EVERTON striker Andrew Johnson is unconcerned by the team’s current barren run in front of goal.
David Moyes’s side drew a third successive blank on Saturday when Johnson’s 85th-minute ‘goal’ was controversially disallowed against Blackburn Rovers.
The 0-0 stalemate at Ewood Park followed another goalless draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday while Everton lost 1-0 at home to Chelsea in their Carling Cup semi-final second leg a week earlier.
Everton host Reading at Goodison Park on Saturday with the Royals having conceded 33 goals in 12 away games this season – the worst total in the Premier League – and 52 overall in 25 games which is joint worst with bottom club Derby.
Johnson remains unconcerned by his team’s recent lean streak in front of goal which he believes has been tempered by Everton’s excellent defensive form with Moyes’s men keeping four clean sheets in their last five Premier League outings.
He said: “We have been creating chances and I missed a good chance against Tottenham, Manny missed a chance against Blackburn and we have been unlucky with the goal that was disallowed.
“But you can’t score every single game – it goes in roundabouts and the main thing is that we have been keeping clean sheets.
“The defence have been fantastic for the last three or four games.”
Having now been able to re-examine his disallowed effort at Blackburn on video, Johnson remains more adamant than ever that his strike should have been allowed to count for what would have been his seventh goal of the season.
He said: “As soon as I saw Vaughany chase it down – I held my run and he put it across.
“We looked at the video and it shows there are four people keeping us onside.
“It happens in football and it is disappointing because I feel we should have taken three points.
“The boys feel a little bit hard done by and maybe we could have had a penalty as well.”
Johnson added: “We had a good chance with Manny so I feel we had the upper hand of the game.
“They put us under a little bit of pressure towards the end when Benni (McCarthy) came on – I thought he caused us a few problems but overall I feel like we have lost two points.”
Johnson believes that Everton’s supporters can have a big part to play in the team’s push for a Champions League place after they turned out in great numbers at Ewood Park on Saturday.
In contrast to the masses of empty seats in the home end, Everton filled the Darwen End with 8,000 travelling fans.
Johnson said: “The fans are always fantastic – home and away.
“Away they always travel in thousands and they were brilliant at Blackburn.
“ If they keep being like that which I am sure they will, we will be right up there.”
Meanwhile, Everton are hoping that their physios will be able to assess Steven Pienaar’s fitness with the South African expected back from the African Cup of Nations today.
Reports suggested that the midfielder could be carrying a serious ankle injury that could keep him out for three weeks but Goodison Park officials want to assess the extent of the problem themselves.
Nigerian pair Joseph Yobo and Ayegbeni Yakubu are also set to return to Finch Farm today after their elimination in Ghana.
