Clean sheets key for Everton FC defender Lucas Neill

26 October 2009 09:00
LUCAS NEILL created a couple of goals on his Premier League debut for Everton yesterday.[LNB]But the Australian defender says he'd happily swap a clean sheet for his assister act II.[LNB]Neill played passes that created goals for Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini, but the Blues still lost out 3-2 at Bolton.[LNB]And afterwards he said: 'I made an impact, but as a defender I pride myself on clean sheets and that's taken the gloss off it today.[LNB]'But if I can keep chipping in with a couple of assists every game or so I'm sure we're in for a positive season. We've just got to keep things tight at the back.[LNB]'We got off to a start that wasn't to plan, but showed good character to get back into the game and I suppose the feeling then was that we were going to go on to win it, but a little bit of naivety and a couple of simple errors and you get punished at this level.[LNB]'What happened today is something we'll analyse and make sure it doesn't happen again.'[LNB]Neill admitted that manager David Moyes had issued some harsh words in the dressing room but added: 'Rightly so. But we'll take it on the chin. It was done in a positive way and there's a game coming up very quickly to try and put it right.[LNB]'It's a tough game but one that we want to win to get further in the cup.[LNB]'We're just on a run at the moment where mistakes are proving very costly and it's only a matter of time before a bit of hard work turns that all around, the losses become draws and the draws become wins.'[LNB]Neill made his debut after yet more injuries - this time Yakubu with a bruised heel and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov with a thihg strain - took Everton's tally of walking wounded to 11.

Source: Liverpool_Echo