Boss Kieran McKenna says motivating his players isn’t a problem despite the Blues’ relegation having been confirmed with the squad desperate to play in Premier League games such as Saturday’s visit to Goodison Park, Everton’s penultimate fixture at the ground that has been their home since 1892.

Town’s drop back into the Championship after one season was finally confirmed by last week’s 3-0 loss at Newcastle, although in truth the Blues had been all but down for a number of weeks, certainly since Wolves, for most of the season the side in 17th, won 2-1 at Portman Road a month ago.


Despite knowing that their remaining four matches are in effect dead rubbers, McKenna says there’s no lack of enthusiasm in his squad.

“Motivation is not a problem,” he said. “The boys have all got, even on an individual level, their own motivation. They’re all desperate to get on a pitch, they're all desperate to go and play another Premier League game, to get another appearance in the league, to go and compete at Goodison Park against an established Premier League side. So motivation isn't a problem.

“Availability is a problem, as I've said probably once or twice. And bringing the group together with a common cause going into the game is probably where a little bit of your work is. Everybody really wants to play. 

“We're all selfish creatures, everyone wants to play and do well for themselves. But just pulling the group together to what the reality of the game will be, how we have to approach it as a team, what's going to be the right thing for the team come three o'clock on Saturday, I think that's where the challenge is.

“But I trust the players and the people that we have in the group that it'll be a really united group come three o'clock on Saturday and on whatever your individual motivation is, everyone knows that they've got to put that to the common goal of the team, which is to go there and compete as well as we can.”

Asked whether his team can play with more freedom now that they’re down, McKenna said: “We'll try, we’ll try in terms of getting a win. In terms of freedom, possibly. But you never really like that phrase as a coach because if more freedom made us win more games, then we would have played with more freedom right away through the season. So I don't think it's about that.

“We know that the result doesn't change our outcome at the end of the season, but we also know that some positive results in the last four games could also change the feeling for the supporters of how they're going to the summer, and that's what we're going to try and deliver them.

“We know that there's two teams looking for a result on Saturday and everyone will have a big motivation as well and a big push behind them.

“I think if we played any other team in the Premier League at the moment with the availability challenges that we have, the perspective of the game would be very different and Everton is the same as that.

“So we know we're going there and we're going to have to work really, really hard to compete.”

David Moyes returned to Everton in January, 12 years after the end of his previous 11-year spell in charge. At the time they were 16th, only a point off the relegation zone, and although they are now only one place higher, they are 17 points ahead of Town in 18th.

McKenna says the length of time Moyes has been managing at the top level is very impressive.

“It's hard not to admire,” he reflected. “I think you certainly admire it. I think it's becoming less common, and probably will be less common, to have a career of that longevity at the highest levels of the game.

“So, big credit to him. He's been through such a range of experiences and done a good job at so many of the clubs that he's been at and he is doing a good job now at Everton.

“I've had a few chats with him before and he's a good man, and he's proven to be a very good manager.”

Regarding what to expect of the game McKenna added: “We expect a tough match, no doubt about that. They've been really stable since he went in there. Not lost many games, don't give up too many big chances. Their strengths are clear, they had them anyway because they've got good players. 

“They've got really, really physically powerful players and they're strong in both boxes. That's been consistently there for a while now, but they've also added some quality as well.

“We know the context of playing at Goodison and I'm sure they're going to be desperate to finish off their home games well there. I remember a similar sort of scenario at Tottenham in the last few games of White Hart Lane, which I was in and around.

“I remember what the atmosphere was like and everyone's really, really determined to finish on a big high.

“We know they're going to want it to be a party atmosphere and a big game and big performance for them. We've got to go and try and stand up to that and try and make sure that's not the case.”

The Toffees have only one more game to play at Goodison Park after the Town match, against Southampton in a fortnight, before they decamp to the new 55,000-seat Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season.

Saturday’s match has been designated a dedicated Supporters’ Day with the 1878s fans' group designing banners for all four sides of the ground as a visual tribute, while there will also be a tifo display in the Sir Philip Carter Park Stand and ticker tape thrown as the players emerge from the tunnel.

Everton's home form this season hasn't been hugely impressive, winning four, drawing eight and losing five. They are without a win at Goodison in five in the league and six in all competitions stretching back to the start of February. However, aside from the FA Cup defeat to Bournemouth, their only defeat in that run was the 2-0 loss to Man City a fortnight ago. Last week they were beaten 1-0 at Chelsea.

McKenna says he enjoyed visiting Goodison Park when on the staff at Manchester United.

“It's always a good atmosphere,” he recalled. “The crowd’s right on top of you. The dugouts are right on top of the pitch as well, so it's a proper English football atmosphere.

“You do miss some of those stadiums as they sort of filter out to the more modern stadiums, but I believe they've tried to keep the atmosphere as best they can in terms of what a new modern stadium will give.

“I'm sure they're working on that because it's been a very good atmosphere there and it's always a challenge for the away team, but it's also a really good place to win.

“Thankfully, I have a few times and it's a nice one to go and win so, hopefully, that will be the case.”

However, McKenna isn’t particularly bothered by being one of the last managers to claim a win at the old stadium.

“Not a lot, as I haven't thought of it in terms of that context,” he said. “It would mean a lot to win the game for our supporters tomorrow. It would mean an awful lot.

“It would mean an awful lot to finish the last four games well and to beat a fully motivated and strong Everton side at Goodison Park would be a really good achievement for the club.

“In terms of the club trying to be the last team that wins there or anything like that, that's not big into our thoughts.

“More the fact that we know that's going to give them an extra push, and we're going to have to stand up even stronger.”

Adding to McKenna’s challenge this weekend is the lack of availability with players injured and suspended.

The Northern Irishman was asked whether he enjoys having to think outside the box as he puts together a team and a game plan in these situations.

“I think enjoyment's the wrong word,” he considered. “But there's definitely a different sort of challenge there, so if you take last week, for example, we've gone to Newcastle, whose last two games previously at home, they were 4-0 up at half-time to Crystal Palace and beat Man United 4-1 and could have been double that.

“And we went there and had to play four centre-halves across the backline, two centre-halves at full-back, Jacob Greaves, who's not really ever played there, maybe one or two times at Hull, but more as an inverted full-back, not really played that role.

“Jack Taylor was making his first away start in the league since, if I'm wrong, Middlesbrough in the Championship about 16 months before that and a load of different challenges, and not a fully available subs’ bench and people on the bench who weren't even available.

“So when you have a challenge like that, it does test you a little bit differently and you have to think differently and you have to set up differently from how we would like to set up, and the way that we believe is the way to keep taking the club forward.

“But it's a different sort of challenge as a manager and a staff and you have to transmit that to the players. 

“That's why the red card was frustrating because for 37 minutes we did a pretty good job of that and really frustrated the opponent and had enough moments and didn't give too much away.

“It's not how I particularly enjoy setting up and it's not how we've been successful and it's not the base of how we'll be successful in the future.

“But having real problems with availability and having to move people out of position and have people playing who maybe aren't even fully fit, having to find a way to be adaptable within that is a different challenge that we've had at times this season and I think we'll all be stronger for it.”

The Team

Given those availability problems, McKenna has said there will be a lot of late calls regarding fitness.

Two players who definitely aren’t available are Leif Davis, who is serving the second game of a three-match ban for his red card against Arsenal, and Ben Johnson, who misses one for his dismissal at Newcastle.

Alex Palmer will be in goal with Axel Tuanzebe perhaps returning at right-back having been left out at St James’ Park with McKenna explaining that the DR Congo international was being protected having played a lot of football since returning from his hamstring injury.

If that’s the case, Dara O’Shea will move into the middle alongside Cameron Burgess with Luke Woolfenden dropping to the bench.

Conor Townsend, who missed the trip to the North-East with a hamstring injury, seems unlikely to be back and so Greaves will again probably be at left-back.

Jens Cajuste, who was on the bench at Newcastle as his ongoing knee issue was managed, could return to the centre of midfield alongside skipper Sam Morsy with Jack Taylor among the subs.

Omari Hutchinson was in the 20 at St James’ Park but with McKenna admitting afterwards the England U21 international wasn’t fit following his hamstring injury. However, another week on, the former Chelsea man may well be ready to return to the XI on the right of the three ahead of the double pivot in place of Johnson.

Julio Enciso looks set to continue in the middle with Jack Clarke on the left, assuming Nathan Broadhead isn’t yet ready to return. If Hutchinson isn’t able to start, then Conor Chaplin could start in the centre with Enciso moving to the right.

Liam Delap, who was back in the XI at Newcastle following his rib injury, is again set to be the number nine.

Given the injury situation, youngsters Somto Boniface and Tommy Taylor may well be on the bench again as they were last weekend.

History

Historically, Everton have the edge, Town having won 15 games between the sides (14 in the league), the Toffees 26 (21) and 19 (18) having ended in draws.

At Portman Road in October, first-half goals from Iliman Ndiaye and Michael Keane saw Everton to a 2-0 victory.

The Toffees netted on 17 and 40 as Town, who had a penalty awarded for a foul on Jack Clarke but then denied following a VAR check, put in disappointing display and never looked like getting back into the game.

The teams last met at Goodison Park in February 2002 when a Matt Holland free-kick just before the break gave Town the points as the Blues put in a battling performance to hold on to a one-goal lead, taking them up to 12th in the Premier League in the process, the high point in the 2001/02 relegation campaign.

Sixto Peralta had put Town ahead in the 10th minute before future Blues loanee David Unsworth levelled with a disputed penalty.

The second half saw a fine performance from the Blues’ defence with John McGreal and Mark Venus outstanding.

Town also won their previous game at Goodison Park, a 3-0 success early in the 2000/01 campaign, a result and performance which gave an indication of the impressive season to come.

However, prior to that, the Blues were without a win in nine in all competitions on Everton territory, stretching back to a 3-2 win under Sir Bobby Robson in the League Cup in January 1982.

Familiar Faces

Blues forward Broadhead joined Everton aged 10 and was with them until joining Town in January 2023. The Wales international made only two sub appearances for the Toffees, one in the Premier League.

Everton’s third-choice keeper Asmir Begovic, now 37, was on loan with the Blues for nearly two months in the first half of 2009/10. The Bosnian international rejoined Everton last summer after a season at QPR.

Striker Armando Broja came close to signing for the Blues on loan from Chelsea in the close season before an achilles issue emerged from his medical.

Town tried to renegotiate the deal given the problem which at the time was expected to keep the 23-year-old out for around seven weeks, but the move broke down and the Albanian international eventually joined the Toffees on deadline day. He has made four starts and seven sub appearances this season.

The Merseysiders showed interest in Blues central defender Greaves over the summer, apparently seeing the former Hull City man as a potential replacement for reported Manchester United target Jarrad Branthwaite.

Visitors skipper Seamus Coleman came very close to joining the Blues before he signed for Everton back in January 2009.

Town boss Jim Magilton had agreed a £50,000 fee with Sligo Rovers for the right-back before Everton, in the Premier League with Town at the time in the Championship, swooped.

Officials

Saturday’s referee is Lewis Smith, his assistants Nick Hopton and Marc Perry, and the fourth official Anthony Taylor. The VAR is Paul Tierney and his assistant Eddie Smart.

The Lancashire-based official has shown 160 yellow cards and five yellow cards in 48 games in all competitions this season.

Smith’s most recent Town game was the 4-3 defeat at Brentford in October in which he booked Davis and showed Harry Clarke two yellow cards and then a red with both having an element of controversy, the first leading to a penalty given by VAR with the challenge appearing to have started outside the area and the second when the defender, who was making his first Premier League start, had clearly won the ball.

Smith also took charge of the Blues in the 1-1 home draw with Fulham in which he cautioned Morsy, Ali Al-Hamadi and three Cottagers.

Coincidentally, Smith also refereed the previous meeting between the Blues and Whites, in the Carabao Cup tie last season, in which he booked Marcus Harness, Jack Taylor and three of the visitors.

Smith’s only previous Town match prior to last season’s meeting with the Cottagers was the second-round Carabao Cup tie at Reading a couple of months earlier, which the Blues won 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

George Edmundson, Lee Evans, Cameron Humphreys and two home players were cautioned during that fixture.

Squad From

Palmer, Walton, Slicker, Tuanzebe, Boniface, Godfrey, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Greaves, Morsy, Cajuste, Luongo, J Taylor, Clarke, Hutchinson, Enciso, Chaplin, T Taylor, Delap, Hirst.

TWTD

Northstandveteran added 18:44 - May 1 Well, we ruined Brian Clough's send off at Portman road, our friends up the road spoiled the Spion Kopps last stand, let's remind Everyone that they're really not up to much. We won't mention Kevin Keegan's England losing to the Germans before Wembley was redeveloped. I got soaked that day.
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victorysquad added 21:12 - May 1 We are travelling up for the three points, lets finish strong and make ourselves heard
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TimmyH added 22:01 - May 1 I wonder who'll get sent of this week?
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TimmyH added 22:01 - May 1 'off'
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