Although the night would not break any box office records, history was made when Tony Hibbert, captaining his side on the night, made his 20th appearance for the Goodison Park side in Europe, a club record.

Previously held jointly by Brian Labone and Colin Harvey, Hibbert’s landmark is a fitting accolade for a man derided in some circles but a professional player with honesty and dedication.

However as much those at Goodison Park arrived with an air of optimism, it was soon dampened when Rodwell pulled up 10 minutes in having pulled his left hamstring – on a rare evening when Moyes was allowed some breathing space the withdrawal no doubt an annoyance at best.

But persevere, against opponents who were poor in the opening exchanges, they did and there was growing sense Coleman fancied repeating his buccaneering exploits so well executed in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

Sergei Sosnovski though would give a gentle reminder they did not want to end their Europa campaign with a whimper as he leapt free at the back post from a corner, only to misdirect his effort badly back into a crowd of players; Igor Shitov would also blaze over from a set-piece.

Anyone unfamiliar with the ability of goalkeeper Nash were given a first glimpse just past the half hour when he had to be alert to hold onto Aleksandr Volodko’s vicious drive as the visitors began to improve.

Hibbert survived a strong penalty shout after felling Maksim Bordachov before Agard had Everton’s first meaningful attempt moments later, just firing over from the angle.

Sergei Krivets would waste a chance on the turn five minutes before the break as the game slumped from its bright opening into what everyone feared it may become.

On the opposite flank to Coleman was Southport-born Bidwell and together with the anticipated tenacity, he showed remarkable composure on the biggest night of his career to date.

As the crowd trickled back to their seats with the second half already underway, it was Borisov who made the early strides to break the stalemate and in a brief flurry of action Pavel Nekhaychik’s effort was cleared off the line by Duffy.

Borisov’s superior play was rewarded however with 15 minutes remaining when Yurevich’s drive from Sonsovski’s lay-off travelled through a throng of players and past Nash who saw it late.

Everton attempted to stage a late comeback but Jose Baxter’s well hit, but off target, free-kick and Agard’s late misdirected drive were as close as they came.

The 72 travelling fans from Belarus were the ones who went home happy.