The 1997-98 campaign delivered a dramatic and agonizing, last-gasp survival for Everton as The Toffees finished a perilous 17th in the Premier League, clinging to their 44-year top-flight status only on goal difference. Leading the line was the powerful forward Duncan Ferguson, whose 11 league goals proved crucial in a season defined by nerve-shredding final-day drama against Coventry City, secured by an unlikely Gareth Farrelly goal. It was a turbulent, unforgettable year that marked a crucial, historic escape from the drop.. The 1998-99 campaign delivered a tense, hard-fought Premier League survival for Everton as The Toffees finished 14th under new manager Walter Smith, only a three-place improvement on the previous season's near-miss. The defining moment of this tumultuous year, which included the controversial mid-season sale of talisman Duncan Ferguson, was the arrival of Kevin Campbell on loan in March. Campbell proved to be an inspired, season-saving signing, whose 9 crucial league goals, including a spectacular run that saw him score nine in eight games, anchored the attack and secured the club's top-flight status, making him an instant hero to the Goodison Park faithful.