JERMAINE BECKFORD will be back among old friends this afternoon. But it’s with his new colleagues that David Moyes is determined for the striker to prosper.

Beckford will be given a warm welcome at one of his former stomping grounds when Everton visit npower Championship strugglers Scunthorpe United in their FA Cup third round tie.

The 27-year-old spent five months on loan at Glanford Park from Leeds United back in the first half of 2007, scoring eight goals in 18 appearances to help the Iron win the League One championship and promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in 43 years.

Such exploits persuaded Leeds to give Beckford more first-team opportunities at Elland Road, the success of which brought him to the attention of Everton last year when they completed a free transfer for the forward in the summer.

Despite a number of important goals – notably late equalisers against Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea – Beckford has not yet quite managed to make the leap from League One to the Premier League.

But having been given a starting role in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, the forward will be given another opportunity today with Moyes hopeful he can prove his worth to the travelling supporters.

"Jermaine has probably been no different to some of the other boys we have brought from the lower leagues," says the Goodison manager. "It takes time to settle, it took Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka time to settle, so it can be like that.

"What you have to pick up is the level of the training and the speed of the game. You have to keep improving your own personal games as you are going along and when you get your opportunities in the first team you have to show what you can do.

"Jermaine will start on Saturday. He did okay on Wednesday and was part of a winning team. I want to give him a chance and see if the supporters can make a decision about him."

The win over Tottenham was further evidence of Everton’s ability to compete with the leading teams this season, but only a cursory glance through recent FA Cup history is enough to suggest the Goodison outfit cannot rest on their laurels this afternoon.

Oldham Athletic and, most notably, Shrewsbury Town provided notable black days in Moyes’s reign, while the Carling Cup elimination at Brentford earlier this season suggests lower league teams continue to cause problems.

Scunthorpe, who sit next-to-bottom in the Championship, have lost their last six home games, but can expect a full house at their intimate 9,500-capacity stadium.

And Moyes knows what to expect from Ian Baraclough’s men. "I have been in the Championship before I came to Everton so I have got an idea about Scunthorpe," he says. "They have come through the leagues and have done really well.

"I know they are struggling a bit at the moment but I could tell you stories about Shrewsbury Town and other games we have lost, so I never take any game lightly and I certainly wouldn't take Scunthorpe lightly.

"I have been in Ian Baraclough’s position against the bigger sides when it’s a no-lose situation.