IT wasn’t too long ago that a late equaliser would have been met with widespread euphoria at Goodison. Yet any elation at the weekend among the Blue faithful was soon surpassed by relief that quickly made way for an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

That their Wolverhampton Wanderers counterparts headed home with similar disgruntlement said much about an afternoon in which the fears of David Moyes again rang worryingly true.

The Everton manager has made no secret of the concern his team were not properly prepared for the start of the new campaign.

A strong revival after the opening missteps against Arsenal and Burnley had perhaps lulled many into a false sense of security, but the performances that have bookended this month’s international break demonstrate Moyes’s anxiety as being well placed.

Saturday’s game began a spell of seven games in 23 days that will do much to shape the remainder of Everton’s season, with forthcoming engagements including a Europa League double header against Benfica and a Carling Cup trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

Moyes had already admitted his injury-hampered squad faces a huge challenge to cope with such a gruelling schedule.

But it seems the team are also yet to come to terms with the increased levels of expectation that their progress over the past 18 months has engendered.

How else to explain the jeers that rang out at half-time at the weekend following a dismal first-half performance, with even the final whistle eliciting a few grumbles from sections of the home crowd.

Small wonder. As against Stoke City a fortnight ago, Everton struggled to find their rhythm against supposedly inferior opposition and fell behind before salvaging a point.

For a team whose stated ambition is of at least replicating the fifth-placed finish of the previous two seasons, this is not good enough, the stony face of Moyes when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov sidefooted Everton back on level terms with just two minutes remaining speaking volumes.

There remains much room for improvement. Indeed, Moyes believes it will take longer for the Goodison outfit to regain their top form compared to the previous campaign, when another slow start was followed by an impressive recovery.

With Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa all threatening stronger challenges than last season, it’s unlikely Everton will be given the same leeway as 12 months earlier to climb back into the European qualification places.

But with none of the long-term absentees expected to be available until after the latest raft of fixtures, Moyes must continue making do with the resources at his disposal.

It has meant much has rested on the shoulders of young Jack Rodwell in central midfield, the 18-year-old having appeared in all bar one of Everton’s games this season. Too much, admits Moyes. Understandably, that burden has started to weigh heavily on the teenager and he was a peripheral presence on Saturday, underlining why his manager regards talk of a possible place in England’s World Cup finals squad next summer as wildly premature.

But Moyes claims there has simply been no opportunity to take Rodwell out of the firing line, leaving the youngster to do his growing up in the glare of the Premier League spotlight.