Everton 1 v Coventry 2                                               26th Dec 2000

Everton :Mhyre | Watson, Weir, Ball, Naysmith | Gemmill, Graveson, Pembridge, Tal| Cadamarteri, Ferguson

Subs:Simonsen, Unsworth (for Tal 67 mins), Cleland, Moore (for Cadamarteri 67 mins), Nyarko (for Pembridge 73 mins)

Att. 35704

0 - 1 Hadji 69 mins, 1 - 1 Gemmill 85 mins, 1 - 2 Breen 87 mins.

You have to be an Evertonian to understand just how frustrating our team can be as they take us on a roller coaster ride of emotion. Today once again they lived up to this reputation and spoiled our Christmas!

Two goals from set pieces from a poor Coventry team put paid to our hopes of ending this dismal run we are in that gives us a return of just one point out of the last fifteen. We were given an early present when it was announced that Big Dunc was in from the start but that Nyarko's cold (which has spread rapidly through the club) was still with Super Kev and that also Hughes and Alexandersson had also gone down with it. Walter stuck eith 4-4-2 bringing Pembridge back and playing Idan Tal wide left.

Duncs announced his arrival early on and his marker Muhamed Konjic lasted just 22 mins, obviously Muhamed had met the mountain. Duncs caused mayhem throughout but the balls he regularly won rarely fell for Danny or Joe-Max, he clattered ex-Redshite dwarf Thompson which was greeted with a Park End rendition of 'Kopites are Gobshites'.

Everton dominated the first period and Coventry were penned in their own half however we created very little, a Big Dunc header from a Danny cross, a Tal shot following more mayhem from the big fella, a Graveson effort and a Stevie Watson header were about the sum of it all half chances. Danny was booked by referree Neil Barry because the Coventry goalie followed through a clearance and kicked him! Work that one out? It did seem as though one of those days was brewing and we needed to beat the officials as well. Coventry had their first shot on target after 43 mins and Tommy saved well. This officialdom was summed up when the ref added just two minutes injury time when the goalie had been down for a good six minutes following the Danny booking incident alone.

HALF TIME 0-0

We all knew that if we are to avoid a relegation struggle then this is the sort of game we must win, a 'six pointer' against a team below us. So surely we would come out in the second half and go for it.

The early signs were good, Davey Weir hit the bar with a header from a Tal corner, Bally was looking good at the back and Duncan had a net buster disallowed as Danny was just offside. The doulble substitution was made on 67 mins and while we were working out our new shape Coventry scored, from a free kick on the half way line Thompson punted a cross into the box where Hadji nodded in. Things were not looking good, we kept punting the long ball to Duncan and our best effort was again from the big fella that brought out a top draw save.

It was not just the Blues who were losing the plot, the announcer stated the 'Chelsea' substitute then quickly registered his embarrassment. Breen was booked for his 50th foul on Duncan and Rhino's free-kick was the usual shite missing the target by about the width of his arse.

Just as we were resigning ourselves to defeat an equaliser came. Mainly from S