Soccer Everton three points clear of Tottenham

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 24

Soccer Everton three points clear of Tottenham

NZPA-Reuter London Kevin Richardson struck twice in three minutes to earn Everton its first win at Southampton in 15 years as the race for the English league soccer championship took an unexpected twist at the weekend. Richardson’s goals early in the second half were enough to ensure the leader, Everton, a 2-1 win and carry it three points clear at the top of Tottenham, which began the day second on goal difference, but crashed to a shock 2-0 defeat at home against Aston Villa. Everton extended its unbeaten run to 17 matches and took it to 63 points from 30 matches. The two runaway leaders will clash in a crucial league match at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane home on Thursday. The London team, chasing its first title since 1960, was without seven first-team regulars and struggled to find its best form against Villa. A goal in each half, from Paul Rideout — his twelfth of the season — and Mark Walters, secured Villa’s second win in their last six matches.

Everton, which also has a game in hand over Spurs, had no such problems at Southampton as the England goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, and the goal's woodwork denied them several early goals. But defensive errors by Southampton’s insecure back four allowed Richardson to score the first goal three minutes after half-time. The talented midfielder grabbed the second in the fifty-first

minute to ensure Southampton’s first home defeat this year.

An England midfielder, David Armstrong, squandered a golden opportunity to pull a goal back when his fifty-ninth-minute penalty was saved by the Everton goalkeeper, Neville Southall. But Southampton’s former Scottish international striker, Joe Jordon, grabbed an injury-time consolation goal. Tottenham’s reshuffled defence was continually exploited by Villa. Rideout hit the first after 22 minutes after Colin Gibson sprang an offside trap with a fine through-ball. Tottenham rarely tested the Villa goalkeeper, Kevin Poole, aged 21, making his league debut in the match. Walters scored a splendid second 16 minutes from time to secure the points. Manchester United, which was to play Liverpool today, remains third on 56 points, with Arsenal still fourth on 52 points despite its 2-0 defeat at Stoke City, the bottom club. Tony Cottee ended relega-tion-threatened West Ham’s barren scoring run at Nottingham Forest when he put his side on the road to a vital win. Cottee’s twentieth-minute effort was his side’s first goal at Forest in 16 years — England’s 1966 World Cup final hat-trick hero, Geoff Hurst, was the last to score there in March, 1969. But Steve Hodge levelled 10 minutes into the second half. West Ham made sure of the points when Paul Goddard netted a winner 15 minutes from time. Stoke clinched its third win of the season with second-half

goals from lan Painter and Paul Dyson, to secure its 2-0 win against Arsenal.

Lee Chapman scored twice as Sheffield Wednesday cruised to a 4-2 win against Newcastle to move into sixth place in the table.

A veteran striker, Mike Channon, also scored twice as the league cup winner, Norwich, beat Coventry, 2-1, while Queen’s Park Rangers’ striker, Mike Fillery, scored both goals in that side’s 2-0 win against a fellow-struggler, Watford. ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one: Luton 3, Ipswich 1; Norwich 2, Coventry 1; Nottingham Forest 1, West Ham 2; Queens Park Rangers 2, Watford 0; Sheffield Wednesday 4, Newcastle 2; Southampton 1, Everton 2; Stoke 2, Arsenal 0; Sunderland 0, Chelsea 2; Tottenham 0, Aston Villa 2; West Bromwich 2, Leicester 0. Division two: Birmingham 1, Wolverhampton 0; Blackburn 1, Notts County 0; Carlisle 2, Barnsley 0; Crystal Palace 1, Sheffield United 3; Fulham 0, Leeds 2; Huddersfield 2, Charlton 1; Manchester City 2, Cardiff 2; Oxford 1, Grimsby 0; Shrewsbury 0, Portsmouth 0; Wimbledon 1, Middlesbrough 1; Brighton 2, Oldham 0. Division three: Bradford 1, Plymouth 0; Brentford 1, Derby 1; Bristol City 1, Doncaster 0; Cambridge 1, Hull 3; Newport 2, Lincoln 1; Orient 0, Reading 0; Swansea 4, Preston

1; Walsall 1, Bristol Rovers 2; Wigan 1, Bournemouth 2; Gillingham 1, Burnley 1; Millwall 0, Rotherham 0; York 0, Bolton 3. Division four Aidershot 2, Stockport 1; Blackpool 4, Peterborough 2; Chester 0, Mansfield 3; Chesterfield 2, Wrexham 1; Exeter 3, Hartlepool 2; Halifax 0, Torquay 1; Northampton 1, Crewe 3; Bury 2, Rochdale 2; Colchester 2, Tranmere 1; Darlington 1, Hereford 1; Scunthorpe 6, Swindon 2; Southend 1, PortVale 1. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier division: Aberdeen 4, Dundee United 2; Celtic v. Rangers, Dundee v. Dumbarton, Hearts v. Hibernian, St Mirren v. Morton, all postponed. Division one: Ayr 0, Kilmarnock 0; Hamilton 1, Clyde 0; Brechin v. Partick, Clydebank v. Airdrieonians, Falkirk v. St Johnstone, Forfar v. East Fife, Motherwell v. Meadowbank, all postponed. Division two: Queen of South 1, Stenhousemuir 1; Albion v. Dunfermline, Arbroath v. Stranraer, Berwick v. Montrose, Cowdenbeath v. Queens Park, Raith v. Alloa, Stirling v. East Stirling, all postponed. NORTHERN IRISH LEAGUE Irish Cup semi-finals.— Ballymena 0, Linfield 3; Coleraine 1, Glentoran 2. Irish league matches; Larne 2, Carrick 1; Newry 3, Distillery .1; Portadown 1, Ards 6.