ON THIS DAY

Two days after David Moyes was appointed manager of Everton his new club were in Premier League action. The PA announcer at Goodison for that match against Fulham declared 'Remember this date, 16th March 2002, because the good times are coming back to Goodison Park'. They certainly needed a change of fortune because under their previous manager, Walter Smith, Everton had won only once in their previous 13 League matches and had scored just six goals in those matches, a record that had seen them drop to just one place above a relegation spot. It took just 30 seconds in the match against Fulham for Everton to get their first goal under Moyes, David Unsworth the scorer and just 12 minutes later the lead was doubled. Everton won the match and went on to pull clear of the relegation positions. David Moyes remained the boss at Goodison for 11 years before moving to Manchester United to succeed Alex Ferguson when he retired from Old Trafford in 2013.

The WBA v Sheffield United First Division match saw a unique abandonment in the Football League history. Sendings off and injuries saw United reduced to 6 players, one fewer than the minimum, so the match was abandoned. WBA were leading 3-0 at the time and that scoreline was allowed to stand as the result.