‘EVERTONIANS are born not manufactured’, declares a sign on Goodison’s Gwladys Street stand.

While that proud statement may be true of the fans that occupy the terraces, Everton could claim to have created a manfacturing line of Premier League footballers.

And Saturday’s game against Wigan showed how the Blues could survive without a billionaire owner.

Apostolos Vellios superbly taken goal has catapulted him into the Goodison spotlight, with fans hoping he can emerge as this season’s Seamus Coleman-style discovery.

The £50,000 purchase from a second division Greek outfit already looks like another shrewd bargain buy from Moyes, in a squad that highlights Everton’s ability to make players reach their potential.

Homegrown, youth team graduates have become a trademark at Goodison in the last ten years. And the production line shows no sign of letting up with the emergence of Ross Barkley this season – and striker Conor McAleny expected to follow in his footsteps to the first team.

But it is Moyes’ signings of bargain buys like Coleman, Magaye Gueye, Cahill and Vellios that has allowed cash-strapped Everton to compete way above their financial range.

Scoring on Saturday means the Greek has probably already repaid his absurdly low transfer fee – and it’s not often you can say that in the Premier League era.

The upsurge of optimism around Goodison was infectious on Saturday night, with most now agreeing that Everton have done the impossible and made a half-decent start to the season.

But that upbeat outlook could soon be banished if the Blues make their customary early exit in the Carling Cup tonight.

A home game against a struggling West Brom would be an almost guaranteed three points if this were a league fixture, but Everton’s record in the cups is so abysmal under Moyes nothing can be taken for granted.

In whatever guise it has taken, the League Cup has not been a competition that Everton have enjoyed.

The Blues have never won it, lost two finals and, under Moyes, were swept aside by Chelsea in a semi-final second-leg.

Given the choice of sustaining the fine start in the Premier League or burdening a fragile squad with more games, Moyes would almost certainly plump for the former.

After all, no-one wants to fall into the trap that Birmingham City did last year.

But a Carling Cup run could give Blues fans a much needed pre-Christmas boost as well as the opportunity to blood more of the talented youngsters under wraps at Goodison.