Flashback – February 17

For Telford United, it was one of their finest hours.

In February 1985 they reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup for their one and only time – at the time only the fourth non-league team to have got so far since the war.

And as they made the journey to Goodison Park to take on FA Cup holders and eventual league champions Everton they took with them 11,000 supporters, the largest away following in the competition's history (according to AFC Telford United's website).

They travelled by over 100 coaches, two special trains, and numerous other forms of transport.

In the epic encounter that followed on Saturday, February 16, 1985, they gave as good as they got for much of the game. But finally their resistance was broken as Everton's class shone through, although in the eventual 3-0 defeat there was an element of fortune in two of the goals.

Everton fans who had given Telford a big ovation before the game were considerably less charitable at the end. Large sections of the 47,402 crowd, which was Everton's biggest of the season, booed Telford off.

For star-studded Everton, it was to prove a bruising encounter and afterwards boss Howard Kendall listed his catalogue of casualties, although he didn't criticise Telford.

Graeme Sharp ended up on crutches, and four other players were left limping.

Afterwards Telford United manager Stan Storton defended his team against allegations that they had played it too rough.

"I think it's a disgrace what some sports writers have written about us," he said.

He said his men had hardly come through unscathed.

"We had two players knocked out in the first five minutes, and one of them spent 24 hours in hospital," he said, referring to defender Mark Hancock, who was taken in for observation, and John Alcock.

"Every time Hancock went up for a challenge he got an elbow in the face. Andy Gray might have cost £1.5 million, but he's the biggest moaner my lads have ever played against."

He felt sorry for his team that they were booed off Goodison Park.

"I was very disappointed for them because I think it soured it for them and spoiled the day for them."

As for the actual football, the deadlock on the pitch was broken after 67 minutes when a harmless-looking 20-yard drive by Gary Stevens was deflected by Peter Reid past Kevin Charlton in goal. Four minutes later Telford skipper Tony Turner was harshly adjudged to have pushed Alan Harper, and Kevin Sheedy scored from the spot.

There was no doubting the quality of Everton's third goal a minute from time, as Sheedy broke forward and pushed a short pass into the path of Trevor Steven, who sent a superb 25-yard shot flying into the far corner.

The Everton team that day were: Southall, Stevens, Van den Hauwe, Ratcliffe, Mountfield, Reid, Steven, Gray, Sharp (Harper), Bracewell, and Sheedy.

Telford were: Charlton, Lewis, Turner, Mayman, Eaton, Hancock, Joseph, Williams (Mather), McKenna, Hogan, and Alcock.

The match was one of only two cup games to beat a big freeze which decimated that weekend's sporting programme, although with Goodison's under-soil heating, the fixture was never in doubt.

That heroic run in the FA Cup in the 1984-85 season built on and bettered the previous year, when Telford reached the Fourth Round for the first time, only to go down 2-3 to Derby County at the Baseball Ground.

Wins against Lincoln, Bradford, Preston and Darlington took Telford United into the last 16 to set up that February 1985 encounter against Everton.

One of the less savoury aspects of the game were that a few Everton fans started hurling 2p coins, and there were 31 people ejected from the ground, of whom 27 were home supporters, and four were visiting fans. There were a number of arrests for public order and assault offences.

Nevertheless a great, historic sporting day, and a high point in the story of Telford United and its successor AFC Telford United which has, so far at least, never been repeated.