St. Domingo’s Football Club

From the Pews to the Pitch (1878 - 1879)

The St. Domingo Methodist New Connexion Chapel (a Protestant nonconformist church) opened in 1871 on Breckfield Road North in Everton, Liverpool. It was named after its location at the corner of Breckfield Road North and St. Domingo Vale. The name "St. Domingo" in the area traces back to St. Domingo House, a residence built in 1758 by George Campbell, a West Indies trader and sugar refiner who regularly visited the Colony of Santo Domingo and later became Mayor of Liverpool in 1763.

St. Domingo Methodist New Connexion Chapel

In 1877, Reverend Ben Swift Chambers became the chapel's minister. Seeking to engage local youth and an advocate for "muscular christianity", he formed a cricket team. However, since cricket was only played in summer, there was interest in forming a winter sport alternative. As a result, St. Domingo’s Football Club was established in 1878. Their first match was a 1–0 win against Everton Church Club.

As interest grew beyond chapel attendees, a name change was proposed to appeal to a broader community. In November 1879, at a meeting held at the Queen’s Head Hotel, the club was renamed Everton Football Club, after the surrounding district. Around this time, local sweet manufacturer Barker and Dobson introduced "Everton Mints" in tribute to the team. The area also features the Everton Lock-Up, known locally as Prince Rupert’s Tower, which appears on the club’s crest today.

Initially, Everton played on open land in the southeast corner of the newly developed Stanley Park. The goal posts were self made an there was no charge to spectate. The first official match under the Everton name came in 1879, with a 6–0 win over St. Peter's. During the early years, Everton played in the regional cups, such as the Lancashire Cup and the Liverpool Cup. At this time attendances went up to nearly two thousand. 

It became apparent that Everton FC needed to turn professional to progress. As professional football demanded enclosed grounds, local landowner Mr. J. Cruit donated a pitch at Priory Road in 1882, complete with fencing, basic dressing rooms and turnstiles where entrance fees were collected. The 1882-83 season was the last one at Stanley Park.

The first official match at Priory Road saw a Liverpool regional team—made up of Everton players—face off against a Walsall regional team, with the game ending in a 3–3 draw. During that inaugural season at Priory Road, Everton claimed their first piece of silverware, defeating Earlestown 1–0 in the Liverpool Cup final. The standout player of this early period was Jack McGill, a former Glasgow Rangers man, who also served as club captain.

Their stay at Priory Road was only fleeting, the increasing size, noise and unruliness of the crowds led Mr. J. Cruit to ask the club to vacate. In 1884, Everton moved to nearby Anfield Road, renting it from John Orrell of Orrell Brothers Brewery. A fellow brewer and friend of John Orrell called John Houlding handled the rent. His home bordered Stanley Park, and he had been interested in the club’s growing popularity and large crowds since they had played there.

Covered stands were soon added to the ground and a year later, Houlding purchased the Anfield site.  Everton began paying rent, initially symbolically through donations to a local hospital, then directly to Houlding himself. Houlding was elected as the chairman of the club; all the board meetings were held at Sandon Hotel, which he owned, and he was even the Mayor of Liverpool during this period.

Everton F.C - Liverpool Cup winners 1887

Anfield hosted its first match on September 27, 1884, with Everton securing a 5–0 victory over Earlestown. In 1885, Everton followed the lead of other top clubs by turning professional, aiming to boost both on-field success and financial returns. The club's first professional signings included George Dobson from Bolton, George Farmer from Oswestry, and Alec Dick from Kilmarnock. The transition paid off quickly and Everton won the Liverpool Cup in consecutive years, defeating Bootle 2–1 in the 1886 final and Oakfield 5–0 in 1887.

Within just seven years at Anfield, Everton had transformed the ground from a disused brick field into a top-class stadium with over 20,000 capacity. During this time, the club turned professional, became a founding member of the Football League, hosted an England vs. Ireland international, and won its first league title—all contributing to a major increase in income and status.

The FA Cup debacle

Encouraged by their local successes, Everton entered the FA Cup for the first time in the 1886–87 season. Their opening match was against Glasgow Rangers at Anfield, where they lost 0–1. However, the result was moot, as Everton had fielded ineligible players, so even a win would have been invalid.

The following season brought further controversy. Everton faced Bolton Wanderers and ended up playing them four times. After losing the first match, Everton lodged a protest over the eligibility of a Bolton player. The first replay ended in a draw, as did the second. Everton finally won the fourth game, but this time Bolton alleged that Everton had illegally paid seven of their amateur players. Everton progressed to face Preston North End in the next round, suffering a heavy 0–6 defeat. Shortly afterward, the FA disqualified Everton from the competition. This chaotic episode led to Everton’s decision not to participate in the FA Cup the following season.

As football grew in popularity across the industrial towns of northern and central England, clubs recognised the need for a structured competition.

In 1888, Everton became one of the twelve founding members of the Football League, finishing eighth in the inaugural season and improving to second place the following year.

Everton’s first Football League match was a 2–1 victory over Accrington FC (not to be confused with Accrington Stanley), with both goals scored by G. Fleming. The game drew a crowd of over 10,000 spectators.

First League Title

The 1890–91 season began brilliantly for Everton, with five consecutive wins and Fred Geary scoring in each of the first six matches. By mid-January, Everton had played all but one of their fixtures and topped the table with 29 points. Preston North End, their closest rivals, trailed by eleven points but had seven games in hand.

With Everton’s schedule nearly complete, they were left waiting as Preston played through their remaining matches. By the time both teams had one game left, the gap had narrowed to just two points.

On 14 March, both sides played their final fixtures. Everton lost 3–2 away at Burnley—Geary scoring both goals—while Preston suffered a 3–0 defeat to Sunderland. This result secured Everton’s first Football League Championship by a two-point margin. They won 14 of their 22 matches, and Geary, ever-present throughout the campaign, finished as the club’s top scorer with 21 goals.

Key figures in the early Everton side included half-back Johnny Holt—nicknamed “The Little Devil”—the clever and nimble inside-left Edgar Chadwick, and the relentless outside-left Alfred Milward. Chadwick and Milward forged what was arguably the most dangerous left-sided partnership of their era. Leading the attack was centre-forward Fred Geary (the team’s top scorer). All four players earned caps for the England national team during this period.

Among the other notable talents, two players stand out despite only spending one full season each with the club. In the League’s inaugural campaign, Everton boasted arguably the finest defender of his generation, Nick Ross, whose career was tragically cut short by lung disease at the age of 31. Another standout was Jack Southworth, who joined the club a few years after the first title win. Southworth still holds an Everton club record: in the 1893–94 season, he scored six goals in a single home match against West Bromwich Albion and 16 goals in a remarkable seven-match spell.

Everton F.C - League winners 1891

Anfield to Goodison Park

After securing their first league title, Everton were plunged into a deep and bitter internal conflict involving the club committee and president John Houlding. Originally, Houlding had rented the Anfield site from the Orrell family and sublet it to Everton. In 1885, he purchased the land outright and continued leasing it to the club.

Tensions grew when Houlding, a prominent Conservative councillor, was seen by the largely Liberal-leaning committee as pursuing personal political and financial interests. Disputes arose over the club’s business model, particularly the sale of refreshments, which Houlding (a brewer) controlled exclusively, soley selling his own beer—and over rent, which he increased by 150% after the 1889–90 season, raising it to £250 per year.

The situation worsened when John Orrell, owner of adjoining land, asserted a legal right to run a road through Everton’s newly built main stand, potentially jeopardising access to the pitch. The committee accused Houlding of allowing the stand to be built despite knowing of this right-of-way. To resolve the issue, they proposed purchasing both Anfield and Orrell’s land or negotiating a joint lease of £370 per annum. Houlding refused to negotiate or offer a long-term lease.

Underlying the conflict were overt political divisions: Houlding and his supporters were aligned with Liverpool’s Conservative elite, while the dissenting committee members were affiliated with the rising Liberal movement, especially in the city’s north end. The dispute mirrored a wider power struggle in Liverpool’s political landscape, where the once-dominant Tory Party was losing ground to a resurgent Liberal Party.

In January 1892, Houlding tried to gain control of the club by incorporating a new company "The Everton Football Club and Athletic Grounds Ltd" and in March sought to have it recognised as the official Everton. At that time, Everton still played at Anfield, and Houlding aimed to take over both the fixtures and the club’s place in the Football League. However, the League refused to recognise his company as Everton.

As a result, in June 1892, Houlding renamed his venture "Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Ltd", founding what would become Liverpool F.C. The breakdown in trust led the Everton committee to leave Anfield altogether. In early 1892, the frustrated Everton board, led by George Mahon, made the decisive move to secure a new ground for the club. Mahon had already identified a suitable site, Mere Green Field, located in the northern part of Stanley Park near Goodison Road. At the time, the land was derisively described as a “howling desert,” but the determined “rebels” pressed ahead. They cleared the area and constructed impressive terraces,issuing 5,000 shares as they did so, giving the directors a 6% stake in the club. establishing a new home for Everton "Goodison Park". This move effectively left only a remnant of the original club at Anfield.

A portion of the land purchase and construction costs was covered by the wealthy Dr. James C. Baxter. The new ground was officially inaugurated on 24 August 1892. Although no football was played on the day, the opening ceremony drew a crowd of 12,000 and was led by Mahon (now elected chairman) with notable guest Lord Kinnaird, a nine-time FA Cup finalist and the sitting chairman of the Football Association, also in attendance.

Everton played their final match at Anfield on 18 April 1892, against Bolton Wanderers. Shortly after, on 14 June 1892, the club was formally re-incorporated as "The Everton Football Club Limited" and 500 one-pound shares were issued.

The first match at Goodison was a friendly against Bolton, which Everton won 4-2. The first League match was played the next day, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Nottingham.

As a testament to Goodison Park's early stature as one of the finest football grounds in the country, it was selected to host the 1894 FA Cup Final, where Notts County triumphed over Bolton Wanderers with a 4–1 victory. 

Scandal, Cuff and The Merseyside Derby

Initially, it appeared that two clubs bearing the name “Everton” would coexist in the city. However, the Football Association ruled that the majority who had relocated to Goodison Park could retain the name. In response, John Houlding and the minority who remained at Anfield founded a new club "Liverpool". Fittingly, Liverpool’s first captain was Andrew Hannah, who had previously led Everton to the league title in 1891. This schism laid the foundation for one of football’s most historic and passionate rivalries.

The first Merseyside derbies took place in the 1894–95 season. Everton won the inaugural encounter at Goodison Park 3–0 in front of a record league crowd of 44,000. The return fixture at Anfield ended in a 2–2 draw, witnessed by 26,000 spectators.

That same season—eerily echoing the events of a century later in 1994–95—Everton faced several off-field controversies. After one league match, club officials discovered that a portion of the gate receipts had gone missing, resulting in a court case. Not long after, a match had to be abandoned due to severe weather. Although fans were promised free admission to the replay, a section of the crowd rioted. The police were forced to call for reinforcements to restore order.

Amid these troubles, George Mahon and four fellow board members resigned due to administrative issues, what these "issues" were was never documented. However, from the upheaval emerged a lasting positive: the appointment of William C. Cuff to the board. Cuff would go on to serve Everton for more than 50 years, as a board member, secretary, and eventually chairman between the wars. His contributions were recognised nationally when, in 1938, he was elected chairman of the Football Association.

Early FA Cup Heartbreak — and Triumph

In 1893, the club reached its first FA Cup final after defeating Preston North End 2–1 in the semi-final. The final was held at Fallowfield, Manchester, where Everton were narrowly beaten 1–0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers. The only goal came from Harry Allen, whose long, looping shot beat the Everton goalkeeper, reportedly blinded by the sun.

Four years later, in 1897, Everton returned to the final after a 3–2 semi-final win over Derby County. The final, played at Crystal Palace in London, was considered the most thrilling Cup final up to that point. Despite goals from Scottish internationals John Bell and Robert "Dickie" Boyle, Aston Villa triumphed 3–2. Bell, a brilliant dribbler and Everton’s standout performer, was widely seen as Man of the Match even in defeat.

It was third time lucky for Everton in 1906. They secured their place in the final by defeating arch-rivals (and that season’s league champions) Liverpool 2–0 in the semi-final. In the final at Crystal Palace, Everton edged Newcastle United 1–0 thanks to a second-half goal from Alex "Sandy" Young (no relation to 1960s legend Alex "The Golden Vision" Young). Everton dominated the game, especially after the break, and had already seen one goal from Young ruled offside before he scored the winner.

Returning to Liverpool, the Cup-winning team were welcomed at Lime Street Station and paraded through the city to Goodison Park in a four-in-hand carriage. At the front was “supercaptain” Jack Taylor proudly displaying the FA Cup to jubilant fans. Remarkably, 60 years later, history repeated itself, Everton again paraded the Cup from Lime Street following a final win, while Liverpool won the league title.

A Second Final in a Row: 1907

Everton reached the final again the following year but lost 2–1 to Sheffield Wednesday. The Blues’ goal came from right winger Jack Sharp, who had been instrumental in the 1906 victory, creating the winning goal with his dribbling and vision. Sharp was one of the club’s most influential figures of the era, excelling in both football and cricket, he even represented England in both sports.

After retiring, Sharp became a director at Everton, and his legacy continued when his son, Jack C. Sharp, served on the board during the 1960s and 1970s. The elder Sharp also opened a successful sportswear shop in Liverpool, which advertised in Everton match programmes for years. By the 1980s, the name Sharp carried another association at Goodison Park—with Graeme Sharp leading the line in one of the club’s greatest ever sides, though he shared no relation with the famous early 20th-century winger.

Everton F.C - FA Cup winners 1906

Dixie's Sixty

In the 1927–28 season, Dixie Dean made history by scoring an astonishing 60 league goals in just 39 matches, a record that still stands to this day. His incredible feat almost single-handedly secured Everton the First Division title.

However, in a dramatic twist of fortunes, Everton were relegated in 1930 after finishing bottom of the First Division. Dean remained in prolific form, scoring 39 goals in 37 matches to fire Everton straight back to the top flight as Second Division champions.

Dean's brilliance continued unabated. In the 1931–32 season, he netted 45 goals as Everton claimed their fourth league title.

Everton lifted the FA Cup in 1933 with a 3–0 victory over Manchester City in the final. It was a landmark occasion, not just for the triumph, but because it marked the first time shirt numbers were worn in a competitive match. Dean wore the number 9 shirt, becoming Everton’s first-ever player to do so. The number would go on to symbolise powerful, high-scoring centre-forwards at all levels of football, an image Dean helped define.

Dean played his final match for Everton on 11 December 1937. He passed away at Goodison Park in 1980, fittingly during a Merseyside derby. His legacy remains unmatched: 383 goals in 433 appearances for the club.

Everton added another league title in the 1938–39 season, with a team featuring future legends Joe Mercer, T. G. Jones, and 19-year-old Tommy Lawton, who scored 35 goals that campaign. Yet, just as in 1914–15, the outbreak of world war would interrupt the team’s momentum—World War II putting a six-year pause on what might have been another golden era.