The Liverpool Echo's perspective (from an article published in 2012):
1975 FA Cup 3rd round Everton FC 1 Altrincham 1 Replay Altrincham 0 Everton FC 2
“IT’S wet and windy with a deep depression over Bellefield,” joked Billy Bingham with press-men on the eve of Everton’s third round tie in 1975.
He was referring to Everton’s injury list. But barely 24 hours later he might have been referring to Everton’s FA Cup fortunes.
Against Northern Premier League Altrincham, Everton came as close as they ever had to suffering the shame of being knocked out by a non-league side. It was almost the shock of the season. Everton went into the third round tie one point off the top of the table – but after a superb autumn, Billy Bingham’s Blues had wobbled as Christmas approached. To add to the inconsistent form, Bingham revealed an injury list on the Friday – which would worsen the next day. “Steve Seargeant is out,” he revealed. “Martin Dobson will not play, John Hurst is not fit and Mick Buckley cannot be risked.”
As a result Ken McNaught made his Blues debut – and hit the crossbar within 10 minutes – while Gary Jones hit the post 10 minutes later. But a nine minute spell threatened to wreck Everton’s season. Saturday’s Daily Post had warned: “30-goal John Can Be A Danger” – and John Hughes did, as Horace Yates had warned: “slip one past them.”
Perhaps shaken by the goal, winger Gary Jones then lost his composure, swung a right hook at Morris – which connected – and was sent off, then a minute before half-time a “vicious looking tackle by Davison” left John Connolly with a leg broken in two places and he was stretchered out of Everton’s season.
“The Everton and Altrincham players looked at each other threateningly,” reported Ken Lawrence “and the match never recovered.”
Everton’s 10-men equalised 20 minutes from time, skipper Dave Clements hammering a shot into the roof of the net after Dave Irving had been tripped. With a full complement of 11 players for the replay, staged at Old Trafford, Everton won comfortably with goals by Lyons and Latchford.
But Altrincham did get their top flight scalp 11 years later, when Birmingham City were dispatched in the third round. For an hour at Goodison Park one wintry afternoon in 1975 it was very nearly Everton.