Held at the Stonebridge Inn Croxteth. All the usual suspects in attendance, plus some very surprising guest appearances. MC for the night was our very own Gary 'Lard' Jones, who again orchestrated proceedings with great efficiency and humour.

Met Blue Q, RCG, GoodisonSon and Chancellor in the Croc beforehand for pre-party “cocktails”. I never get tired of discussing all things Everton with fellow fanatics over a few drinks. I promised the lads a good night would be had by all and they weren’t to be disappointed.

Joe Parkinson, Kevin Ratcliffe, Kevin Sheedy, Martin Dobson

The party kicked off with introductions to the top table which consisted of Martin Dobson, Sheeds, Sean Styles, Ratters and Parky. They were all summoned individually after their respective resumes had been read out. The awards were duly dispensed and the inaugural “Blue Kipper “Evertonian” award was first. The recipient’s credentials were read out and to a terrific round of applause and the sound of Z Cars; Big Dunc strode on to the stage. The place went absolutely ballistic. For some, it was the first time they had heard the Big Man speak. He thanked Kipper for the award and praised the support and hoped for better things for both the club and the supporters for next season.

The next award went to Joseph Yobo for player of the year. Even though both Kilbane and Martyn had excelled this season, I agreed with the decision to give it to Joey. He received the reception and applause that he has deserved, as once again the place went bananas. For the past two seasons, he has been our most consistent player. It cannot have been be easy for him to settle here but he has adjusted admirably well and has become a great favourite of the fans. Young player of the year went to Wayne. As the MC read out the immortal words uttered by Clive Tyldlesley “Remember the name” I glanced over at Wayne’s mother and noticed she was wiping tears from her eyes.

Dunc & Joey meet Blue Kipper

The Q&A slot was next, with some very funny anecdotes being related especially from Dobo, who is a fantastic public speaker and still clearly has a lot of affection for the club. There was some great banter between Parky, Sheeds and Ratters, especially when relating stories about pre and post season trips. Sheeds favourite player he played alongside was “Inchy”. When you consider some of the class acts he played alongside, that is some recommendation. Dobo opted for “Duncan Mackenzie”, Ratters for Big Nev and Parky for Waggy.

Once again, for me the highlight of the night was the set from Sean Styles (great comedian and great Evertonian). I remarked on the forum some time back that this guy was worth the entrance fee alone and he didn’t disappoint. Everyone who made eye contact, got up to go to either bar or the toilet was completely and utterly torn to shreds. His impersonations of John Barnes “Isotonic” advert and Peter Beardsley are stuff of legends. The poor guy who resembled Phil (Bilko) Silvers got the full hit from Sean, as he went into a Bilkoesque impersonation of the guy ordering the drinks. Absolutely superb comedy.

All in all the evening was a great success and I’m sure next years will be even bigger and better. A lot of hard work had gone on behind the scenes and I’m sure you will join me in thanking the lads from Kipper. One word of advice for next year though lads “give the “Vegetarian blind-scouse” a miss”. Happy days. Steve. (Sunlink) (13/05/04)