Mariners Memories: Brolly singing in the rain as Toffees come unstuck at BP

IT was a rainy night in Cleethorpes – Town were 13th in Division Three in a season that would spark into life after this Tuesday night game.

Everton were sitting 17th in Division One, which included Crystal Palace, Brighton and Bristol City as well as Derby, Forest and Ipswich, who would have turbulent times to come.

Town, managed by George Kerr, had only been promoted from the fourth division a few months earlier and were to become one of the best sides ever to wear the famous black and white stripes.

Everton's side included future Town manager Mike Lyons and two of the Toffees' all time favourites, Brian Kidd and Bob Latchford.

However, they were missing their creative midfield duo of Asa Hartford and Andy King on the night.

A crowd of 22,043 packed into Blundell Park – I was in the Osmond Stand as it was still home territory, with the away fans in the Harrington Street corner.

It was a match that would be the scene of perhaps Mike Brolly's most memorable display in a Mariners' shirt.

The first 20 minutes of the game was a real cat-and-mouse affair.

Kevin Moore made two great probing runs as he swept past one defender then another, but final balls to Bobby Mitchell and Tony Ford could not breach the Everton back-line.

'Kev' was in tremendous form – snuffing out any Everton danger at the back meaning the expensive Everton talent was being destroyed before even getting into Town's box.

Then suddenly, against the run of play – as the cliché goes – Everton went ahead after 21 minutes.

Kidd chipped a ball towards the dead-ball line on the right and set off into the box.

Gary Stanley just got to it and put in a hard cross to the near post where it was flicked on and Kidd's diving header flew into the Pontoon net.

Would Town fold? Would their heads go down? Not a chance – within two minutes they were level!

Everton had been playing ultra-safe, knocking balls back 30 or 40 yards to George Wood in goal.

But after taking the lead, they eased off completely.

Mitchell picked up a loose ball, crossed into the box and found Kevin Drinkell whose header was lashed at by an Everton defender, only for the ball to fall to the feet of Brolly who smashed it into the net.

The roof of the Osmond Stand behind the goal must have risen six inches with the cheer that went up!

After the goal, Town went on the offensive, pressing Everton into making mistakes.

In the 31st minute, Mitchell returned the ball to Bobby Cumming from a throw-in and he lobbed a super ball into the area, which Brolly picked up and ran to the dead ball line on the left.

Right-back Bailey came in with a challenge, but Mike still got his shot away.

Wood moved out, expecting the cross, but the shot from an impossibly tight angle wrong-footed him – Brolly had his second and Town were in the lead.

Everton threw everything at Town for the rest of the game.

Clive Wiggington was outstanding in defence, keeping Latchford in check.

John Stone was superb and only made one mistake – losing possession too high up the field when out of position.

Latchford and King attacked on the left and, when Kidd crossed, Nigel Batch couldn't hang on to the ball.

It fell to substitute Eamon O'Keefe, making his first senior appearance for the Toffees, but the youngster pulled his shot into the side-netting with Town's keeper beaten.

There were chances at both ends, with Town unlucky not to further their lead on more than one occasion through great efforts from Cumming, Joe Waters and Drinkell.

Everton pumped ball after ball into Town's box but the defence were resilient.

They survived through hard work, guts and a composure that Everton were never able to match.

Town were through and awaiting them in Round Five would be one of Town's nemeses – Wolves.

That tie went to two replays before the Mariners eventually succumbed.

Town went from strength to strength that season and a consecutive promotion was secured as champions of Division Three.