Everton V Newcastle at Goodison Park : Match Preview

12 May 2012 13:31
Moyes ready for the beach.

Everton boss David Moyes has enjoyed his side's late-season charge but is looking forward to his summer break. The Toffees made their seemingly now customary slow start to the campaign and were just a point above the bottom three of the Barclays Premier League at the start of November. But after more than two years of frustration in the transfer market due to financial restrictions, Moyes was allowed some flexibility in January and changed the momentum of the season with some shrewd signings. The Merseysiders can now finish no higher than their current seventh position but are in good spirits as they wrap up their programme at home to Newcastle. Moyes said: "We beat Manchester City 1-0 here in January. That was memorable because it was also the night we brought in Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar. "The momentum started to build for us from then, so that would be the pick for me this season. "I have been really pleased with how the players have played and how they have gone since then. "We have had one or two disappointing results, but tell me any club that hasn't. "We've certainly played well, played much better than we did in the first half of the season. "But I am looking forward to the break and I think nearly all the managers will be. "We are in good form - we have been playing well - but we have all been at it for 10 months now." Moyes is not allowing thoughts to drift off towards holidays too soon. He wants to end the season on a high for supporters and there is also the motivation - although he has not admitted it - of finishing higher than rivals Liverpool. The Scot said: "We want to try to finish in good form. We are not looking at this is our last game of the season, we are looking at it as another game and we just have to try to win it. "I hope there wouldn't be any motivation needed - it is a big game. "It is an important game and we want to try to take three points if we can. "I have never been that comfortable going round the pitch at the end of the season if you don't have anything to show for it, but it is an appreciation of the people who have paid their money throughout the year to come and support the team. "So, we will certainly do that." Everton hope to have Leighton Baines back after a month out with a groin injury while Darron Gibson and Phil Neville could also return.

Tim Krul would have told anyone who suggested Newcastle would head into the last day of the season with Champions League football still up for grabs that they were mad. The Holland international embarked on the campaign having been installed as Alan Pardew's number one and intent on improving upon the 12th-place finish the Magpies had secured at the end of the first term back in the Barclays Premier League. But they will run out at Everton knowing they can finish no lower than fifth no matter what happens and, if they can win at Goodison Park, they could yet snatch even third place from current occupants Arsenal and a dream ticket to Europe's biggest table. Krul said: "It's a really important game and the chance of a lifetime. Hopefully one of the other teams, Arsenal or Tottenham, will drop some points and we could be there. "To say that with one game to go is something special. Finishing above Chelsea and Liverpool - if you had said that at the start of the season, people would have said you were mad. "I would have said you were mad, so that shows you what a fantastic season we have had and we can be proud of that. "That gives us more confidence to go to Everton and prove how good we are." Krul is adamant he and his team-mates must leave the pitch at Everton with no regrets. He added: "We have got a fantastic opportunity so we cannot allow anything to slide. "We need to win this game. The manager has kept on saying this for a while now, these opportunities don't come along very often, so you have to take them with both hands, and we have done it. "We have to finish the season on a high now and hopefully get a win at Everton so we don't sit in the dressing room on Sunday disappointed that we could have or would have. We need to get the three points and hopefully they drop some points." Newcastle will again be without full-back Danny Simpson (ankle) while striker Leon Best will also not travel because of a thigh strain.

Everton V Newcastle - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game live.

Source: PA