Andy McEvoy

Ianrally - YBorn in Dublin and bought from Bray Wanderers in 1956 he made his League debut in 1958-59 as a wing-half as back up to Clayton and McGrath. The then manager Jack Marshall converted him to inside forward alongside Fred Pickering in 1962-63 season. This resulted in a strong goal scoring partnership the envy of many and the following season saw Andy become the League's leading scorer with 32 goals from 37 appearances. Including cup games his total for the season was 36 goals from 41 appearances. A very healthy return you must agree, especially as the top marksmen of the time were Jimmy Greaves and Denis Law both of who were beaten by Andy's total. He was the epitome of a good striker, lurking in or around the area with blistering pace and deadly finishing. The McEvoy-Pickering combination was ended prematurely when Pickering was sold to Everton in 1964 and Jon Byrom was to be McEvoy's new strike partner, and that season his tally was down to 32 goals from 45 appearances. Relegation in 1966 seemed to affect him and he became disillusioned with the professional game and returned to Ireland to play for Limerick and finished driving a tram in the city. He continued to play for Limerick until the early 70's and sadly Andy died a couple of years ago. As a 16 year old at the time of his goal scoring exploits I have always felt privileged to have seen him play and remember him with great affection as one of Rovers truly great strikers. Total League Appearances 183 Goals 89 Total Cup Appearances 30 Goals 14 Total 213 Total 103.

den - now we're talking! The second best finisher that I've seen at Ewood. For two/three seasons he was unstoppable. He wasn't a powerful player, he was simply supreme at passing the ball into the net. He just used to turn and pass - into the net. Wasn't around long enough either..

ianb - However, can somebody please vote for McEvoy - for the same reasons as Roy Vernon above - McEvoy's record is quite outstanding and deserves recognition, Jansen doesn't even come close to McEvoy in my view.

den - Must say, Andy McEvoy was one of the best finishers I've ever seen. He scored four times on his first game as a converted midfielder, against a superb Tottenham side, rovers winning 7-2. He SHOULD get into the top three best ever strikers, but he wont.

knobblybottom - I was sorry to hear Andy McEvoy had died. He was a skilful goal taker, but not a goal maker. He was often the only player to walk off the pitch after 90 mins without any mud on his shorts.