Everton hero Andy King, who starred in midfield in two spells at the club, passed away on Wednesday aged 58.
King’s skills first caught the eye of many during the beginning of his career, when he plied his trade for hometown club Luton Town. In April 1976, he joined Everton late in the season for £35,000 and made his debut in a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough. His impact was almost immediate, scoring a brace in his second game for the Merseyside club in a 3-1 win over Derby County.
Everton won the last three games of its season, but had to make do with a disappointing 11th placed finish. Following the mysterious failure to build on the club’s 1970 triumph, Billy Bingham replaced Harry Catterick as manager. Bingham spent substantial sums to attract players such as Martin Dobson and Bob Latchford, hoping to recapture the glories of the previous decade. As it were, in a competitive league, it was close but no cigar on more than one occasion.
This was an era where flair players seemed to be in abundance, along with some genuine hard men. King became a fan favourite who regularly pleased the crowd, largely due to his technical ability and enthusiasm for the cause. Of course, his knack for scoring goals also did a lot to endear himself to Evertonians. He played alongside Martin Dobson in midfield, making for two very cultured footballers in that department. The following 1976-77 season also saw the talented Duncan McKenzie sign from Anderlecht. However, even with these players league form was not great, and Bingham was shown the door in January 1977. He was replaced that same month by Gordon Lee.
This signalled a subsequent upturn in league form, and Everton began to make headway in the Cups. In the League Cup, the Toffees overcame a Bolton side in the semi-final containing a young Peter Reid, who would join Everton five years later. The final was played against Aston Villa, who had another future Everton hero in Andy Gray, but this was one the side lost after two replays. More controversial was the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool, which Everton would have won had Clive Thomas not disallowed Bryan Hamilton’s goal. Everton lost the replay of that one too, further prolonging its trophy drought. Everton finished 9th at the conclusion of the season, which was a marginal improvement on its previous season. King was to finish his first full season at Goodison Park with seven League goals and 12 in all competitions.
With King and Dobson in midfield, Latchford and McKenzie up front, defender Mike Lyons and winger Dave Thomas signed from QPR, Everton would have one of the big “what if” seasons in 1977-78. Brian Clough’s newly-promoted Nottingham Forest were taking the League by storm, and Gordon Lee’s Everton were a contender that seemed to be finally delivering on the quality and promise shown from its group of players. As late as April the title was still not out of reach. Everton were to finish 3rd with 76 goals scored, the most of any team in the First Division (Coventry, who finished 7th, would score one less with 75), 30 of those scored by Bob Latchford. This was followed by solid contributions by King, Dobson, McKenzie, Lyons and Trevor Ross, and it is little wonder Everton scored so many. Some of which included a 5-1 wins at Leicester and QPR, and 6-0 wins over Coventry and Chelsea. Here’s some of the picks in which King scored:
The following season, Everton began with a 1-0 win against Chelsea courtesy of a trademark Andy King goal:
The club was right in thick of the title race, going undefeated in its first 19 matches. One of those 19 games will forever be remembered for Andy King’s thunderbolt which sealed the Blues first Merseyside Derby win in seven years. This, more than anything, cemented King’s cult status among the Goodison Park faithful.
It was a personal best in the League for Andy King, who finished as Everton’s League top scorer with 12 goals that season while Latchford was top scorer overall with 20 (five of those in an 8-0 win over Wimbledon in the League Cup). However, League form was not sustained and Everton finished 4th.
Although King continued to be a regular scorer from midfield, 1979-80 was the club’s worst season since being promoted back in 1954. It finished in 19th place with a pitiful 35 points, despite only missing out on the FA Cup final in a replay. For all his talent and contributions, England recognition eluded King while often less talented players were typically given caps.
King left Everton for QPR in 1980 and after brief spells there and at West Bromwich Albion he returned to Everton in 1982 under Howard Kendall. He played a further 44 league games and added 11 more goals before leaving in 1984 to play in the Netherlands with Cambuur Leeuwarden and Sweden with Orebro SK. He returned to England for spells with Wolves, Luton and Aldershot in which he continued to perform, scoring regularly for a Wolves side which were heading downwards and then playing a role in Aldershot winning promotion from the Fourth Division.
After retiring from playing, Andy King managed Mansfield Town and Swindon Town, reaching the play-offs with both clubs. More recently, he was caretaker manager at Northampton Town and a scout for MK Dons.
Andy King typified the abundance of flair players in the English game during the 1970s, but above all else he was committed to the cause and loved Everton and the fans, and the fans loved him. The memories he gave to Everton Football Club will be remembered forever.
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