View: How Kevin Campbell became an Everton hero in just eight matches
Today marks the 51st birthday of Everton legend and Goodison News pundit Kevin Campbell.
‘Super Kev’ played 171 times in the Premier League for the Toffees, scoring 57 times between the years of 1999 and 2005.
He would have been very pleased by his sides 2-1 win at Elland Road last night.
The former number nine is a cult hero on Merseyside. He made a name for himself by scoring nine times in his first eight games, and went on to be named club captain.
In honour of his birthday, Goodison News have looked back at his famous start to life in Blue.
Nine in eight
Campbell arrived from Turkish side Trabzonspor. He’d spent eight months abroad after spells with Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Leicester City and Nottingham Forrest.
Having moved around a few times in his career, it took just eight matches on Merseyside for Campbell to find his proper home.
He joined Everton with the club in a desperate state. They were a mess, sat 17th in the Premier League just a point above 18th placed Southampton.
The Toffees had suffered a torrid time during the ’90s. Twice they waited until the final day to survive in 1994 and 1998. Surely Everton couldn’t outrun relegation for a third time?
After firing blanks in his first two starts, Super Kev bagged his first two for the club in a 2-0 at home to Coventry. He rounded keeper Magnus Hedman expertly for his first, his second an instinctive finish from a Nick Barmby cross.
It was after this game he kicked on. He’d displayed the level of quality Everton were going to need to beat the drop, and the entire squad jumped on his momentum.
He followed this up with a brace away to Newcastle. The home side had players such as Alan Shearer and Gary Speed in the XI. The big man wasn’t phased. He struck inside a minute, and then again just before half time in a 3-1 victory at St James Park.
Belief was forming within the squad.
Next game, same outcome. The number nine scored twice more against fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic. His first was scrappy, but no one cared. The second, also coming before half time, much more elegant. His first-half header put Everton on track for the magic 40 points.
A hattrick in the 6-0 thrashing of West Ham was ultimately enough to secure Walter Smith’s men from the drop. He was the deserved winner of the FA Carling Premiership Player of the Month award for his feat.
It topped off a remarkable start to Campbell’s time at Everton, and his initial loan move was made permanent in the summer.
In other Everton news, this defender put in a fantastic display in the win at Leeds.