Tony Cottee

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Cottee's Everton career began with a bang: a hat-trick on the opening day of the 1988–89 season against Newcastle United. That season he managed a further 10 league goals, though Everton finished eighth. The highlight was reaching the FA Cup final, where they lost 3–2 to Liverpool in extra time. In 1989–90, under manager Colin Harvey, Everton switched to a 4–3–3 formation with Mike Newell joining Cottee and Graeme Sharp. The team went top of the league on 21 October and stayed there until mid-November, but finished sixth. Cottee scored 13 league goals that season. 1990–91 was arguably Everton's worst season in a decade. Harvey was sacked on 31 October with the Toffees third from bottom, and Howard Kendall returned as manager. Cottee scored a late equaliser in the first replay of the FA Cup fifth round against Liverpool on 21 February, forcing a 4–4 draw in Liverpool's last game before Kenny Dalglish resigned the following day. Cottee managed 10 league goals that season. In 1991–92, he was restricted to eight goals from 24 games through injury. In 1992–93, the inaugural Premier League season, he scored 12 goals. In 1993–94, he scored 16 league goals, including two hat-tricks—the first two hat-tricks by an Everton player in the Premier League: a 4–2 home win over Sheffield United and a 6–2 home win over Swindon Town. Everton narrowly avoided relegation. New manager Mike Walker arrived in January 1994 and promised an overhaul; Cottee was soon linked with a return to West Ham.

In Their Own Story

On 21 February 1991, Everton faced Liverpool in the first replay of the FA Cup fifth round at Goodison Park. The match was a wild 4–4 draw, with Cottee scoring a late equaliser to keep Everton alive. It turned out to be Liverpool's last game before manager Kenny Dalglish resigned the following day. Cottee's goal forced a second replay, which Everton won. That season, under returning manager Howard Kendall, Everton climbed from third-bottom to finish ninth. Cottee's equaliser became a defining moment in a turbulent Merseyside season.

Reader's Guide

Cottee's time at Everton (1988–1994) spanned six seasons, during which he played 184 league games and scored 76 goals. He was part of two Wembley finals in his first season: the Full Members Cup final (a 4–3 loss to Nottingham Forest, in which he scored twice) and the FA Cup final (a 3–2 extra-time loss to Liverpool). He never won a major trophy with Everton, and the club's highest league finish during his spell was sixth (1989–90). He scored Everton's first two Premier League hat-tricks: against Sheffield United (4–2) and Swindon Town (6–2) in the 1993–94 season. He was sold back to West Ham United on 7 September 1994 in a part-exchange deal for David Burrows plus cash, a move financed by the signing of Nigerian Daniel Amokachi.

Did You Know?

• Cottee scored a hat-trick on his Everton debut, a 4–0 home win over Newcastle United on 27 August 1988.
• He scored twice in the 4–3 Full Members Cup final defeat to Nottingham Forest in 1989.
• His late equaliser in the FA Cup fifth-round replay against Liverpool on 21 February 1991 forced a 4–4 draw; it was Liverpool's last game before Kenny Dalglish resigned.
• Cottee scored Everton's first two Premier League hat-tricks: against Sheffield United (4–2) and Swindon Town (6–2) in the 1993–94 season.
• He was sold back to West Ham United on 7 September 1994 in a part-exchange deal for David Burrows plus cash.