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Neville Southall will finally be inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame in October – 14 years after the inaugural 22-man line-up was unveiled.

Campaigns for his inclusion by this column and the Everton Heritage Society have been met with polite rebuffs.

In 2013 the Museum replied: “Neville Southall is on the voting shortlist each year and consistently comes very close to being selected. His name will be retained on the shortlist for 2014. We are sure he will be selected in due course.”

Now he has been.

Southall made more appearances for Wales and more appearances for Everton than any other player, has won two league titles, two FA cups – 11 years apart – a European Cup Winners Cup and in 1985 was voted Footballer of the Year.

At his peak – for the second half of the 1980s – he was regarded by many as the finest goalkeeper in the world.

He will join Rio Ferdinand, Denis Irwin, Mark Lawrenson, Billy Liddell, David Seaman, Gordon Strachan, John Robertson and England Cerebal Palsy player Martin Sinclair in the latest additions to the Hall of Fame.

And he isn’t the only former Everton goalkeeper who will be inducted.

Two former Everton Ladies, Rachel Unitt and keeper Rachel Brown-Finniss, will also be added to the roll of honour.

In addition to the individual players joining the Hall Of Fame, two new team awards will be presented.

Nottingham Forest’s remarkable achievements from 1978-1980 will see the double European Cup-winning side inducted to the Hall Of Fame, while Notts County will also be honoured as the world’s oldest professional football club.

Inductees are chosen by a panel featuring the Museum’s President Sir Bobby Charlton, Vice President Sir Alex Ferguson, who once tried to sign Southall, and Gordon Taylor.

National Football Museum Director Dr. Kevin Moore said: “Our expectations have been surpassed this year as our inductees have continued to amaze us not just with their talent, but their commitment to the game.

“These footballing greats will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at an awards dinner in October. The evening will be an experience like no other where the inductees can collectively reflect on their successes, spanning over five decades.”

Better late than never.

As an aside, all living inductees into the Hall of Fame now automatically join the National Football Museum’s Selection Panel.

Perhaps Nev can now start to campaign for his Everton team of 1984-87 (two league titles, one runners-up spot, three successive FA Cup final appearances, a European trophy and a League Cup final appearance), to join the Manchester City 1968-70 team on the Hall of Fame’s ‘Teams’ roster?