Players – Everton FC Heritage Society

Ian Macowat (1965-2026) – 1984 FA Youth Cup Winner Remembered

21

Jan

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1980-1989, Latest, Obituary, Players, Rest in Peace, Rob Sawyer

Ian Macowat (1965-2026) – 1984 FA Youth Cup Winner Remembered

Rob Sawyer Ian at Bellefield in 1983-84 season Former Everton reserve team player and 1984 FA Youth Cup winner, Ian Macowat, has passed away at the age of sixty. Whilst studying at Park High School in Hindle, Ian represented Wigan and Greater Manchester Boys and was capped nine times by England Schoolboys. He joined the Blues’ youth set up as an apprentice in 1982, turning professional in the autumn of 1983. Contemporaries included Rob Wakenshaw, Steve Bateman, Darren Hughes and Ian Marshall. In the year above were the likes of John Morrissey Jr, Jimmy Coyle, Stuart Rimmer and Ian Bishop.…

Bob and Hope’s Excellent Adventure: Kelso and Robertson on the High Seas, 1892.

21

Jan

By Rob Sawyer

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1890-1899, Books, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Bob and Hope’s Excellent Adventure: Kelso and Robertson on the High Seas, 1892.

Rob Sawyer Bob Kelso In the late spring and early summer of 1892, while frenetic work continued to construct the new Goodison Park and have it ready to host football and spectators from the start of September, two Scottish members of Everton’s squad were enjoying an eye-opening tour of the Mediterranean. The pair were Bob Kelso, who enjoyed two spells at Everton, making 104 appearances, and his compatriot Hope Robertson, something of a squad player who had joined the Toffees from Partick Thistle, having previously played in England for Woolwich Arsenal. He would make thirty-three appearances in an Everton shirt,…

Pat Nevin – our next guest at the Denbigh Castle

21

Jan

By Mike Royden

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1980-1989, 1990-1999, Events, Film and Media, Latest, Mike Royden, Players

Pat Nevin – our next guest at the Denbigh Castle

Everton FC Heritage SocietyHeritage Talks and Social Evenings – Spring Series Programme 2026 We are pleased to announce our new monthly series of social evenings featuring a talk or event related to our club’s history, heritage, culture and community. This new initiative has been introduced by members of the Everton FC Heritage Society, and in a full season will run from September to May on the first Thursday of every month in the downstairs function room of The Denbigh Castle, in Hackins Hey (off Dale Street), Liverpool. All Evertonians are welcome to attend, and we sincerely hope you will support the research…

Dynamite, death, palpable inefficiency and only adequate justice

18

Jan

By Paul Owens

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Articles, Latest, Paul Owens, Players

Dynamite, death, palpable inefficiency and only adequate justice

For much of this 2025/26 season, Jordan Pickford has continued to showcase his incredible ability to produce world-class saves at key moments in matches. Screenshot The Washington-born stopper’s love and affection for his home club Sunderland however is not a secret. At every Everton game, we are told he is both a Mackem and a Blue (and that he has no time for either club’s closest rivals). Moreover, at the Stadium of Light earlier this season, his son Arlo walked out as mascot wearing a half-and-half shirt. However, Everton’s current custodian isn’t the only goalkeeper in our history to have…

Gwyn Lewis – Playing In The Shadow of the Cannonball Kid

12

Jan

By Rob Sawyer

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

Gwyn Lewis – Playing In The Shadow of the Cannonball Kid

Rob Sawyer Gwyn Lewis of Everton FC Born on 21 April 1932, Gwynfor (Gwyn) Lewis became one of Bangor’s finest footballing sons. Like fellow Bangor-born forward Nathan Broadhead, over six decades later, Gwyn would only get fleeting opportunities at Everton, but established himself as an accomplished goalscorer in lower league football. Gwyn was one of several young talented sportspeople attending Bangor’s Friars Grammar School in the 1940s. There at the same time was John Cowell, who would go on to play in goal for Pwllheli FC under TG Jones, Bangor City, Marine and Liverpool FC Reserves, as well as cricket…

Keeping it Together – A Tale of One Position and Two Football Clubs

31

Dec

By Paul Owens

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Latest, Paul Owens, Players

Keeping it Together – A Tale of One Position and Two Football Clubs

Paul Owens The goalkeeping connections between Everton and Preston North End really are extraordinary. Indeed, it is difficult to think of two other clubs who have shared such a long-standing and prolific connection when it comes to a single position on the football field Preston North End 1888/89 In 1888/89, Preston became the first champions of England, having gone the whole of the inaugural English First Division season undefeated, winning 18 and drawing four of their 22 league matches. The following season, they successfully defended their title – finishing two points ahead of second-placed Everton, who pipped them to…

31

Oct

By Rob Sawyer

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

Khyber – The Ben Williams Story

Rob Sawyer Ben Williams, Everton 1935 Everton FC can proudly boast a long and impressive list of footballers who have pulled on the famous red shirt of Wales. This cohort spans the eras, from the days of its joint-first professional, George Farmer in the 1880s and Charlie Parry in the first league title-winning side of 1890/91 to Neville Southall in the 1980s and Gary Speed a decade later. George Farmer (1880s) Unsurprisingly, due to the geographical proximity, many of the Merseyside club’s Welshman have hailed from the north of the nation - like Leigh Roose, Tom Griffiths, Tommy G. Jones,…

23

Oct

By Rob Sawyer

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1910-1919, 1920-1929, Articles, Latest, Players, Rob Sawyer

Joe Clennell – Twice a Champion

Rob Sawyer Joe Clennell (1915) Although Bobby Parker’s goalscoring exploits may have grabbed the headlines as the Toffees advanced on the Football League title in 1915 - a triumph largely overshadowed by the spectre of the First World War - he was but one member of a strong royal blue attacking line. Sam Chedgzoy, on the right wing, was near the start of a long and illustrious career for Everton and England, which extended into the Dixie Dean era. Frank Jefferis, at inside-right, had garnered England honours having moved to Merseyside from Southampton. George Harrison was a great provider of…

Ted Forshaw – From Everton Youth Prodigy to Cup Hero via the Oval Ball

30

Sep

By Richie Gillham

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1950-1959, Articles, Latest, Players, Richard Gillham

Ted Forshaw – From Everton Youth Prodigy to Cup Hero via the Oval Ball

Richie Gillham Ted Forshaw may not be a name known to Everton fans, but his story is one of remarkable versatility, resilience, and dedication across multiple disciplines. From the football pitches of Everton to the rugby fields of St Helens, and later to the athletics tracks of Merseyside, Forshaw’s journey is a testament to the enduring spirit of a true sportsman. Born on 26 October 1931, Forshaw began his football journey with Everton FC, signing on 25 March 1957, after scouts had spotted him playing for Sutton Manor Colliery FC. He had also been a keen rugby league player before…

16

Sep

By Jamie Yates

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1878-1889, Jamie Yates, Latest, Players

The George Fleming Story

Jamie Yates The build-up to Everton’s departure from Goodison Park, their home of 133 years in the summer of 2025, triggered a range of emotions and set the members of the Everton Football Club Heritage Society (EFCHS) off on various quests to delve deeper into the history of the old stadium, to commemorate records set there, celebrate watershed moments and hopefully unearth a few hidden historical gems along the way. Recent seasons have been turbulent, even by Everton standards, and I have taken huge solace in burying myself in the stories of some of the key moments and early heroes…