Everton Cup favourite

Press, 16 April 1984, Page 24

Everton Cup favourite

NZPA-Reuter London Everton was Installed as the new favourite to win the English Football Association Cup final after its 1-0 extra-time semi-final win over Southampton at Highbury in London on Saturday. It was quoted by leading bookmakers at 4-5 with Watford, 1-0 conquerors of thirddivision Plymouth Argyle, at even money. Everton’s Adrian Heath settled a bruising tie in the 117th minute by heading in a Derek Mountfield cross. The goal booked the Merseysiders a second appearance in a Wembley final this season. They were beaten by their neighbours, Liverpool, in the League Cup final last month. Watford, whose chairman is the rock star, Elton John, earned its trip to Wembley With a twelfth minute goal by George Reilly in the other semi-final at Villa Park, Birmingham. It was enough to bury Plymouth’s hopes of becoming the first third division side to reach an F.A. Cup final. Watford, like Plymouth, had broken new ground in reaching the last four of the competition. Its goal was, engineered by the England winger, John Barnes. He swept clear down the left wing, crossed to the near post and Reilly scored with a firm header. The first division title race between defending champions Liverpool and Manchester United was no nearer to being settled after both suffered embarrassing defeats by relega-tion-threatened sides. Liverpool, 5-1 winners on its last two trips to Victoria Park, found Stoke much less accommodating hosts and was well beaten, 2-0. Eighteen-year-old lan Painter gave Stoke the lead in the twenty-first minute and Colin Russell, a Liverpool reject, had the satisfaction of sealing the league leaders’ fate with a second in the fiftieth minute. Injury-hit Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat at Notts County was less of a surprise. County had not been beaten in their previous six matches and always had the edge on a United side missing the drive of England skipper Bryan Robson. The only goal came in the seventy-ninth minute from Trevor Christie — his twentyfirst of the season. Liverpool heads the table with 69 points, two more than United. Nottingham Forest, who drew 2-2 at Ipswich, is a distant third on 61. In Scotland, Aberdeen kept

its hopes of a league and cup double very much alive by beating Dundee 2-0 in the semi-final of the Scottish F.A. Cup. It will meet Celtic, the main challengers for the league title, in the final on May 19. The Glasgow side beat St Mirren, 2-1, in the other semi-final. ENGLISH F.A. CUP Semi-finals Plymouth 0, Watford 1; Southampton 0, Everton 1 (after extra time). Everton play Watford in the final at Wembley on Saturday, May 19. ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one: Birmingham 0, Queens Park Rangers 2; Coventry 2, Wolverhampton 1; Ipswich 2, Nottingham Forest 2; Leicester 2, Aston Villa 0; Notts County 1, Manchester United 0; Stoke 2, Liverpool 0; Tottenham 2, Luton 1; West Bromwich 0, Norwich 0; West Ham 0, Sunderland 1. Division two: Barnsley 2, Charlton 0; Cardiff 2, Oldham 0; Crystal Palace 0, Chelsea 1; Fulham 0, Huddersfield 2; Grimsby 3, Swansea 0; Leeds 0, Derby 0; Manchester City 3, Carlisle 1; Middlesbrough 1, Cambridge 1; Newcastle 0, Sheffield Wednesday 1; Portsmouth 2, Blackburn 4; Shrewsbury 2, Brighton 1. Division three: Bournemouth 1, Scunthorpe 1; Brentford 3, Bolton 0; Burnley 2, Rotherham 2; Gillingham 1, Port Vale 1; Hull 1, Exeter 0; Lincoln 1, Wimbledon 2; Millwall 2, Walsall 0; Oxford 2, Southend 1; Preston 3, Orient 1; Sheffield United 4, Bristol Rovers 0; Wigan 1, Newport 0. Division four: Aidershot 1, York 4; Bristol City 4, Northampton 1; Bury 2, Chester 1; Doncaster 3, Swindon 0; Hartlepool 0, Colchester 0; Hereford 2, Rochdale 1; Mansfield 1, Darlington 0; Peterborough 4, Blackpool 0; Tranmere 0, Chesterfield 3; Wrexham 0, Crewe 1; Halifax 0, Reading 1; Torquay 1, Stockport 1. SCOTTISH F.A. CUP Semi-finals Aberdeen 2, Dundee 0; St Mirren 1, Celtic 2. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier division: Dundee United 3, St Johnstone 0. Division one: Airdrieonians 1, Ayr 0; Clydebank 1, Alloa 0; Falkirk 1, Raith 0; Hamilton 3, Brechin 2; Meadowbank 3, Clyde 1; Morton 2, Dumbarton 0; Partick 1, Kilmarnock 2. Division two: Berwick 0, Albion 0; East Fife 2, East Stirling 0; Queen of South 0, Cowdenbeath 2; Stenhousemuir 1, Arbroath 0; Stirling 1, Forfar 1; Stranraer 0, Montrose 0; Queens Park v. Dunfermline postponed.