Match Report By Lee Molton

I travelled with BlueKipper yesterday and really enjoyed the day, it was a very well organised trip by BlueKipper thanks very much. Well we have all recovered from our long trek to the Ukraine, well those who are not still travelling back. Firstly, I was amazed how poor the city of Kharkov looked, considering it is in Europe. Their airport was so small looking just like a detached house and could not cope with the 3 flights of Evertonians arriving, they will certainly have to improve the situation for the European Championships in 2012.

We travelled over to Ukraine knowing that we had to score if we had any change of progressing to the UEFA Cup Group Stages. The first half wasn’t a very good performance with Everton giving Metalist far too much space and time on the ball. The crowd was behind them to create a terrific atmosphere along with more than 2,000 travelling Evertonians.

At half-time, Everton were still in the game and needed to score twice to progress. An early goal from our top goalscorer Joleon Lescott got us level – could he be the new Derek Mountfield with scoring 5 goals already. Everton were pressing in midfield better and attacking more, but a few minutes later Metalist scored again. As bad as this was, it didn’t really change anything as we still only needed 1 goal to go through. It is to Everton’s credit that they came back again with a good goal from McFadden. His confidence seems to be high at the moment and he is certainly taking advantage of the absence of Johnson up front. He is also now putting pressure on Yakubu to start scoring goals. It is taking Yakubu a while to settle in to the team and the way we play plus he hasn’t really had a pre-season with them, so encouragement from the fans is needed and not constant critism and barracking during the game. This will do the player no good at all, he will come good in time.

It was great to see Big Vic come on and score at the end to make the game safe, then we could now party and look forward to the Group stages. It is good to see McFadden and Anichebe getting amongst the goals and with Johnson to come back from injury, we certainly have good competition up front. The midfield blend needs to be solved though as Pienaar and Osman are looking off form at the moment, but with Gravesen and Cahill to come back from injury soon we should be ok.

Overall, it was terrific to come from behind twice last night against a capable Metalist side who were certainly no pushovers and Everton should be given a lot of credit for this.

I would like to thank BlueKipper for their good organisation of the day trip and the minor problems were only due to the size of the airport in Kharkov and nothing to do with BlueKipper. I look forward to the next trip with them and let’s hope it is not as far for us to travel. Evertonians should be happy now and look forward to the Group stages. It has been a good season so far with still being in 2 Cup competitions and also 5th in the Premier League. Keep the faith! A Delighted Evertonian. Lee Molton.

Match Report By Andrew James

It's a thankless task being an Everton fan. But it seems to be an even more thankless task being an Everton manager. We might pay to watch them but he gets paid to take a lot of undue and sometimes personal abuse off Everton fans. So tonight I was delighted for Davey more than any other person connected with Everton. Well, maybe the fans who went to Ukraine and Lescott....

We came out and we were overrun in midfield. I saw the line up before and thought it would be okay as long as Jagielka was on his game and Arteta did his Merlin impressions. Sadly the former appeared to be welcoming their runners into our box, giving them room service with bubble baths included. Against a better team we would have been hurt more but fortunately they only managed the one. They took it well and it wasn't looking good.

But whilst we were defending like it was backs against the wall already, our midfield was offering nothing. Osman looked lightweight, Pienaar likewise and Arteta had the dubious honour of being supplied by Neville who kept on thinking Arteta was Andrei Kanchelskis and whacking long balls into space way beyond Mikel.

What about the front men? Yakubu seemed more lively than a fortnight ago and Jimmy Mac was warming to the game. Their supply line was shot away so that they were picking up scraps and the referee didn't seem to like Yakubu's physical prowess.

Half time - it's all or nothing for the second half.

I love it when Everton hit teams in the box like we did soon after the game resumed. We cause absolute pandemonium with our mix of size, power and pace. The new Cahill is Lescott. He is a giant amongst men. He burst in with his usual predatory timing after Pienaar steered the ball goalward once we finally put a few passes together. Joleon's fifth of the season. It's not unthinkable he won't make double figures, a feat not managed by a defender since Derek Mountfield by my reckoning.

But Metalist were well organised and extremely positive in their approach play. The M4 sized hole that gaped through our midfield allowed them time and space before they got a lucky rebound off the post from a shot for their left back bloke to finish smartly past an unimpressed Howard. By now Jagielka was really starting to baffle me. Personally I don't think he's ready for a holding role yet and Carsley should have been on.

It wasn't going well. Our front men were hardly awe inspiring but Enter the Dragon. Victor Anichebe is like Yakubu in that he is Nigerian, okay in the air and strong. He's nothing like Yakubu in that he's quick, energetic, fiery, determined and up for the battle. I for one am a big fan of Vic. He's not naturally gifted as maybe Vaughan is but he doesn't half make up for it with his spirit. As soon as the youngster came on we were a different prospect. He chased lost causes down and suddenly the likes of Arteta were running with the ball and Pienaar was getting forward with pace. Osman was an annoying wasp whenever they attempted getting forward and we were in business. But the goal still had to come.

McFadden. The player derided more than any other attacker under Davey. Tonight was make or break. Those who like him have always been able to point to his rare moments of brilliance to argue he should be an Everton player. Those who dislike him just forget those times and conveniently forget to give him praise when he does come up with the goods. But of late he's come of age. He had his two tester shots in the first half. You sensed the next one might go in. Turning away from the defender about 15 yards out he fired the ball home on his left peg. It was unreal. It shouldn't have been. The wee scamp does this kind of thing for Scotland regularly. But suddenly the game had turned. The four years of waiting for Jimmy Mac to shut the doubters up had arrived.

After that it was still tense. On came Baines the cavalier left back but I'm not sure what the shape was meant to be at this point as Sir Joleon was everywhere. He pounded forwards like a winger before being back to smother their winger out with great shielding to stop a corner. He charged past their men and kept on joining the attack. In fact, I think he has been cloned. There can be no other explanation. He even did a Ronaldo when he dribbled into the area and set up Jimmy Mac before the latter scored his goal later on. The man was immense. He just meets every challenge. He played everywhere, drove on our attack and added some real guts to our often shaky defence.

As the minutes ticked away we knew one goal would turn it. It was horrible to watch. Metalist were dangerous because they could switch defence to attack so swiftly. Now Mikel, Osman and Pienaar were holding tight at the back. Baines was chasing everything. Neville was just going for safety. A long ball was played up for the lonely Vic who had been one against three since our second. Somehow he finally got the bounce and the ref didn't blow as he had done every other time Vic won a challenge. Vic got the rub of the green but still had the keeper and two defenders blocking his path to goal. A little shimmy here, a little shimmy there and he coolly slotted home. I was in disbelief. Shock. Ecstasy. How dare they make it so easy at the end so we knew another goal from them wouldn't matter.

We learned the hard way. AJ, Cahill, Grav and Vaughan to return. Arteta to get stronger. Knock out footie isn't Davey's strong point. But now we enter the group stage. I was delighted for Davey. Some fans called for his head a few weeks ago. I still maintain the board haven't backed him at crucial moments. I still maintain he is a man for our future. It was mixed overall: Jimmy Mac earned his corn with the important goal, Anichebe was a real fighter but Lescott is the man. It made me proud to see the big lad in the shirt tonight. COYB. Andrew James - Don't call me Andy ;0)

Match Report By Martin Hughes

The line-up looked as badly thought out and amateurish as the first-leg, with Moysey opting for a light weight mid-field with no holding player - unless you could class Jagielka as that, given his pathetic Boro display. He was even worse in this game, frequently being caught out of position and caught in possession. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. Even Our Tata wasn't in the game in the first half and when he did get the ball, he either mispassed it or got tackled. They tore us apart for most of the first half and we were lucky to go in at half time only one down. The defence was a shambles and when we did get the ball, it was just hoofed up field only to come back again through the opposition passing. The Yak is looking just like one. Can't head, pass, hold up the ball. He always looks slow and tired. He makes Beattie look good. Another £11m down the drain. Buying for buying numbers sake. Last season, any fool could see we had two good young strikers in Vic & Vaughnie able to play with AJ, with Faddy there as a useful option. His presence on the pitch must annoy the other players and Moysie should bite the bullet and unload him to
Fulham or Darlington where he might get a game. Our gaffer had his work cut out at half time. And fair play to him, we looked better, more likely to score and more energised in the second half. Perhaps the occasion and the nervousness about losing had a negative effect in the first half. All the players had echoed Moysie by saying "this is where we belong and its a game we cannot lose". Therein the tension took hold and most evident until Roger, our top scorer (!), popped up and kneed a Pieman cross into their net after 2 minutes of the restart..

Yet again, they looked threatening going forward and another defensive mix up saw a deflection off the post tapped in to take us 2-1 down. Tim Howard was livid. The Blue hordes were silenced and the Metalists were rumbling in their biggest ever game. You always felt this game had more goals in it and when Moysie finally saw what we had all being seeing for the best part of two matches, off came Jags and on came Victor. The formation seemed to change slightly and we seemed the most likely. Faddy had had a few optimistic long rangers in the first half which got long stares from his teammates, but when he popped up in the box and turned and drilled it into the corner, we suddenly had hope again. The Yak went off for Bainesey and we kept pushing forward. They seemed to sense defeat and when Victor picked up another long ball, he finished comfortably to send us through.

I guess we should learn from this experience, like we didn't from the VillaReal/Bucharest experience two seasons ago. European football is different. They can pass it and they don't like being pressed. Lets play some proper football. At least with AJ, Tiny, the Grav and Vaughnie back, we will have some decent players to take on the challenges of Bayerns and Lazios in the latter stages of the UEFA Cup. We'll need to or else we will be embarrassed. As we very nearly were in this Preliminary Round. Martin Hughes.

Match Report By Adam Partington – Duncans_elbow

So, here I am again, sitting here absolutely bricking it as I am about to watch Everton try and pull something out of the bag. “We have to score, if we score were sound”. So the game gets underway and I’m sweating like I would be if I were in court facing a ten stretch. Nervous, biting my nails, hoping and preying that this will be our night. An early goal should settle us and we would be able to push up and give them a battering. A sloppy ball played by Artea surprises me and then another by our captain Neville, this however doesn’t surprise me. After 15 minutes Timmy Howard is called into action and did well to parry a shot away from there youngster Edmar who looked fantastic for them in the 1st leg.

Everton are all over the place. Then Metalist broke and skipped beside stubbsy and Joey to punish what had been some really poor defending from a highly rated international and a experienced old head like Alan Stubbs. It was Metalist who first took the lead after once again Edmar found his way through the Everton defence to coolly slot the ball into the left corner of the net. With my phone flooding in with texts from mates saying things like “Whats up with your boys to night Ad? Ukrainian bastards” & “Are you sure this is some team from the Ukraine and not The Red Shite in disguise” . I was gutted and already started to think about where we went from here, I wondered if I would ever see my beloved Everton enter the fun and games that is the European group stages.

The first really bright move from the boys in blue, Faddy found the ball out on the right and swiftly planted it over to the in form Stevie Pienaar who then flicked the ball right across the face of the goal and onto a certain Leon Osman’s head but he was short of the mark heading into the arms of Alexandr Goryainov in the sticks. I started to believe that if we were to pull a few chances together like this then surely we could find the net before half time. But again our nervous “school boy” looking defence seemed to crumble under the mighty attack of FC Metalist as they put us under more pressure going into the half. Half Time and now I’m feeling low. I’m being reminded by that kopite that goes by the name of Colin Murry just how poor we have been every five seconds. I’m worried, In fact no that was to nice judging by the way that half has just gone. I’m s**tin my self to be blunt.

2ND Half

And we start with more nervous moments for the travelling blues that have made the 7 hour journey across Europe as Metalist continue to rain down attack on our goal and are really making life difficult for Everton. And then what seemed to be out of nowhere up stepped the number 5 and big Joleon Lescott to head the ball into a confused goal mouth that saw it bounce into the roof of the net. (It remained me of his Goal against Middlesbrough on Sunday.) Get in I’m jumping around my aunties living room like a kid on ecstasy. But like most things, it was short lived as Mealist once again caused problems when Marco Devic hit a shot that asked Timmy Howard more questions than one. A half decent save was made however the ball bounced off the post and into the feet of ex -Coventry player Mustapha Hadji look-a-like Hitcham Mahdoufi.

He could not missed and bagged the home teams 2nd goal of the night. Four Minutes is all it took for them to break Everton’s hold. FOUR MINUTES! I couldn’t believe and like every other blue nose across the land and I waned to bottle our team bar one or two. We needed the character of Everton, we needed to pick our self’s up but I couldn’t see it. The crowd were behind them however I felt like I could hear the “moans and the groans” from the travelling scousers.

A few wise substitution’s from moyes saw the introduction of Leighton Baines for the struggling Yakubu and Jags for the future Everton legend that is Victor Anichebe. 72 minutes gone in the Ukraine and now I am getting worried but I’m hoping that we can pull together and find something from somewhere for those fans that have travelled so far. We did when Big Bad Vic released Faddy as he swept the ball home after a quick turn and shot just inside the box. I’m now jumping all over the place, my aunties dogs chasing me everywhere as I dance around the living room with my bottle of Magners in one hand and my fist clutching air!

And then the final nail in the coffin for Metalist, when Victor was given an easy chance after a mistake by their Cameroon full back “Papa Guie” as he headed a shoddy half hearted ball back to his keeper. Vic was onto it like a “dog on heat”. He twisted and turned until he banged a quick fire shot that took a slight deflection on the way in. I’m over the moon, I get to see Everton in Europe. Properly. Game over. Done the “Everton Way”…. Make life as hard as F**K for your self! But I wouldn’t have it any other way. ;-) Adam Partington – Duncans_elbow

Moyesy says: I am delighted for the players and for myself. I really want to play regularly in Europe and it is proving tough even to get through the first round. They were a really good team and I'm delighted with the result. We knew they were a good team and things change. The game was difficult at home. We should have done better at home. They made it really hard for us tonight and we're delighted to get the win."

Big Vic says: "The most special moment in my career was scoring my first Premier League goal against West Brom. That set me off. But I have dreamt about scoring a goal like this for such a long time. I can’t even describe my feelings. Hopefully now I can kick on. It gives me so much belief. I’ve got to try and forget about it now though," he said. "Other people could just rest on this but I won’t. No chance. I need to use this as the thing that pushes me forward a bit more."(05/10/07)

* As the second goal went in, cue bedlam. Sausage fell four rows in front of himself with a few of the lads. We are jumping up and down as the hairy headed one sat it out wondering whether he had lost a rib or two.

* Jimmy Martin (kit man) in the Square pre match with his video camera filming the fans fun. Moyesy had sent him to film the singing fans in the City Centre to inspire the players before the match. The Yak obviously must have been having a shit at the time of the video being shown.

* I sincerely hope that Moyes' Villareal garb is not in that suit carrier! please say it isnt so!

*A plane load of Blue Kipper's are on the way Kharkiv to join the estimated 1500 fans cheering EBEPTOH on. Sausage says: "Do yer think that Pink Vodka is for tarts?"

* I'm in a confident mood, 2-1 everton, Yak with the first & pienaar wading in with the second. Cheers. PC

* Everton to win 2-0 goals from Yakubu. Miller.

* Goals from Lescott and AJ in a 2-1 win for Everton. Boycey.

* 2-2 Everton to go through. Arteta and Neville to score. Brian.

* What a game! Saw it live from the internet with the thanks of wai khim....(game only came on at 3am with 15mins play time gone). First half was crap by Everton, horrible midfield and suicidal defending, than 2nd half was so much better. Although we got the equaliser in the 2nd half thru some neat play, they strike again than Mcfadden with a beauty goal to make it 2-2!!. Finally on the 89 th min Victor Anichebe capitalise on a defensive mistake and slotted home the Winner to make it 3-2 !! Cheers. Kelvin.

* That is without doubt the worse Everton performance I have ever had the misfortune to witness. Moyes has now shown himself totally incapable of changing tactics when a game plan is not working. 3 midfield players all 5foot 7inches tall and not a ball played along the floor to them by the back four. Yobo left stranded time after time. Why oh why did Moyes pursue Jagielka for so long because on that performance he wouldn't even make the bench on my under 13's team. Leighton must be wondering what the fuck he is doing wrong to have that donkey played in front of him. Metalist 1 Moyes clueless. Joeverton

* Let's enjoy the moment - we're through to the group stage! However, let's not forget (when those 1500 absolutely superb fans return home!) that we were very, very fortunate tonight. If we play like this against decent European opposition, we'll get scalped (credit to Metallist and their competent, busy performance)! A lousy defensive display (did they know each other?), a lightweight midfield who were overrun most of the time, players who can't seem to pass and hold the ball, and an initial strike force (Vic excused, obviously) who didn't get service, but didn't do much with it when they had it! But a couple of pieces of brilliance and we're through.....enjoy, enjoy, enjoy....but let's learn some serious lessons tonight for the rest of the season - both Moyes and the players! David - you got a 'Get Out of Jail Card' Tonight. Don't expect too many more! COYB! Paddock Boy

* Well done BLUE BOYS what a night thought it was curtains yet again but we did it. Just like to say though can anyone understand DM'S tactics
because I can't. Yak is total cak. What a lazy barsteward and to me a panic buy and I said that from the start. The sooner Vaughany gets fit
the better. Should call Yobo the aborigine because he always goes walkabout, never mind though few more European nights. NEIL BRIMAGE.

Apart from long term absentee's, in The Grav, Tiny and Vaughny all off Everton's first team squad have traveled to the Ukraine for our do or die match against Metalist. Moyesy's poser is what formation to start with after he was outfoxed in the home leg. Does he go 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 5-2-3, 3-5-2 or 2-6-2. Whatever formation he goes with, we need a goal, or it is back to the drawing board were Europe is concerned. Harry Hill will return after his blow at the weekend, with the Jag maybe dipping out after his ineffectual display against Boro'.

AJ and Leon will take late fitness tests, and me thinks Moyesy will stick with the experience of Stubbsey at the back. If AJ does make it, don't be surprised top see a five man midfield, with the Blues reverting back to their tried and trusted formation. Good luck, and I will try and stay off the vodka out there, promise !!

Moyesy says: "I think it is what British players thrive on, big crowds and big atmospheres. It is something I look forward to and I think it will help Everton. We were impressed by some of their performances at Goodison and we will give them total respect. Hopefully we will have a good game but with a positive outcome for Everton.

Both players (AJ and Leon) will hopefully do some light training this evening and we will assess them tomorrow. We go into the game with a lot of confidence after the last two wins. We hope to continue, We are pleased with the last couple of results and we are hoping to keep that going. Considering what is at stake I still don't consider this the biggest game I have been involved with as Everton manager.

Lavos XI To Start: Howard, Baines, Stubbs, Lescott, Hibbert, Neville, Arteta, Carsley, Pienaar, McFadden, Johnson

Everton from: Tim Howard, Stefan Wessels, John Ruddy, Tony Hibbert, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville, Joleon Lescott, Joseph Yobo, Alan Stubbs, Nuno Valente, Leighton Baines, Leon Osman, Mikel Arteta, Lee Carsley, Steven Pienaar, Bjarni Vidarsson, James McFadden, Andrew Johnson, Yakubu, Victor Anichebe, Lukas Jutkiewicz.

IF ANY EVERTON FAN WANTS TO WRITE A REPORT OF ANY OF THIS SEASON'S GAMES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO. JUST E-MAIL IT TO info@bluekipper.com AND WE WILL PUT IT ON THE SITE.

Kharkiv will be without defenders Seweryn Gancarczyk and Olexandr Babych, who were sent off at Goodison Park. Apart from that they look a nippy side, who I know jack shit about apart from that fateful Goodison night two weeks ago.

Mentalists from: Even If I wrote their names you would not know them anyway.

Info On Kharkiv If Like Us Loons You Are Going Out There / Ist Leg