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Everton in 1950s

The 1950s was the decade which unleashed rock ‘n’ roll on an unsuspecting world.
The first season of the 1950s’ proved to be a disaster in footballing terms for Everton. 1950/51 season hit the bottom of the 1st Division and were relegated for only the second time in their history. Harry Potts of Burnley and Jock Lindsay from Glasgow Rangers were brought in by manager and former player Cliff Britton however the new editions to the squad could not help save Everton and they would need to start the next season in Division 2. 1951/52 season saw Everton fail to regain top flight status finishing 7th in the 2nd Division. 1952/53 season saw Everton slide even further when they finished 16th in the Division. 1953/54 season saw Everton regain their place in the top Division finishing as runners-up in Division 2. The partnership of Dave Hickson with his towering blond quiff, rumbustious playing style and engaging personality and John Willie Parker brought the blues 55 goals between them. 1954/55 and Everton finished 11th in their first season back in League Division 1. 1955/56 and Everton finish four places lower in 15th place. Dave Hickson moved to Aston Villa with Graham Williams being signed from Bradford City and Jimmy Harris who took over from Dave Hickson finishing as top scorer. At the end of the 1956/57 season Everton finished one place higher in 14th. Cliff Britton left as manager and in came Ian Buchan. Everton finished further down the league at the end of the 1957/58 season finishing in 16th place. Dave Hickson made his return to the club and the Legendary Brian Labone made his debut towards the end of the season. 1958/59 and the club finished 16th again. Alex Parker, Peter Harburn, Bobby Collins and Eddie O’Hara had been recruited and Ian Buchan was sacked to make way for Johnny Carey. The last season of the 1950s 1959/60 saw Everton finish 16th for the 3rd time in a row. Carey brought in a host of players Alan Shackleton, Mickey Lill, Tommy Ring, Roy Vernon and Jimmy Gabriel which earned the club the nickname of Mersey Millionaires. Dave Hickson said goodbye to the club joining Liverpool for £12,500