child, as she wasn’t allowed to play in a boys team, to becoming Everton Ladies’ record appearance-maker, a two-time cup winner and the proud winner of forty-three Lioness caps. She goes down as one of the smartest pieces of recruitment that Blues boss Mo Marley ever made. In May 2026, alongside her former teammate Becky Easton, she was inducted into Everton Women’s Hall of Fame. I sat down for a coffee with Lindsay and discussed her…

Becky Easton and Lindsay Johnson Inducted into the Hall of Fame

16

May

By Rob Sawyer

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2020-2029, Everton Women, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Becky Easton and Lindsay Johnson Inducted into the Hall of Fame

By Rob Sawyer Following the successful launch of the Everton Women’s Hall of Fame in the autumn of 2025, at which Louise Thomas, Joy McQuiggan, Mo Marley, Billy Jackson and Cathy Gore were inducted, the selection panel recently announced two new stars to join them. Becky Easton and Lindsay Johnson were duly inducted shortly before kick-off at the last match of the season, against Leicester City at Goodison Park. Everton Ladies squad summer 1998 Wirral-raised Becky enjoyed a long and illustrious career in club and international football. In all, she had three spells with the club, first when it played…

Torry Gillick – Revered at Goodison Park and Ibrox

15

Apr

By Rob Sawyer

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1930-1939, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Torry Gillick – Revered at Goodison Park and Ibrox

Rob Sawyer Scotland’s recent match at Hill Dickinson stadium was the third time the Scottish national team had played at an Everton venue (previously v England in 1895 and 1911). This set my mind thinking about which Scottish Toffees I'd love to have seen gracing Goodison Park or the Blues’ new stadium. Foremost in my thoughts are John Bell, the charismatic forward of the 1890s, Sandy Young, our 1906 FA Cup Final goalscorer, Alex Young, our Golden Vision, ace number nine Graeme Sharp, and Torry Gillick, a hero of Everton’s 1938/39 title-winning team. The latter is the focus of this article…

15

Apr

By Rob Sawyer

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1970-1979, Latest, Obituary, Players, Rest in Peace, Rob Sawyer

Henry Newton (1944-2026) – an Obituary

Rob Sawyer Harry Catterick smashed Everton’s transfer fee record in October 1970 to secure the services of Nottingham Forest midfielder Henry Newton, whose death at the age of 82 was announced on 14 April 2026. Sadly, things didn’t work out as hoped, for the club and player in the early 1970s, for a variety of reasons. Happily for Henry, he enjoyed a satisfying and silverware-laden period post-Everton, in his native East Midlands with Derby County. Born 18 February 1944, Henry joined his local club Nottingham Forest at fifteen, having gained England Schoolboy honours. Four months shy of his 20th birthday,…

Red Cards, Late Arrivals and Goalie Wars – A History of Everton’s Emergency Goalkeepers

06

Apr

By Paul Owens

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Latest, Paul Owens, Players

Red Cards, Late Arrivals and Goalie Wars – A History of Everton’s Emergency Goalkeepers

Paul Owens During every school holiday bar the Christmas break, I run one-v-one football competitions close to my home in East Yorkshire. As the name suggests, the hugely popular ‘Hull and East Riding Goalie Wars’ tournaments are aimed primarily at budding keepers and are a fabulous way of bringing members of the region’s goalkeepers’ union together, which is something I am extremely proud of. Notwithstanding, the competitions are open to anyone who buys into our slogan: ‘Save theirs; Score yours; Have fun!’ A number of past winners have actually been outfielders, who decided to pull on the gloves to see…

Alec Troup – Small in Stature, Mighty in Impact

27

Mar

By Rob Sawyer

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1920-1929, 1930-1939, Articles, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Alec Troup – Small in Stature, Mighty in Impact

Rob Sawyer Dixie Dean’s goalscoring exploits gained legendary status, long before he hung up his boots in 1939. His instincts and ability to plunder goals were unsurpassed, but he was always quick to recognise the contribution to his remarkable goal haul of his Everton wingmen. Without their ‘assists’, to coin the modern parlance, his figures would still have been impressive, but somewhat less so. Bobby Irvine, Sam Chedgzoy, Ted Critchley, Jimmy Stein, Albert Geldard, Jack Coulter and Torry Gillick were all top class outside rights and lefts, but it is fair to say that Dean’s highest praise was reserved for…

Blues Celebrate a Night That Made History

26

Mar

By Rob Sawyer

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1980-1989, Articles, Events, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Blues Celebrate a Night That Made History

Rob Sawyer Forty-one years ago, on 24 April 1985, Goodison Park was rocked to its foundations on one of the greatest nights the beloved stadium has played host to. Cheered on by 49,476 vociferous fans, who, according to Howard Kendall, had the ability to suck the ball into the Gwladys Street net, Everton came from a goal down to defeat Bayern Munich, 3-1, and proceed to the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. On 25 March of this year, Everton players, backroom staff, supporters and people from the media gathered at Hill Dickinson Stadium for a nostalgic evening to…

From Birkenhead to El Ballet Azul: The Billy Higgins Story

15

Mar

By Rob Sawyer

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1940-1949, 1950-1959, Articles, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

From Birkenhead to El Ballet Azul: The Billy Higgins Story

Rob Sawyer Billy Higgins with Everton in 1946 When Everton played the Millonarios club of Bogotá in Florida in the summer of 2021, it provided an intriguing link to the past. In 1950, the Columbian club was at the epicentre of a storm over footballers being lured from British clubs to a so-called ‘renegade league’. In the immediate post-war era, footballers employed by English Football League clubs were on a maximum wage of £12 per week plus moderate bonuses and long service rewarded with periodic ‘benefit cheques’. Although well-paid, compared to the typical blue-collar worker, these sporting stars were far…

John ‘Jock’ Gillespie: From Hampden Park to the Battlefield

14

Mar

By Richie Gillham

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1878-1889, Articles, Latest, Players, Richard Gillham

John ‘Jock’ Gillespie: From Hampden Park to the Battlefield

Richie Gillham John 'Jock' Gillespie John “Jock” Gillespie was born on Tuesday 15 November 1870, in Falkirk. Jock and his three brothers were all good footballers. His brother, George L. Gillespie, was a well-known player of the day who played for Queen’s Park, another brother, Alexander, played for both Queen’s Park and Falkirk. William Gillespie, a third brother, also made occasional appearances on the football field and was a keen cyclist. Their father John, a Ship Carrier , too, was known as an athlete of some prowess. George was one of the founders of the Falkirk Amateurs Football club too.…