With the demands of matchday parking and fans descending upon the stadia from around the globe, it would seem incredible today for Everton and Liverpool to both play at home at the same time – certainly while the pair are still just 800 yards apart across Stanley Park before the Blues relocate to the Mersey waterfront next season – but in days gone by it was not an uncommon phenomenon with this date 44 years ago being the last such occurrence.

January 3, 1981, was FA Cup third round day and with the city’s big two both being drawn at home, Anfield and Goodison Park were both in use simultaneously.

What was also incredible was that Liverpool drew a bigger crowd for their game against non-League opponents Altrincham than Everton did for their clash against fellow Division One side Arsenal, who had reached final of the competition for the previous three seasons.

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While the Blues had to go back to their thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1966 for their last FA Cup triumph, the Gunners lifted the trophy with a 3-2 thriller themselves in 1979 against Manchester United with three goals in the final four minutes. Arsenal had led 2-0 through strikes from Brian Talbot (12) and Frank Stapleton (43) but were pegged back by Gordon McQueen (86) and Sammy McIlroy (88) before Alan Sunderland snatched the winner a minute from full-time.

Either side of that success though, Terry Neill’s side had been beaten 1-0 by Ipswich Town in 1978 and 1-0 to West Ham United in 1980 – still the last time that a team below the top flight has won the trophy. After a hat-trick of Wembley appearances though, a couple of late goals at Goodison Park saw them fall at the first hurdle in front of 34,236 in 1981.

Everton opened the scoring on 85 minutes with an own goal from Kenny Sansom – who would go on to make seven appearances for the Blues towards the end of his career over a decade later – while Mick Lyons sealed Gordon Lee’s men’s passage. The ECHO went with the headline ‘The Young Stargazers – Everton kids set shining example.’

Ian Hargraves wrote: “Gordon Lee’s young lions did him proud. If Everton were undoubtedly fortunate to see Kenny Sansom’s boot push the ball past Pat Jennings just when it seemed they would never score, they deserved their victory against Britain’s most successful cup fighters because of their sheer enthusiasm and refusal to stop running.

“In terms of experience and professional know-how, Everton could never hope to match a side who could boast three Wembley appearances in succession. But, more important on the day, they could point to the burning ambition and will to win of youngsters like Billy Wright, Kevin Ratcliffe, Joe McBride and Steve McMahon, who gave us an exciting glimpse of what the future has in store.”

As it turned out, that exciting future would be under Howard Kendall, who replaced Lee in May that year, and while Ratcliffe went on to become the Blues’ most-successful captain, Wright and McBride would not be part of those glories while McMahon’s triumphs were of course across the park in red.

Talking of which, boosted by over 5,000 travelling fans from the Alliance Premier League leaders whose average gate was just over 1,200, some 37,170 were watching the action over at Anfield, ensuring an aggregate gate of 71,406. Altrincham hold the record for knocking out the most Football League sides by a club who has spent its entire history in non-League (17 at the time of counting) and in 1975 they sensationally held Everton to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park in the third round before losing 2-0 in the replay at Old Trafford – which attracted a bigger gate – but there would be no giant-killing against Bob Paisley’s machine who lifted their third European Cup later that year.

Despite the visitors winning the toss and getting Liverpool to attack the Kop in the first half, Altrincham were well-beaten 4-1. Terry McDermott fired the hosts ahead on 27 minutes with a brace from Kenny Dalglish either side of the break (39 and 54) putting the Reds in charge and despite Graham Heathcote’s consolation from the penalty spot on 71 minutes, Ray Kennedy completed the rout two minutes from the end.

The ECHO went with the headline ‘Cocky Robins ruffle Reds’ feathers’ as Ann Cummings wrote: “Tonight (Monday) Altrincham take on Cammell Laird in the Cheshire Senior Cup just two days after the glamorous appearance at Anfield against mighty Liverpool with every right to hold their heads up high. Their dreams of FA Cup glory have vanished, but they were a credit to themselves, their manager and their fans with a gutsy performance that earned them a deserved standing ovation at the end of 90 pulsating minutes of football on the famous Anfield turf.

“In the end, of course, the superior class of Liverpool told, and the 4-1 scoreline put paid to the non-Leaguers’ hopes, but not before the Robins had ruffled a few of the Reds’ feathers for a time in a courageous second half fight back.” Altrincham legend Heathcote recalled the moment he found the net at Anfield and said: “I am a Manchester United fan and there I was, standing in front of the Kop waiting to take a penalty.

“(Alan) Kennedy came up to me and bet me £5 that I would miss it. But I only missed two penalties in my entire non-League career and I wasn’t about to make a fool of myself in front of the Kop.

“I was nice and calm, put the ball past (Ray) Clemence and stood in front of the Kop fans taking the applause, they were pretty decent about it. Then Kennedy came up to me in the players’ bar afterwards and gave me a fiver.”