Baines: Toffees must kick on

31 August 2009 18:41
Leighton Baines has urged Everton to build on Sunday's last-gasp 2-1 victory over Wigan when the Barclays Premier League resumes after the international break. The full-back, whose stoppage-time penalty clinched the Toffees' first league win of the season against the Latics, accepts the challenge to even maintain last term's fifth-place finish will be tougher than ever this campaign. "There are new players here and more arriving. The feel about the place is that we are moving up to a different level with a bigger and more experienced squad," said Baines. "That is positive. We already have some fine players here with terrific youngsters already here, now we have added top internationals to that group with more to come. "We have had such a small squad, and that has hindered us in the past. But now the situation is changing and we can all now move on into the new season with confidence. "We have to keep pace. You look at what other teams have done in the summer, clubs we finished above last season. Aston Villa, Manchester City and Spurs have all spent big and added good new players. "They have brought in quality players and they had all started the season well. We had struggled a bit, so the win over Wigan has got us up and running. "It is a challenge for us, we know we have to perform even better than last season now just to maintain what we achieved."

Source: Eurosport