Ian Snodin: No better football feeling than a last minute winner

11 December 2012 00:00
If you’re a player, a manager, a member of a team’s coaching staff or a fan – there’s no greater feeling than scoring a last minute winner.

And when you’re losing going into that final minute, the sensation is intensified. The dressing room at Goodison on Sunday will have been bouncing after that dramatic turnaround – and there will be a buzz around the training ground this week. Which is why David Moyes quite rightly described the victory over Tottenham as a possible season-changer. Winning in that fashion gives everyone confidence that no cause is ever lost – and doing it against a good team like Tottenham gives everyone the belief that fourth place is not just a temporary position in the table.

The manager is absolutely right when he says that his current Everton team is not shamed by their league placing. In fact given a little better fortune with refereeing decisions this season the Blues could be even higher up the table. It’s not just Blues fans who are talking about the possibility of Champions League qualification, there are plenty of TV and media pundits doing just the same, and it’s good to hear.

Most people agree that Manchester United and Manchester City are a cut above the rest of the Premier League. Domestically, they are two exceptional teams, and will be fighting it out for the title once again. But below them Chelsea might boast some very, very good players, but with all their problems they are beatable – as West Ham showed last week – and below that there are five or six teams all jostling for that crucial fourth place finish.

Stoke City is next up in that fight for fourth – and even though Tony Pulis’ men are unbeaten at home and boast the Premier League’s best defensive record, I don’t think Everton have anything to fear going to the Britannia Stadium. Sure, it will be a tough test, but this Everton side is capable of adapting its game to counter whoever they come up against. The Blues have height and physicality in Jagielka, Distin and Fellaini, they have solidity in Gibson while Nikica Jelavic will make his presence known up front as well. I have no issues at all with Stoke’s style of play. They play to their strengths and get knocked for it, but if their manager is happy, their fans are happy and the players are happy it’s really got nothing to do with anyone else.

The Everton side I played in always had problems with the Wimbledon side of the 1980s and 1990s, but we still won more than our fair share of games against them – including one of the most important games in the club’s history on the last day of the 93/94 season! David Moyes’ side is more than capable of going to Stoke this weekend and picking up at least a point, hopefully three – and if the win came in the last minute I can guarantee no-one will be complaining again!

Source: liverpool_echo