The greatest free kick(s) of all time?
March 9th, 1985. Goodison Park. The Blues at home to Ipswich. What happened next?
It was the quarter final of the FA Cup, when the cup-holding Toffees found themselves one down to Ipswich Town. Cue Kevin Sheedy and a free kick from on the edge of the box that he fired into the top corner of the Park End net.
The rub? The ref’ wasn’t ready. So, Sheeds dusted himself down, gave himself a bigger run-up and… chipped it, picture-perfect, into the opposite side of the same net. Impudence? Cheek? Confidence?
Just pure genius, actually.
But that was Kevin Sheedy for you. With The Tractor Boys in town, we thought memories of that unique Everton moment could set tongues wagging about our favourite Kevin Sheedy goals. Disagree? Have we missed your favourite out? Join us on Instagram and X to tell us…
April 1987 v Liverpool (a)
Pick that out. In a game the Blues should have won to all but clinch our ninth league title at Anfield, Sheeds’ rocket at the Kop end was followed by the greatest two-fingered salute in history. Good job the net was there, it’d still be travelling now…
April 1987 v Aston Villa (a)
A goal that maybe did win the title. As 12,000 Evertonians gathered behind the goal at Villa Park, a long free kick broke loose from Dave Watson’s header and masterblaster (copyright Clive Tyldesley) Sheeds’ volley took the Blues closer to the title.
October 1984 v Manchester United (h)
Kevin Sheedy bagged a brace on what many say was Everton’s finest ever performance at Goodison Park on the way to the 1984/85 Championship. It was his first that stands out, a perfect looping header from just inside the box that saw him take a whack for his troubles. A collector’s item!
April 1985 v Luton Town (Villa Park)
FA Cup semi-finals don’t come much more dramatic. With time running out on the Blues’ dreams of a treble, one down to Luton, up stepped Sheedy to drive a low shot beyond Les Sealey and set up a grand-stand finish to the game. The fact his perfect floater minutes later meant Derek Mountfield could head Everton into another FA Cup Final made the first an even sweeter memory…
May 1985 V Rapid Wien (Feijenoord Stadium)
The icing on the cake of one of the best ever Everton nights… a Sheedy pearler always made things better. A great move to end a game we’d dominated helped cancel out a late Wien min-rally. Be honest: is there a doubt in your mind when he takes a first touch and sets himself? “There’s the answer… huh! Take that,” as Brian Moore said.
Enjoy the game, Blues. UTFT.
Words: Alan O’ Hare
