PHIL NEVILLE believes the opening day defeat at Blackburn will provide the short, sharp shock Everton need to get the new season up and running.

A rare Tim Howard mistake allowed Croatian striker Nikola Kalinic to capitalise and hand Rovers all three points at Ewood Park on Saturday.

Neville refused to point the finger at Howard but instead held everybody accountable for a lacklustre team performance in which Everton rarely threatened.

Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson was largely untroubled until the final moments when he made an excellent double save from Phil Jagielka and substitute Jack Rodwell.

Everton manager David Moyes was able to pick his team from a fully fit squad but the display failed to live up to the expectation placed on the Toffees coming into the season.

Afterwards, Neville made a rallying call to his teammates, who he insists will bounce back from this disappointment.

“It was probably a kick up the backside for us,” said the Everton captain.

“We’ve got good players. We’re a good team and are better than what we’ve shown today. We’ll prove that. There is a lot of hunger in that dressing room.

“You want to start the season well, with a victory or a good result, and today has been a kick in the teeth.

“We know that Monday morning we will be back on that training ground and putting right what we didn’t do today.

“We are not far away. It’s that last 10 or 15 per cent that is the hardest but it’s something we are more than capable of achieving.”