MOM Joseph yobo

This time last year a Saturday night use to be full of plenty of ale to celebrate another 1-0 away win, but this season I'm prepared to celebrate with plenty of ale when we just score a goal. So as I slept on Saturday morning in the concrete city of Birmingham where I've lived for the past 25 years I was dreaming of going into work on Monday morning bragging about how my beloved Everton had climbed away from the pits of the premiership and sent them straight to the bottom. Well what can I say other than for the first time in my life I was early for work this morning, there all very quiet.

I enjoy every other Saturday traveling up with my 2 fellow brummie evertonians to watch moyes’ boys, but this year it’s been a strain, but we’ll never stop going NO MATTER WHAT!

1st Half

As the referee blew the whistle at 3pm on Saturday, yes I did say 3pm on a Saturday and not 11:15am or 2pm on a Sunday, the Everton end was in full cry. The game started with a nice bit of football being played by Everton with Van der Meyde making a bright start on his full debut.

You could tell by the early exchanges that both teams were lacking that vital ingredient called confidence. Everton had the better of the play at beginning with a good run down the wing by van der Meyde who was starting to show signs of what we’ve been waiting for. Cahill was the first to go close with a lovely diving header, only for Taylor to dive to his right and turn it around the post.

After around 30 minutes off went Nicky butt who apparently had double vision, he should stay off the vodka the night before a game and on came a young lad called Neil kilkenny who turned out to be there best player, but Everton’s confidence was now growing and as we broke away a cross from van der Meyde landed on James beattie's head at the back post, beattie tried a looping header to the opposite corner only for it to drop agonizingly over the bar.

With half time approaching van der Meyde made a darting run down the left wing, cut inside and fed Simon Davies with every Everton fan in the crowd screaming at him to run with it and shoot he did, didn’t seem like the greatest contact but all of a sudden the net bulged, Miak Taylor in the Birmingham goal had let the ball bounce in front of him and could only help the ball into the net, up jumped Davies in celebration, up jumped moyes off the bench, up jumped the 1500 evertonians into wild celebrations, we scored I cant believe it we scored, id been drinking before the game so I had to double check that I wasn’t dreaming.

Then with only a few moments left jarosik makes a break into the box and takes a tumble all the evertonians held there breathe but correctly nobby styles said correctly no penalty. The ref blew the whistle for half time and as the home crowed booed the traveling army cheered there team off the field.

Joey yobo who had been solid in the first half was limping and I seen Tim Cahill show the team spirit we have been lacking this season by carrying yobo off the pitch.

2nd Half

The half started with Birmingham putting a lot of pressure on us but yobo and weir were solid at the back not letting anything past them. With Beattie running himself into the ground up front and in defence Everton were defending for there lives.

Then nobby stiles gave a very dubious free kick on the edge of our box, as I watched through my fingers who killed Kenny stepped up hit it and as the ball went passed Martyn and hit the post I thought no please no, someone up there heard me as the ball rolled across the goal line and to Arteta who hacked it clear. The game was getting stretched and Everton had chances to bury the game, Beattie should have done better and the big man had a couple of chances that he should have taken.

With only a bit of the game left van der meyde was withdrawn and he got a standing ovation from the Evertonians, he may have tired in the 2nd half but from what we seen I think we’ve got a gem. On comes Kilbane who I think passed the ball more to there players than ours, but for once I'm going to leave him alone, now’s not the time.

The ref blows the final whistle the crowd go barmy Cahill jumps on kilbane and the next thing moyes has made all the players come across and throw there shirts into the crowd, finally we had something to be proud of, finally we can hold our head up high and be proud of our lads.

The team spirit could be seen, Neville who must have been on the pitch after the game for what seemed to be forever was punching the air in delight, you could see on the player’s faces what this result meant to them and us. So finally to sum the day I would say, we got pissed, we scored, we won, were back!

Man of the match has to be Joseph Yobo. He was a rock at the back, also well done to Simon Davies you finally let us see why Moyes wanted you. It may not have been the greatest of games but boy did we enjoy it. (31/10/05)