Rob Sawyer

Derek Temple – an interview with an Everton Giant

Derek Temple – an interview with an Everton Giant

With Rob Sawyer https://youtu.be/Wi01ixepwoE (Click to play) Derek Temple is, quite simply, an Everton treasure. His association with the club as ground staff member, player and supporter, spans seven decades. Scoring the winning goal in the  thrilling 1966 FA Cup Final has sometimes overshadowed the Dovecote-born man’s other achievements. Joining the Blues as a prolific teenage centre-forward in 1954, he debuted for the first team in March 1957 before having his career paused for two years due to National Service, some of it in Kenya. On his return, he had to reacclimatise to English football. Blessed with pace and excellent…
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‘Tosh’ – The Tommy Johnson Story

‘Tosh’ – The Tommy Johnson Story

Rob Sawyer Tommy Johnson's most memorable goalscoring feat may have come as a Manchester City player at Goodison Park but he would go on to help Everton back into the top flight in 1931 and lift both the title and FA Cup in successive years. .................................. In September 1928, Tommy Johnson achieved one of the finest scoring feats accomplished at Goodison Park. Sadly for Toffees supporters, his spectacular five-goal haul was achieved two years before he swapped the sky blue of Manchester City for the royal blue of Everton. Once he did make the move to Goodison, ‘Tosh’ - an…
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Alan Grenyer – An Everton and North Shields Stalwart

Alan Grenyer – An Everton and North Shields Stalwart

Rob Sawyer Alan Grenyer 1919-20 For understandable reasons, Everton’s 1914/15 season team had less coverage and kudos than the other six to achieve the impressive feat of winning the Football League Championship. The season was played with the backdrop of the First World War, which had got underway in July 1914. Perhaps believing that the conflict would be over by Christmas, the regular Football League and FA Cup competitions went ahead. This was in the face of dissent from much of the population at large, who felt that young and fit men should be joining the armed forces, rather than…
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From Barry to the Blues – The Keith Webber Story

From Barry to the Blues – The Keith Webber Story

Rob Sawyer A young Keith Webber before joining Everton Born in Cardiff on 5 January 1943, Keith Webber grew up idolising his footballing countrymen Trevor Ford and John Charles. A gifted scholar with a talent for numbers, his parents hoped that he would attend university and, perhaps, go into accountancy. However, Keith’s passion for sport was matched by his all-round ability. The Glamorganshire schoolboy long-jump record holder and the Cardiff Schools 220-yard sprint champion also played rugby at wing three-quarter for his school. He would also turn out (under an assumed name) as an amateur footballer for Barry Town, alongside…
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Forgotten Champions 1986/87: Everton’s Last Title

Forgotten Champions 1986/87: Everton’s Last Title

Paul McParlan – in Conversation with Rob Sawyer The Forgotten Champions is an enthralling account of how Everton overcame a devastating catalogue of injuries and the sale of their star striker to reclaim the league title from Liverpool in 1987. Manager Howard Kendall used all his tactical acumen to produce a side that was far greater than the sum of its parts, to bring the title back to Goodison.  Paul McParlan, of Everton FC Heritage Society, is a member of the Football Writers' Association and a senior writer for These Football Times. His articles have appeared on The Athletic website…
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Memories of Goodison Park

Memories of Goodison Park

A Film by Everton FC Heritage Society This is the latest of our Society-made films, which in this episode features a nostalgic look at the history of our great stadium. Our presenters, Ken Rogers and Rob Sawyer - who you will have met before in the 'Everton Village and the Birth of Everton Football Club' film - take us on a memorable journey, through the step-by-step development of Goodison Park from its foundation in 1892, through to the impending ground move on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey. View the full film by clicking here: https://youtu.be/xLeg70CN928 View the full…
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‘Everton Village and the Birth of Everton Football Club’  

‘Everton Village and the Birth of Everton Football Club’  

Presented by Rob Sawyer in conversation with Ken Rogers. An EFCHS original film Everton FC Heritage Society have made a new film about the role and effect of Everton Village in the history of Everton Football Club, featuring the Queen's Head pub, the two toffee shops, and, of course, the lock-up which adorns our club crest. Only the lock-up still remains in situ, but the sites are all within just a few yards of each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1kHgjMH_w&ab_channel=EvertonFCHeritageSociety Well-known Everton FC author and member of EFCHS, Rob Sawyer, met up with former Sports Editor of the Liverpool Echo, Ken Rogers (Chairman…
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Everton – The Baseball Years

Everton – The Baseball Years

Richie Gillham and Rob Sawyer Baseball may be a minority sport in the UK, but 80 years ago Merseyside was a hotbed of this popular American pastime. Had it not been for the outbreak of War in 1939, perhaps it would have gained a proper foothold in our sporting life. Folklore has it that William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean was once introduced to the legendary Babe Ruth (of Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fame) at a football match. Dean recalled to journalist John Roberts his encounter with Babe. The American introduced himself in typical style by booming: "You’re that…
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The Women’s Derby Match: Rob Sawyer and Sarah Deboe on Radio Merseyside

The Women’s Derby Match: Rob Sawyer and Sarah Deboe on Radio Merseyside

Rob Sawyer and Sarah Deboe on Radio Merseyside On Friday 15 November 2024, EFCHS members Rob and Sarah appeared on Radio Merseyside to chat with Kev Duala regarding Goodison Park’s links to women’s football, as the women's derby match was fast approaching. Click image for BBC Sounds iPlayer (item is at 1 hr 20min) More articles on our Everton Women Heritage Page In addition to the EFCHS webpage above, our society member Bradley Cates (a.k.a. EFCStatto) also has a dedicated webpage . I
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The Toffees in Tenerife in 1934

The Toffees in Tenerife in 1934

Rob Sawyer Post-season Everton tours beyond these shores were becoming firmly established in the early 1930s. Previously, there had been trips to Austria-Hungary (1905), South America (1909), Barcelona (1924), and Switzerland (1928). The spring of 1932 had seen the newly-crowned Football League champions play six matches in Germany; a year later, as FA Cup holders, the Toffees toured Denmark. Tours in that era earned clubs some funds but, in contrast to what we witness today, there not untold riches on offer, or thoughts of raising global brand awareness. The Everton squad 1933-34 season Early in 1934, key figures on Tenerife…
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