Owen remembers special night
9:50am Saturday 20th March 2010 in Sport By Marc Iles
IT was the second stage of a memorable FA Cup giant-killing hat-trick, and a night of Owen Coyle’s Wanderers playing career that he will never forget.
More than 16 years has passed since a more youthful Coyle slotted home the winning goal in extra time against Everton at Goodison Park with typical opportunism.
And the 3-2 result — which has since gone down in the annuls of time as “White Hot 2” — still brings a smile to the Scot’s face even now.
Everton had led the third round tie 2-0 with a brace from Stuart Barlow before Alan Stubbs and John McGinlay had dragged Bruce Rioch’s men back into the game.
But Coyle sent the 8,000 Whites fans into raptures with 100 minutes on the clock when he converted Jason McAteer’s carefully-weighted pass. “I remember that goal very, very well,” he said. “That FA Cup run was such a pleasure to be a part. And for me, that night at Everton, scoring past Neville Southall of all people, ranks right up there for me.”
The “White Hot” saga had started the previous season with an improbable 2-0 victory over Graeme Souness’s Liverpool at Anfield in a third round replay.
It was picked up against 12 months later when Coyle silenced the blue half of Merseyside, again at the second attempt, and the third victory in the trilogy arrived as cup holders Arsenal were put to the sword at Highbury.
Another win against Aston Villa followed before Darren Beckford broke Wanderer’s’ hearts with the winner for Oldham Athletice at Burnden Park in the quarter-finals.
“We’d developed a habit of lulling the big clubs into a false sense of security at Burnden,” explained Coyle. “We’d draw there before going and beating them on their own park, and that just made the whole thing more thrilling for everyone involved.
“That team was full of strong characters, and you saw that at Everton because we had dragged ourselves back from two down to win the game.”
Coyle heads to Everton again this afternoon hoping to inspire the same sort of bulldog spirit as manager.
“That’s all in the past now but Goodison Park is still a very difficult place to get a result,” he said.
“I’m sure though if we go about things the right way we can get something there, no doubt about that.”
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