THE GLORIOUS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM OF 1938-39
 1939 Champions |
A new superteam was in the making, and it bloomed in 1938-39, the last season before the war. The war forced the League into yet another long break. This time the title stayed at Goodison for eight years, before it was handed over, again, to the other side of Stanley Park.
Everton had bought in 17-year old Tommy Lawton from Burnley in the spring of 1937 for 6,500 pounds. With the guidance of Billy Dean, who was at the end of his career, he rapidly developed into a great forward.
No-one else could have been able to fill Dean's boots. At Everton, Lawton was greeted almost as a gift from God, because Dixie's retirement was the worst fear in the minds of the board.
During the championship season, the 19-year old Lawton scored 34 goals and was instantly selected for the England team.
When choosing the best center-forwards of all time, Everton have two players that lead the pack: Dean and Lawton. Dean was a better goalscorer, but Lawton was a better all-rounder. Born October 6, 1919, Lawton was also an excellent goalscorer: he scored a total of 570 goals in three years for his school team!
Chairman Will Cuff managed to get Lawton by promising that he would be playing in the England team before his twentieth birthday if he joined Everton - and that's exactly what he did! In February 1937, against Tottenham in a cup replay, Lawton scored a goal that was just like the ones Dean used to score. Seeing this, Dean said: "This is it. This is the end." Tommy Lawton had arrived.
