Run in UEFA Cup vital, says Johnson

Sep 6 2007 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

ANDREW JOHNSON has underlined the importance of Everton adding the group stages of the UEFA Cup to their winter fixture list.

The striker embarks on the first European campaign of his career in two weeks’ time when Everton host the first leg of their first round tie with Metalist Kharkiv.

Sealing progression in the second leg in the Ukraine a fortnight later will secure their place in the competition’s group stages and a guaranteed four further games in the competition.

It’s a prospect that Johnson is relishing – and he’s convinced the survivors of Everton’s doomed 2005 campaign will be keen for the heavy schedule to fill up the coming months.

“It’s the second time for the boys in Europe and they want to do a lot better,” said Johnson, who is in contention to start alongside Michael Owen for England’s Euro 2008 qualifier with Israel at Wembley on Saturday.

“So if we can get the first game out of the way and get into the group stages we’ll be fine. You’re normally sat at home in the winter on a Tuesday night watching Manchester United against whoever and you actually want to be there playing yourself. Everyone wants to play at the highest level and that’s European football and international football.

“We’ve got a great, great chance to do that and it’s going to be a good competition.”

Everton’s progress is no foregone conclusion, however, a fact recognised by manager David Moyes when he returned from a scouting mission in the former Soviet republic.

Metalist have only played in Europe once before after they won the USSR Cup in 1988 and qualified for the old European Cup Winners Cup.

But their pedigree in their homeland has steadily grown in the past few years and last season’s third-place finish in the Ukrainian League was their best ever.

“I was quite impressed by what I saw,” said Moyes, who watched Metalist beat Chernomorets Odessa 2-0 on Sunday.

“They are probably the second or third best team in the Ukraine at this present time and we know that we are going to have to play very well to get through.

“We know that there’s no easy game in football nowadays no matter who you are playing.

“You see that whether it be in cup football or on the world stage.

“So we won’t get an easy game at all when we go to the Ukraine, in fact we’ll get a very hard game.

“But it was my first visit to the Ukraine and I’m looking forward to going back.”

Meanwhile, Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has made the final shortlist for the prestigious 2007 Honda Player of the Year.

The award, recognising the USA national team’s best player, is based on votes by 203 sports journalists from across America.

Also in contention are Fulham defender Carlos Bocanegra and David Beckham’s LA Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan, who has won it three times in the past.

Howard’s next engagement with the American national side is in a friendly against Brazil in Chicago on Sunday.