Peter Reid turned 70 and used the milestone to revisit the Everton moments that still define him. The former Everton player was described as one of the club’s all-time greats, with memories ranging from Goodison Park in 1971 to a shorts swap with Kevin Ratcliffe in 1984.
One of the clearest comes from his first playing appearance at Goodison Park. He was 14 when Huyton Boys under-15s completed a 5-1 aggregate victory over Stoke in the English Schoolboys Final there, and he still remembers the reaction back at school.
Goodison Park in 1971
“You’re full of dreams and ambition and hope but at 14 going into school and your mates say: ‘You played at Goodison!’” Reid said. “I thought I’d done it all. In fact, that could have done me, I could have finished then and been happy, it was a dream.”
That match was not just another youth final for him. Reid said Alan Bleasdale coached Huyton Boys under-15s that day, and he linked the memory to Frank Worthington, a player he knew from Bolton.
Ratcliffe at half-time
His 1984 FA Cup semi-final story with Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe cuts in the opposite direction: a competitive match, a practical request and a surprise in the dressing room. Reid said he asked for tighter marking on Frank Worthington, then discovered Ratcliffe had taken his shorts.
“I knew Frank Worthington from Bolton,” Reid said. “I’ve gone to Ratters at half-time: ‘Is there any f*****g chance of you getting tight on him?’” Moments later, he added: “He’s got your shorts on.” His reaction was immediate: “You flipping what?”
The route to Everton
Reid’s path back to Everton was not straightforward. Gordon Lee first tried to sign him for Everton for £600,000 in 1980, but the move did not happen then, and the later arrival came only after Reid had suffered two broken legs, torn knee ligaments and a cartilage operation. Howard Kendall eventually brought him in, and the injury history sits behind the status he later built.
The birthday piece keeps the focus on what Reid has always offered Evertonians: a career shaped by recovery, a first Goodison appearance at 14, and a semi-final tale that still lands with a laugh. At 70, he remains tied to the same club moments he was recounting from memory.
