CarlingNet - No 1 for Match Reports

Everton v Derby 15/03/97 3.00

Everton                 (0) 1 Derby                   (0) 0 FT
Watson 79

Captain David Watson ended Everton's slump with a timely goal to claim a priceless FA Carling Premiership victory over Derby at Goodison Park.

The veteran defender succeeded where all his team-mates had failed and finally breached Derby's disciplined defence with a low 79th-minute shot to ease the pressure on under-fire Everton manager Joe Royle.

Until Watson's strike the 32,140 crowd had begun to get understandably restless during a scrappy encounter which illustrated both sides' desperate need for points to pull them away from the relegation zone.

Since beating Derby at the Baseball Ground in December Everton had won only one of the last 12 league games to prompt speculation about Royle's future.

But Watson's drive, after Duncan Ferguson had headed David Unsworth's long ball into his path, silenced the critics after they sat through a turgid match with neither side able to find any fluency.

Everton relied too heavily on a predictable long ball to Scotland striker Ferguson, which almost reaped rewards early on.

Ferguson twice went close with headers and also shot just wide after turning sharply onto Unsworth's misshit cross in the opening stages.

But as veteran Paul McGrath began to assert his authority, Everton's superiority waned and although Earl Barrett twice also went close with headers neither side looked likely to break the deadlock.

Graham Stuart replaced Michael Branch at half-time in an attempt to increase Everton's attacking options, but even that failed to pep up the Merseysiders who were time and time again foiled by Derby's determined defence.

Neither goalkeeper was troubled particularly until Watson's strike, although Ashley Ward's close-range shot was deflected wide by Unsworth to give the home fans a scare.

Ferguson's frustration boiled over midway through the second period when he kicked an advertising hoarding after being unable to reach an overhit Terry Phelan pass.

And the Scottish striker almost made amends minutes later when, after ploughing through the Derby defence, his goal-bound shot was cleared off the line by Jacob Laursen.

With just 11 minutes remaining and the game seemingly heading to a predictable stalemate, Watson popped up unmarked on the left-hand side of the box and drilled Ferguson's downward header into the far corner to give much needed relief to the Goodison Park faithful.