Everton's version of Michael Owen sent the blue half of Merseyside wild.
Francis Jeffers, just 18 and a year younger than Owen, has emerged from the
same Lilleshall FA school with rave reviews to equal Owen's, and he came up
trumps with his first senior goal for the side he has supported all his young
life.
It put Everton on the road to victory, and justified boss Walter Smith's
decision to throw his boy star into the big time.
Everton went on to produce from their season of crisis a marvellous Cup
victory that has Goodison Park's faithful dreaming of Wembley.
And it was the kids for fame, 18-year-old Jeffers and 20-year-old John Oster
who grabbed the goals that put the Merseymen into the quarter-finals.
For Jeffers it was the sort of match that real dreams are made for. For Oster
the chance to put behind him months out in the cold .
Oster scored a tremendous second goal with 13 minutes to go, his first of the
season, to give Everton the cushion to withstand Coventry's late rally.
Gary McAllister gave Coventry hope with seven minutes left, but Everton
deserved this victory and the chance to lift the gloom that has shrouded
Goodison all season.
Their heroes were not only the kids, but the excellent Don Hutchison pushed up
front, and the battling veteran Dave Watson at the back.
Injuries and suspensions forced Smith to play a back four that had veteran
Watson alongside teenager Richard Dunne in the heart of the defence.
Hutchison was pushed up front alongside Jeffers who gave notice of what was to
follow by almost scoring after three minutes, but he shot weakly as he raced
into the box onto a Hutchison pass following Richard Dunne's long clearance.
Referee Uriah Rennie had penalised, but not cautioned, Hutchison for what the
Sheffield official considered a dive on the edge of the Coventry box.
And then he brushed aside Coventry claims for a penalty when Darren Huckerby
went down under the combined challenge of Dunne and Ball. Rennie waved play on
as the Everton players fumed at Coventry's winger.
Everton's long suffering fans could hardly believe what they were watching as
a team that had been painful to watch at home this season, scoring just seven
goals at Goodison Park, flowed forward through Olivier Dacourt and with the
impressive Hutchison playing up front to considerable effect.
Coventry had threatened with their pace, but it was Everton who broke the
deadlock after 20 minutes and it was Jeffers who sent goal starved Goodison Park
crazy.
The Scouse kid who rated Andy Gray as his all time hero, showed a cool head to
score his first goal for the seniors Nicky Barmby nodded the ball on and
Jeffers' pace took him away from Gary Breen to calmly slot the ball past Magnus
Hedman, although the giant Swede did get a hand to the ball.
Huckerby was finally in trouble with Rennie after going down under another
challenge from Dunne. The Coventry fans packed on that side of the ground were
screaming for a penalty, but after the ball had gone dead at the other end of
the ground, Rennie ran 50 yards back to dish out a very clear warning to
Huckerby.
Everton lost full-back Mitch Ward with an ankle injury after 29 minutes, and
John O'Kane came on as substitute. Hutchison was booked for a high kick that
caught Philippe Clement in the stomach as an already fierce battle really hotted
up.
Jeffers' pace was worrying the life out of Coventry, who ended up defending
far too deep. The England Youth star was almost presented with a second by Gary
Breen, who completely missed an interception when Hutchison played the ball
forward. Jeffers was onto it in flash, but shot well wide of the far post.
Hutchison, after being clattered in the back by Breen after 35 minutes in the
box - again penalty appeals were waved away - struck a fierce shot into the side
netting after Tony Grant set him up with Everton really motoring.
But Huckerby almost equalised after 39 minutes when he raced onto a Clement
headed pass, but saw Thomas Myhre leap to touch the rising drive over the bar.
The Norwegian 'keeper almost gave Coventry an equaliser minutes after the
break when he dropped a Noel Whelan drive, hurling himself back to claw the ball
off the line.
But it was still Jeffers holding centre stage, and after 59 minutes he wasted
a glittering chance following Dacourt's flick when his pace and guile took him
clear, only for Hedman to save at his feet.
But Everton did score again after 77 minutes with their best move of the
match, flowing the length of the pitch and involving Dacourt, Barmby and Jeffers
before Hutchison finally fed Oster out on the right.
The little Welshman cut inside and unleashed a swerving low drive that flashed
past Hedman from 20 yards.
Even that failed to kill off Coventry, who pulled one back after 83 minutes
when Gary McAllister fired home a free kick after Watson had fouled substitute
Trond Soltvedt, and that set up a dramatic, nail biting finish.
Teams:
Everton: Myhre, Ward (O'Kane 30), Watson, Dunne, Ball,
Oster (Bakayoko 90), Grant, Dacourt, Barmby, Hutchison,Jeffers (Cadamarteri 89).
Subs Not Used: Jevons, Simonsen.
Booked: Hutchison, Dacourt.
Goals: Jeffers 20, Oster 77.
Coventry: Hedman, Nilsson, Shaw, Breen, Burrows,
Boateng (Telfer 69), McAllister, Clement (Soltvedt 72),
Froggatt (Aloisi 78), Huckerby, Whelan.
Subs Not Used: Ogrizovic, Konjic.
Booked: Breen, Telfer.
Goals: McAllister 84.
Att: 33,907
Ref: U Rennie (Sheffield).
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