John Shafto

Shafto was stolen from right under the noses of Everton. The Blues' minute books state that it was decided to offer Shafto "£2/15/- per week & the Club a donation of £125 maximum." Everton had sent one of their scouts to sign the boy, a certain T. Fleetwood, and overnight he stayed in a hotel, where he mentioned the reason for his visit. A Liverpool fan heard him talking, immediately phoned Anfield, and George Kay went straight away to steal Everton's almost cut and dried signing. The forward was one of 29 players used by Kay during the 1937/38 first division season. Shafto was introduced into the side during the autumn of 1937 and performed well, scoring seven in 16 games, including two in the last ten minutes at Goodison to seal a 3-1 win over city rivals Everton. Not a bad start for a 19-year-old! Despite his success in those matches, he was only picked on four more occasions the following season when the club had a much more settled team, with no fewer than seven men playing in 35 or more League games compared to just two the previous year.