“To Score Against Them – When It Meant So Much To Everton – Was Massive”

Academy graduate Danny Cadamarteri will always be remembered by Evertonians for his Merseyside derby strike. But, 20 years on, he admits a goal against boyhood favourites Arsenal means almost as much to him...

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Danny Cadamarteri can remember virtually every detail: how the ball landed at his feet, the feint, the thought process, who was stood next to him, the view… and the supporter jubilantly hurrying his wheelchair towards the pitch.

The one thing forever missing from Cadamarteri’s mind’s eye, amidst this blur of events, is the ball slamming into the roof of Arsenal’s net.

Twenty years have gone by, but the former Everton striker’s memories of the day his jackhammer of a strike rescued a point for the Toffees against a Gunners team that would win the Double, remain undimmed.

The passing of time also allows Cadamarteri to admit to the mixed feelings he experienced when it dawned on him that his goal could have far-reaching consequences.

“We had a free-kick on the edge of the box,” Cadamarteri tells Everton’s match day programme. “Graham Stuart drilled it into the wall and it ricocheted here, there and everywhere.

“There is often an element of luck to a goal – and the ball just dropped at my feet. It was quite crowded and my natural instinct was to shift the ball into a bit of space – the kind of thing you learn as a kid – to get my shot off.

“As I shifted the ball off to my right, Emmanuel Petit was alongside me. He leant back – I think he was worried about bringing me down and he kind of took a step back. As he did that, I lifted my head and saw this big gaping goal and David Seaman in front of me. 

“I just thought, ‘Hit it as hard as you can’. 

“I put my laces through it and tried to find a corner. Fortunately, it nestled in the top right of the goal. 

“My biggest memory: as the ball hit the net, I did not actually see it.