AN ALREADY DISAPPOINTING season for Man United got worse in May 1995.
The Red Devils’ memorable FA Cup final clash with Everton has just turned 20, with Alex Ferguson’s men suffering what was a shock loss on the day to a Toffees side that finished 15th in the league and looked like strong relegation candidates in the earlier parts of the season.
United, who seemingly possessed the superior team on paper, dominated much of the match, after Everton had taken the lead on the half-hour mark through Paul Rideout’s header, but the favourites could not find a breakthrough despite their best efforts.
The Old Trafford outfit were hampered by the absence of three important players — Eric Cantona (suspended), Andrei Kanchelskis (injured) and Andy Cole (cup-tied).
The Toffees were also not without their problems going into the game, as star striker Duncan Ferguson was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench.
The match was to be the final competitive appearance for two high-profile players, Paul Ince and Mark Hughes, while it also featured encouraging performances from promising youngsters Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.
In addition, though United ultimately recovered to win plenty of silverware thereafter, Everton still haven’t won a major trophy since, and it wasn’t until 2008 that a team other than Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and United triumphed in the competition (Portsmouth).
Peter Schmeichel: The goalkeeper left United after their treble success in 1999, enjoying stints at Sporting, Aston Villa and Man City in the later years of his career. Schmeichel has subsequently spent time working in both British and Danish TV as a pundit, as well as hosting a show on the Discovery Channel. He was also part of a failed bid to take over Brondby in 2007.
Gary Neville: Enjoyed a long career at United, making 400 appearances before retiring in 2011. He is now a coach of the English national team and is also a much-admired pundit for Sky.
Denis Irwin: Left United in 2002 before finishing his career with Wolves, Irwin has largely worked in the media since retiring, serving as a pundit for RTÉ and a presenter for MUTV.
Gary Pallister: Left United having made over 300 appearances for the club in 1998 to finish his career at Middlesbrough — the club where he began life as a footballer. Pallister now works as a media pundit from time to time and joined Darlington as operations director in 2010.
Steve Bruce: Left United a year after the final and spent a further few seasons at Birmingham and Sheffield United. Bruce has since gone on to coach several clubs and has been manager of Hull from 2012 up to the present.
Lee Sharpe: Left the Red Devils shortly thereafter and never enjoyed the same levels of success at Leeds or any of his other clubs. Since retiring, he has appeared on a number of TV shows, including Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Love Island, in addition to being involved in charity work. He was also recently spotted in Cork.
Roy Keane: Little explanation needed other than to say he went on to greater heights, before a controversial exit from the club in 2005. After ending his days as a player with Celtic, he opted on a career in coaching and is now Ireland assistant boss.
Paul Ince: Joined Inter that summer, but like the majority of people who leave United, he failed to replicate the success he enjoyed at the club elsewhere. Ince became a manager thereafter, and was most recently in charge at Blackpool. He also made an appearance in The42’s offices not so long ago.
Nicky Butt: Eventually left United in 2004, spending a further six years at Newcastle, before ending his career in China. He has worked as a coach for the Red Devils since retiring, briefly becoming assistant boss while Ryan Giggs was caretaker manager following David Moyes’ departure.
Brian McClair: Joined Motherwell for a season before finishing his career in 1998, after making over 350 appearances for United. Post-retirement, he has worked in a number of roles, and is currently the national performance director of the Scottish national side.
Mark Hughes: After leaving United at the end of that season, he had further stints at Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn. He has since become a manager, and has just enjoyed a relatively successful season in charge of Stoke.
Subs
Gary Walsh: Made 50 appearances for United between 1985 and 1995, before moving to first Middlesbrough and then Bradford, where he enjoyed more regular first-team action. He is now a goalkeeping coach at Hull.
Ryan Giggs: A one-club man who enjoyed a remarkable career that saw him win countless trophies with United, he is now the assistant boss at Old Trafford and has been tipped for the manager’s job in future, having only retired from football last year.
Paul Scholes: Another one-club man who would go on to become a United legend, Scholes is now a prominent football pundit.
Manager – Alex Ferguson: Retired as manager two years ago having become one of the most successful coaches ever. He now works for the club in an ambassadorial role, among other commitments.
Everton team: Neville Southall; Matt Jackson, Dave Watson, David Unsworth, Gary Ablett, Anders Limpar, Joe Parkinson, Barry Horne, Andy Hinchcliffe, Graham Stuart, Paul Rideout. Subs: Jason Kearton, Duncan Ferguson, Daniel Amokachi.
Manager: Joe Royle
