On This Day In Everton History: April 26th

April 26th is remembered for one thing in this club’s past, so let’s take a look at how this date shaped Everton history as we know it!

1915: Everton win 2nd League Title

After finishing in the bottom half of the table in two straight seasons, the Toffees came into the 1914-15 campaign just hoping to improve. Everton hadn’t won a a trophy in 9 years and hadn’t won a league title in 24 years, despite finishing in a close 2nd on five occasions. There wasn’t much hope that the Toffees would win a title any time soon, especially after closing out the prior season winning just two of their final ten games, but all of that would change quickly. After an average start, winning two of their first five matches, Everton turned it up a notch, going unbeaten in 16 of their next 18 matches. As they reached the middle of January, the Toffees were in a good position to win the league and even have a shot at the FA Cup. From there they would lose 7 of their next 15 games, but they won 7 of the other 8 keeping them afloat in the title race as the season began to come to a close. Everton would fall out of the FA Cup in that stretch, but as April began, they still had a shot in the league. With 5 games remaining, the Toffees went on a run, winning their next four, which brings us to April 26th, 1915.

On the final day of the season, the Toffees were still in position to bring home some silverware thanks to Oldham Athletic. While Everton were on their winning streak, Oldham was faltering, failing to win any of their last three games. So, with Oldham’s season over and the Toffees tied with them on points going into their final match, all Everton needed was a draw against Chelsea. The London-based team was having a difficult season and found themselves in 19th place. But, Chelsea still had something to play for as they were tied with Tottenham on points in the relegation zone (only one team got relegated each year at this time). On top of that, Everton had already lost both previous fixtures that season by the same scoreline, 2-0, which includes an FA Cup match a month prior. So, this was not going to be a walk in the park.

The struggles continued for Everton against Chelsea as they, once again, allowed two goals to the London side, putting the Toffees in a bit of a hole, but thankfully, the attack showed up that day. Tom Fleetwood and Bobby Parker both scored for Everton to earn a 2-2 draw and a one-point league victory. The league title was just the 2nd in club history and was the first one the team had won while residents at Goodison Park. On top of that, Bobby Parker’s goal in this game was his 36th of the season, which was good enough for top scorer in the league that year. This would be the Toffees last shot at a title in any capacity for the next 13 years when Everton won the league for the third time in their history.

And THAT is today in Everton history!