DAVID MOYES believes the fate of Sheffield United should act as a warning to Everton FC as his team embark on the road to Wembley this evening.

The Blades visit Goodison Park in a Carling Cup second round tie while still coming to terms with relegation to npower League One in May.

The Yorkshiremen only dropped out of the Barclays Premier League on goal difference just over four years ago, but have since slipped down the leagues to the third tier for the first time in more than 20 years.

With Everton’s financial plight having been laid bare during the past week and the team opening the Premier League season with a 1-0 home defeat to promoted Queens Park Rangers at the weekend, many supporters have started to fear for the club’s long-term future.

And Moyes believes tonight’s clash is a timely reminder of how swiftly fortunes can change if problems are not properly addressed.

“This is a difficult tie, a really difficult tie,” said the Goodison manager. “Sheffield United are a big club in their own right, they will bring a decent support with them and they will see it as an opportunity.

“But it also shows you what can happen. You can be a big club, but if you don’t do things correctly and don’t do things right you can find yourself in League One. It wasn’t too long ago that they were in the Premier League.

“They are a club with a big fan-base who are from a big city, so it can be that things can go quite quickly wrong. I am sure they didn’t plan it to go that way. I’m not sure whether their financial situation had anything to do with it.

“We have to make sure we are not one of the big sides who can quite quickly slip away.

“Everton have been in the top flight for any club as long as I can think of, but we have to be aware that we need to keep working hard.”