ON the night that Everton unveiled a timeline celebrating their glorious past, the current crop set about writing a new chapter in the club's illustrious history in emphatic fashion.
The photographs around the outside of Goodison Park evoke memories of many great days since 1878 but there is room for more.
Chairman Bill Kenwright hopes another instalment will be added next summer and if that's going to happen he knows the Carling Cup represents Everton's best hope of silverware.
For many Premier League clubs this competition is merely an unwelcome distraction but to David Moyes' men it means so much more.
After 15 years without a trophy, the Carling Cup would do nicely and the road to Wembley began in style at Goodison last night.
Everton put the disappointing start to their league campaign firmly behind them as League One side Huddersfield were ruthlessly dispatched with the minimum of fuss.
First half goals from Marouane Fellaini and Jack Rodwell put Everton firmly in the driving seat. John Heitinga's own goal reduced the deficit before the break but in the second half it was one-way traffic.
Jermaine Beckford claimed his first goal for the club from the penalty spot and Everton spurned a second spot-kick when keeper Ian Bennett thwarted Heitinga.
It was awarded after the excellent Seamus Coleman was brought down by former Liverpool defender Lee Peltier, who was dismissed for a second yellow card.
Up against 10 men for the final 20 minutes, Everton ran riot with Louis Saha coming off the bench to slam in the fourth before stand-in skipper Leon Osman headed home late on.
Boss Moyes made six changes following Saturday's draw with Wolves including debuts for two of his summing signings, keeper Jan Mucha and Frenchman Magaye Gueye.
There were also starts for Rodwell, Coleman, Osman and Fellaini as Moyes opted to rest Phil Jagielka, Tony Hibbert, Mikel Arteta, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Tim Howard and Tim Cahill, who were all named among the substitutes.
Mucha arrived this summer on a free transfer from Legia Warsaw and has made no secret of his burning desire to wrestle the tag of Everton number one from Tim Howard.
The Slovakia international, whose inclusion last night ended Howard's run of 109 successive domestic appearances for the club, was swiftly called into action when he had to claw Jamie McCombe's goal-bound header to safety.
It was the wake-up call the home side needed as Everton soon stamped their authority on proceedings.
Their first meaningful attack brought the first goal of the night in the seventh minute. Osman started the move as he swept the ball out to Gueye on the left.
The £1million signing from Strasbourg has impressed Everton's coaching staff since he arrived at Goodison and he showed why as he whipped in the perfect cross for Fellaini to power home a header at the far post.
It was Fellaini's first goal at Goodison since the league win over Wigan in April 2009 and his first since he battled back from a serious ankle injury.
The Belgian midfielder ensured Everton won the physical battle in the middle of the park, allowing those around him to press forward in support of lone frontman Beckford.
It was no surprise when Everton doubled their lead in the 14th minute. Pienaar found Rodwell 25 yards and the England Under-21s skipper worked his way into space before unleashing a low drive past Alex Smithies into the bottom corner.
Pienaar went close to adding a third just after the half hour mark but his strike flew just wide after being teed up by the impressive Fellaini.
