Football: BLUE MEMORIES: KEEPING FAITH; When Southall's lengthy reign as The Blues'No.1 came to anend.

WITH the 1996-97 season only five games old, Everton had already used three goalkeepers.

There was a time not too distant when the club went five entire seasons with just one.

But then that keeper was a living legend. Between October 4, 1987 and January 9, 1993 Neville Southall did not miss a single match.

When he was finally forced to step reluctantly aside, at Wimbledon in the FA Cup, it was predictably a suspension which sidelined him rather than injury.

Southall enjoyed many magnificent seasons at Everton, but while the 1996-97 campaign was a record breaking one for the Welshman, it was also the beginning of the end.

Southall started the season in his familiar place between the Stanley Park goalposts - for an unprecedented 700th time.

But after being lobbed by Chris Waddle in an FA Cup holocaust by Bradford, he was dropped for the first time in 15 years.

He was later restored to the starting lineup, but only because of a Paul Gerrard groin strain, and only ended the season as first choice once more after Joe Royle had parted company with the club.

That still presented him with enough time to add to his Everton legend, a 40th derby match appearance - a record on both sides of Stanley Park - and his last penalty save for the club to preserve a vital 2-2 draw at West Ham.

But the sands of time were running out on him, and six months later he played his last game for the club.

The 1996-97 season was one of significant comings and goings at Goodison. Gary Speed and Nick Barmby both arrived at the club - and while neither will ever be welcomed back with open arms at Goodison (Speed's villification is both harsh and undeserved, but that's a story for a different feature), Everton have not enlisted players of that quality ever since.

While Southall was getting ready to bow out at one end of the age scale, at the other a teenager was taking the first formative steps of his own playing career.

Michael Ball was introduced at half-time in a high pressure, crucially important relegation crunch against Tottenham.

Four days later he produced an impossibly mature performance in a Merseyside derby match after Craig Short went off injured after only 23 minutes.

Other arrivals were the cruelly catigated Claus Thomsen and young goalkeeper Paul Gerrard - with a couple of interesting clauses written into his contract.

He cost Everton pounds 1m up front, pounds 200,000 after 20 first team games and pounds 100,000 for each of the first three England caps he might win in the future.

The revolving door at Goodison witnessed even more departures . . . Barry Horne, Gary Ablett and Anders Limpar to Birmingham, Daniel Amokachi to Besiktas, Vinny Samways to Las Palmas, Matt Jackson to Norwich, Andrei Kanchelskis to Fiorentina, John Ebbrell to Sheffield United and Paul Rideout to Huan Dao Vanguards - on the back of a speeding motorcycle as he dashed to catch a flight soon after the final whistle of his final Everton appearance!

It was the season of York City and Bradford City - and the 7-1 slaying of Southampton.

It was also the last season we wtinessed a truly inspirational Duncan Ferguson.

Just four days after a monumental performance to upstage Alan Shearer's debut for Newcastle, he followed up with a devastating double at Old Trafford - a match Everton spurned two golden opportunities to win late on.

It was the season of a waterlogged Anfield derby, and when Everton went from ``dark horses for the title'' (according to Sky after a December 16 win at Derby) to another unseemly scramble against relegation.

It was the season Everton played the last ever games at Roker Park (in a League match) and the Baseball Ground (Martin Taylor's Testimonial) - but it will also be remembered as Southall's swansong.

1996-97Premiership........................................... 17th FA Cup................................................4th Rd (Bradford City 2-3) League Cup.......................................2nd Rd (York City 3-4 on agg) Top scorer............................. Gary Speed & Duncan Ferguson 11

CAPTION(S):

GOOD GUESS: There were several men inside Upton Park on April 19, 1997 who clearly hadn't heard of Neville Southall's reputation. Some of the Hammers fans behind the goal and future Blues' defender Slaven Bilic clearly over-estimated Paul Kitson's powers from the penalty spot. With the score West Ham 2, Everton 0, Southall saved the spot-kick, and Everton went on to snatch a 2-2 draw.