Games That Shook Goodison: Dunc's Last Stand
An imperfect goodbye for a flawed hero...
Everton 2-2 West Bromwich Albion. May 7, 2006
“He has been someone special at the club, a special character. We will find it difficult in the training room because he is a strong character and he always has nice words for each of us.“ - Mikel Arteta on Duncan Ferguson
If this result was poor then Everton’s season was even worse. Everton had tumbled out of the Champions League to Villarreal, been roundly beaten over two legs to exit the Uefa Cup to Steaua Bucharest - and finished in 11th place in the league. This was Duncan Ferguson’s game though; his last for Everton. And when the Toffees won a last minute penalty and he stepped up to take it everyone pictured the perfect goodbye to a perfect Everton hero. Except Dunc wasnt perfect, and neither was his penalty. He missed. Then he buried the rebound.
This was the perfect summation of Ferguson. He was a trench hero, a liability with a filthy mouth, but a loveable one.
As misunderstood as Boo Radley, as Blue as they come.
Ferguson may not be the most glorious Toffee ever but peer over the journalistic wall of words and you have the perfect talisman for late 1990s Everton. Fans projected all their angst onto this Scottish totem, who was blighted by injury, brimming with anger, a fan amongst players and, when the mood took him, an unplayable striker.
Dunc was nearly man who was underrated on the floor and wonderful in the air. Who else could do this, against the then World Champions?