Everton have maintained their place in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The Toffees claimed a famous 1-0 win over Manchester United in the 1995 FA Cup final courtesy of a goal from Paul Rideout. Everton have often been overshadowed by their Merseyside rivals Liverpool but they have a glorious history of their own.



Club Heritage

In 1878, the club was founded as St. Domingo FC so that the people from the parish of St Domingo's Church could participate in a sport outside of the summer months, when they played cricket. The team began playing on Stanley Park with no dressing rooms, carrying their own goalposts out onto the pitch. When people outside of the parish wanted to participate, the club was renamed Everton a year later.

Players recruited from other clubs were allowed to wear the shirts of their former teams and this caused much confusion. The need for a unified kit led to the dieing of the many different shirts black in order to avoid purchasing a brand new strip. The first league title arrived in the 1890/91 season. Royal Blue was settled on for the 1901/02 campaign.

The signing of Dixie Dean in 1925 prompted the Toffees' first sustained period of success. His 60 goals in 39 league matches in the championship-winning 1927/28 season is still a top flight record.A subsequent relegation and immediate promotion two years later, was followed by another title triumph on their return to the top flight in 1931/32. A second FA Cup victory was achieved with a 3-0 win over Manchester City a season after and the era ended with a title win in the 1938/39 season.

The appointment of Howard Kendall as manager in 1981 heralded the most successful period in Everton's history. The league title was claimed in the 1984/85 and 1986/87 seasons, while the FA Cup was won in 1984. The Toffees' only European trophy arrived in the form of a Cup Winners' Cup final defeat of Rapid Vienna in 1984/85.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will ply their trade in the Premier League for a second season after a superb 2009/10 campaign.

Many pudits predicted a swift return to the Championship, but under manager Mick McCarthy, Wolves proved the doubters wrong and ended up in 15th place.Wolves' first spell in the Premier League came in the 2003/04 season, after they won promotion via the play-offs. A disappointing season ended in relegation, as the Midlands side finished bottom of the table with 33 points.

They won the Championship title in 2009 and have been in the top flight since.

club heritage

Initially formed as St Luke's FC in 1877, the club became a founder member of the Football League 11 years later. In 1889, the club moved to their Molineux ground and reached the FA Cup final, losing 3-0 to Preston North End. The first of four FA Cup wins came in 1893, when they beat Everton 1-0.

In 1906, Wolves were relegated to the Second Division, but enjoyed another FA Cup win two years later, this time over favourites Newcastle United. In 1923 the club slipped further down the league system, with relegation to the Third Division (north.).Success came 12 months later when they won Division Two. In 1932, they were promoted again, returning to the top-flight after a 26 year absence.

When Wolves old-boy Stan Cullis became manager in 1948, he oversaw one of the club's most triumphant periods, with an FA Cup win in 1949 being followed by three First Division titles in the fifties. Another FA Cup success, this time over Blackburn Rovers, came in 1960. After Cullis left the club in 1963, Wolves spent two seasons in the second tier before winning promotion once more.

Under manager Bill McGarry, the club made a UEFA Cup Final appearance against Tottenham Hotspur in 1972 and won the League Cup in 1974. In 1976 Wolves were relegated back to the Second Division, but they bounced back at the first time of asking, promoted as champions in 1977.The early 1980s saw a League Cup win, a relegation to the Second Division, bankruptcy, and a promotion, followed by three successive relegations which left the club in the Fourth Division.A change of ownership saw a dramatic improvement in the club's fortunes. The Molineux outfit won promotion from Division Four in 1987/88, which was followed by a second successive promotion a year later.

In 1990, Sir Jack Hayward bought the club and with his investment in the stadium and the team, the club enjoyed more stability, spending much of the 1990s pushing for a place in the Premier League, with several play-off final disappointments along the way.The dream of Premier League football was eventually realised in 2003, with a play-off final win over Sheffield United at the Millennium Stadium clinching their promotion. Having seen his beloved club hit the big time, Hayward retired six months later.

A single season in the top-flight ended in relegation, with manager Dave Jones being dismissed shortly after. Former England manager Glenn Hoddle enjoyed a two-year spell at the club before Mick McCarthy took over the reins in the summer of 2006.Then in August 2007, Redrow founder Steve Morgan bought Wolves for £10 plus a commitment to invest £30m into the club. In 2009, Wolves were promoted to the Barclays Premier League after being crowned Championship champions.