Silver lining to Anderson’s day

Aug 2 2007 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

ANDERSON DE SILVA may have been the last-gasp hero for Everton on Tuesday night, but the Brazilian concedes he still has a long way to go before he makes the intended impact at Goodison.

De Silva netted for the first time in an Everton shirt in the final minute in front of the Gwladys Street End to earn a 2-2 friendly draw with Werder Bremen.

Having finally moved to Goodison in January after a drawn-out transfer, the midfielder then played only two minutes last season as a substitute in the home win over Charlton Athletic.

And de Silva admitted: “I am happy with the goal but I still have to work a lot and I am going to work very hard to try and stay here and help Everton.

“The pre-season has been very good. It’s very important for every player. For me the main thing is having a good pre-season and afterwards we will see.”

De Silva, who was in the party that toured the United States last week, believes he has now settled in at Goodison.

“It was good to meet the people and get used to the players and the atmosphere around the club,” he added.

“It would have been better if I could have played before that but I am happy now.”