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IT was Fergie’s last stand.

It was 10 years ago today.

And it fired Everton to their first – and still only fourth place finish in the Premier League era.

By April 20 2005 Duncan Ferguson was a 33-year-old Everton striker nearing the end of a memorable playing career.

Plagued by injuries he had been restricted to cameo – but still occasionally effective - roles from the substitutes bench.

But regardless of his fitness, Ferguson always exerted an enormous psychological influence on his Scottish namesake, Sir Alex, whenever Manchester United were in town.

He scored a famous winner at Goodison Park in 1995. He struck twice at Old Trafford in 1996 and he was named on the subs bench for the 1995 FA Cup final even though he was clearly still not match fit after a cartilage operation.

A decade later, with Everton holding a slender three point advantage over neighbours Liverpool in the chase for fourth, David Moyes decided to use his psychological weapon again.

Duncan Ferguson was selected for only his third start of the season.

And he responded spectacularly.

This was the Echo’s comment piece the following night by David Prentice.

“IT is football’s equivalent of the chicken and egg question. What comes first? The players responding to the crowd - or the crowd being lifted by the players?

“Only the deranged or the grimly suicidal would place Duncan Ferguson in the proximity of the word “chicken” - but he was the man who undoubtedly lifted the Goodison crowd last night, already in a state of hostile ferment, to a near fever pitch of hysteria . . . and that was before he scored.

“Evertonians like nothing better than the sight of a traditional centre-forward terrorising a hapless centre-half - and for 80 minutes last night Ferguson fully deserved the comparisons he craves with names from Everton’s illustrious past.

“Put simply, he was awesome.

“He rolled back the clock to other individual glory days . . . the afternoon he utterly overshadowed Alan Shearer’s Newcastle debut, the night he took on Liverpool almost single-handed in 1996, the hat-trick against Bolton and the last time Everton defeated Manchester United in the Premiership, 10 long years ago.

“And he made a player his agent believes is worth £120,000 a week (Rio Ferdinand) look like a journeyman centre-half.

“For 45 minutes, Everton had swarmed all over United with an intensity which made you fear for their second-half display.

“But when they were asked to go again after the half-time break, it was Ferguson who lifted them.

“In the 53rd minute of a precisely poised match, he decided to chase shadows in the United defence. He hunted down Ferdinand, until he passed sharply to Brown, so he turned and sprinted after him. Brown shuttled the ball nervously again, so Ferguson wheeled and chased down the ball again . . . and forced United into giving up possession.

“The roar from the home crowd was riotously appreciative - and it was not entirely coincidental that the Blues took the lead 60 seconds later.

“United couldn’t escape the periphery of their own penalty area, conceded a needless free- kick and Mikel Arteta rammed a rapier thrust into the heart of the United defence.

“The man on the end of the free-kick? Need you ask?”

Barely 60 hours later Ferguson dragged his weary limbs into battle one more time – his fourth start of the season – and scored against against Birmingham as Everton edged even closer to Champions League qualification.

Such was his influence that despite a fall-out the previous season, David Moyes offered his Tartan talisman a new one year contract.

He scored one more goal in his Everton career – predictably in his farewell match against West Bromwich Albion – but Duncan’s last stand, the night he turned back the clock, came 12 months earlier in a stirring night against Manchester United.

Ten years ago today...