Twenty years ago today, Everton fans bid an emotional farewell to one of their most beloved Premier League heroes, Duncan Ferguson, in a chaotic but fitting finale at Goodison Park. The Scottish striker, who had first burst onto the scene almost a dozen years earlier, ended his Everton career with a dramatic late equaliser against already-relegated West Bromwich Albion on May 7, 2006.
Ferguson's final season had been a struggle for both the player and the team. After finishing fourth in the previous campaign under David Moyes, Everton were controversially knocked out of the Champions League by Villarreal when Ferguson's headed goal was ruled out by referee Pierluigi Collina. The team then suffered a double European exit and lost 16 of their first 24 matches before recovering to finish 11th.
Going into his final game, Ferguson had not scored all season. West Brom took a 2-0 lead through Zoltan Gera and Williams Martinez, but 18-year-old substitute Victor Anichebe pulled one back with six minutes left. Then, with 90 minutes on the clock, Martinez fouled Mikel Arteta in the box. Ferguson, wearing the captain's armband, saw his initial left-foot penalty saved by Tomasz Kuszczak but scuffed in the rebound with his weaker right foot.
The match also featured an emotional tribute before kick-off to Brian Labone, the Everton legend who had died aged 66 on April 24. After the final whistle, Ferguson took his children on a lap of appreciation, with a tear in his eye as he bid farewell to the Goodison faithful.
