THE circumstances may have been different. But the feeling that Everton are on the cusp of a new era under David Moyes was impossible to shake.

A first Wembley appearance in 14 years awaits after the Goodison outfit moved a step nearer to ending their long wait for silverware.

Another memorable FA Cup occasion saw Moyes’s side come from behind to defeat Middlesbrough and book their place in the semi-finals for the first time since lifting the trophy in 1995.

This is the 24th time Everton have reached the last four of the competition, a figure bettered only by Manchester United and Arsenal.

Quintuple-chasing United now stand in their way. With Moyes having only outsmarted compatriot Sir Alex Ferguson once in 15 previous meetings, Everton will once again be considered outsiders to progress.

But if this season has demonstrated anything, it’s that there are few teams as adept at overcoming the odds as Moyes’s side.

And the jubilant home supporters who were already planning their trips to the capital next month as they streamed away from Goodison yesterday will not be dissuaded from the growing belief this could be their year.

The last time Everton met Middlesbrough in an FA Cup quarter-final, defeat cost Walter Smith his job with Moyes replacing his fellow Scot four days later. Three goals in seven minutes proved costly that day; this time, two goals in the same period of time salvaged Everton’s Cup dream.

But it required a dressing-room rollocking at half-time from assistant manager Steve Round and a tactical tweak from Moyes to rouse the home side from their slumbers as they threatened to undo their hard work of previous rounds.

Unrecognisable in comparison to the vibrant team that had already swatted aside Liverpool and Aston Villa, Everton were guilty of playing the occasion rather than the opposition.

With his team struggling to impose themselves on the game and having fallen behind to David Wheater’s 44th-minute header, Moyes brought off Jack Rodwell, withdrew Tim Cahill into central midfield and introduced Louis Saha to partner Marouane Fellaini in attack.

It worked. Twelve minutes later, Everton transformed the game with Fellaini equalising before Saha nodded home the winner.

Saha has been restricted to 20-minute cameos as he works his way back to fitness, but the manner in which he pushed himself through the pain barrier to last the full second half epitomised Everton’s desire.

As Moyes admitted afterwards, this was one game where Everton’s lack of a natural striker told before Saha’s inclusion, and keeping the Frenchman fit for next month’s semi-final will be towards the top of the manager’s agenda.

Certainly, having missed out on so many finals during his time at United, Saha will be keen to ensure the boot is on the other foot at Wembley.

Two snapshots encapsulated Everton’s determination, both featuring man of the match Phil Neville.

The first came in the aftermath of Fellaini’s equaliser when the skipper turned towards the Gwladys Street faithful and urged the fans to increase the volume; the second was a bone-shuddering challenge on Matthew Bates that eventually forced the Middlesbrough winger to limp off.

The desperation among a success-starved support for silverware in the competition has been evident from the moment Villa were put to the sword in the previous round.

Yet the nerves that began to build towards kick-off transferred themselves on to the pitch during the opening stages in which Everton, loose in possession and unsure in defence, were a shadow of their recent selves.

It gave Middlesbrough, next to bottom in the Premier League, the necessary encouragement and they enjoyed the better of a tense, scrappy opening 45 minutes.

The visitors’ early dominance almost yielded a goal on 11 minutes when Justin Hoyte released Bates down the right, and the winger’s ball back from the byline was struck wastefully over from 10 yards by the unmarked Jeremie Aliadiere.

Everton’s midfield was in danger of being overrun while Fellaini became far too engrossed in his personal battle with Robert Huth.

Fellaini had good reason to feel aggrieved at some decisions from referee Mark Halsey – indeed, it was uncanny how the fouls awarded against the Middlesbrough defender all came outside the box – but it detracted from his efforts in providing support for a largely isolated Cahill.

When the Belgian did concentrate on his game, he forced Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad Jones into a decent save with a far-post header from Phil Jagielka’s right-wing cross.

But there was little surprise when the visitors went ahead a minute before the break. After a Middlesbrough free-kick was cleared, Bates picked up the loose ball and delivered a fine cross which Wheater, rising above Joseph Yobo, headed powerfully over the line despite the best efforts of Tim Howard to keep the ball out.

Middlesbrough almost doubled their lead moments into the second half when Aliadiere struck Tuncay Sanli’s low pass at Joleon Lescott. It would prove a significant miss.

On 50 minutes, Cahill crossed from the right and Fellaini edged in front of Huth and, with Jones having unwisely advanced, looped a header over the stranded Middlesbrough keeper and into the goal. And seven minutes later the comeback was complete when Steven Pienaar’s left-wing cross was headed in at the far post by Saha.

Middlesbrough had no response. Baines hit the crossbar with a dipping 20-yard free-kick, Leon Osman dragged across the face of goal and Saha saw a shot deflected narrowly wide before firing over a gilt-edged chance in the closing moments.

Howard did cause a few Evertonian hearts to flutter in injury time when he spilled Gary O’Neil’s speculative free-kick, but the visitors were well beaten at the final whistle.

After the post-match press conference, Moyes declined the opportunity to stick around to watch the draw. He knew that whoever his team were paired with, they will not fancy facing an Everton team seemingly hurtling towards their date with destiny.