David Moyes calls for Goodison to remain a fortress

Mar 21 2008

ONLY three teams have breached Fortress Goodison this season and David Moyes feels home form could yet be the difference as Everton chase a place in the Promised Land.

Another Premier League weekend brings about another round of intriguing fixtures and it is not lost on Moyes - nor any of his players or supporters for that matter - that, come the close of play on Sunday, Everton and Liverpool could be level pegging again.

The Reds took a slight advantage last weekend when beating Reading as the Blues suffered a bout of travel sickness at Craven Cottage but, back on home turf, Everton are a formidable proposition.

Having won nine of their 14 Premier League fixtures at Goodison Park and drawn another two, visitors to this corner of Liverpool 4 are finding Everton are anything anything but hospitable hosts.

That approach, however, will need maintaining in the closing weeks of the campaign if Moyes and his squad are oing to takedefy the odds and pinch that one remaining place in next season’s Champions League.

A points tally in the region of the high 60s or early 70s is likely to be required to achieve that and, with five fixtures still to be played in front of their own fans, that is an achievable target. especially when you considering some of the opposition.

Provided they play with the same panache as they have done for much of the year, Derby County and Newcastle should be dismissed without too much fuss, Aston Villa will be a tricky but winnable game and anything could happen against Chelsea.

Which brings us back to the first of that quintet.

West Ham will be desperate for revenge after losing twice to Everton in the space of four days last December but, equally, Moyes wants an immediate response to that galling defeat at Fulham.

Resources may be thin on the ground at present but, with the backing of a full house and the determination to get the rewards their efforts this year deserve, Moyes has faith that Everton can secure three priceless points.

“It’s always vitally important that you keep your home record going and, on the run in, five of our games are at home and three are away, so we need to make home advantage pay off if we can,” said the manager.

“We have been pleased how we have done at Goodison this season. Maybe some of the games we haven’t played as well as we would have liked.

“But, in the main, we have picked up a lot of points here and we hope that continues.

“We want to protect our record now as we get towards the end of the campaign and we have had a week to look forward to this game against West Ham.

“We know how important it is and we are looking for a good performance.”

With so many injuries and aching limbs, the fact Everton have had five days to recover from their exertions at Craven Cottage should help rekindle the spark.

After all, this is the first time since the middle of November that they have not had a midweek game.

Moyes, though, will not commit to whether a run-in that consists solely of Premier League contests will help or hinder as he, for one, enjoyed the extra workload that came courtesy of their UEFA Cup adventure.

“Has the break helped? I don’t know,” Moyes replied.

“I honestly felt that we were benefiting from the extra games and we would much rather be in the UEFA Cup than just having to play Saturday to Saturday.

“But we still have a lot to play for and we are looking forward to the challenge.

“West Ham are a good side and we will need to be at our best if we want to get anything but it helps that we are at home. We need to make that advantage pay.”

Victory over the Hammers would certainly be the best way to limber up for next week’s showdown at Anfield and Leighton Baines has echoed Moyes’ sentiments that Goodison needs to be Everton’s secret weapon.

And though he knows Liverpool remain favourites to finish fourth, the left-back has warned any Doubting Thomases that he and his team-mates will be ready to capitalise if they are given any chances to break up the established order.

“It is a big couple of weeks coming up for us,” Baines acknowledged.

“If we can get six points in the next couple of games everyone will go home happy.

“It is still all to play for and to go to Anfield level would be great.

“Liverpool have got some tough games coming up.

“So as long as we can keep getting points on the board we are still in it.”