Leon Osman: Soul-destroying defeats will strive us on

David Moyes's side also enjoyed a lengthy run in the UEFA Cup, only for their dreams to be shattered by an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Fiorentina.

A fifth-placed finish in the Premier League earned Everton a second successive European qualification and gave further reason for encouragement.

And midfielder Osman reckons the experience of the previous campaign has given Moyes's men the taste for success.

"The aim at this moment in time is the same as it is every year, and that's to win something," said Osman, who is currently at Everton's week-long training camp in Switzerland.

"I've been at Everton Football Club for over half my life now and it would be fantastic to win something with the first team.

"We really thought we could do something last year and I was convinced that we'd win the Carling Cup, even after the first leg defeat against Chelsea in the semi-final. But it just wasn't to be and the same goes for the UEFA Cup.

"When Mikel scored against Fiorentina at Goodison to bring the tie level on aggregate I couldn't see any other outcome than an Everton victory.

"We were playing brilliantly and the atmosphere was incredible. I thought it was all set up for a memorable night.

"It was soul destroying but we've had a taste now and we're looking forward to doing even better this time around.

"Obviously you need a bit of luck with the draw in cup competitions at times but I feel that we're capable, on our day, of giving any team a run for their money.

"The players are as desperate for success as the manager and the fans. Anyone at Goodison on the night of the Fiorentina match will never forget the atmosphere and you can only imagine what it would have been like had we won the tie.

"That's the type of thing that spurs us on and, in this game, success can breed success. The club is moving forward and the time is right for success."

Osman has enjoyed some trophy success while with Everton, helping the reserves win the title back in 2001.

And he adds: "I was a regular in the reserve team that won the league a few years back, as was Tony Hibbert, and the feeling of satisfaction at the end of a season when you've got a winners' medal in your hand was tremendous."

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has warned Everton that their progress last season will make them an even bigger scalp for their opponents this time around.

But the Spanish midfielder reckons the goal threat of Yakubu and the return to fitness of Tim Cahill can help Moyes's men continue building on their improvement.

"This season is going to be harder than ever because other teams are going to get good players and they want to catch us up," said Arteta to evertonTV.

"We're a strong squad though and players like Yakubu make a difference. You know that if he gets a chance he's going to put it in the back of the net.

"He doesn't need a lot to score goals, it's easy for him. When you've got someone like that in your team it nearly assures you to be in the top six."

Of Cahill, Arteta added: "I really like to play with Tim Cahill, everybody knows that. He had a couple of really bad injuries in the last few years but I still think he is a very big part of this team. Hopefully we can have him ready for the start of this season.

"He's got a knack of scoring goals and he's a character as well. It's nice to have him around the group because you have to have that team spirit. All the players in the team want to improve and want to fight for each other."