Recently by Dan Kay

There is the chance to win four pairs of tickets to the Portsmouth match on the Echo site

LEON OSMAN and Ayegbeni Yakubu lifted the gloom hanging over Goodison Park as their goals secured Everton's first win of the new Premier League campaign today.

A PUBLIC inquiry date has been set for Everton FC and Tesco's joint bid to build a stadium and superstore in Kirkby.

YAKUBU is confident he can improve on his goal-laden debut season for Everton.

The Nigeria international netted 21 times following his club record £11.25million arrival from Middlesbrough.

It made Yakubu the first Everton player to reach the 20-goal landmark since Peter Beardsley in 1992, with only Tony Cottee, Graeme Sharp and Gary Lineker having bettered his total in the last 30 seasons.

And with Everton looking to improve on their achievements of the previous 12 months, Yakubu is convinced he can be even more prolific during the coming campaign.

Story by David Bartlett

EVERTON FC have pulled out of a surprise scheme to allow their city rivals Liverpool to use part of Everton's Goodison Park stadium for corporate hospitality on match days.

The plan - which could have provoked reactions from both fan bases - was to use the corporate hospitality area known as The Marquee, at the Park End of Goodison, which would have been decked out in Liverpool branding when the Anfield club were using their rival's ground.

Liverpool said that, due to extraordinary demand for corporate hospitality at Anfield, it had been forced to look elsewhere for additional high- quality entertainment space.

Story by Vicki Kellaway

EVERTON FC fans claim they have gathered enough support to force an emergency meeting on the club's future.

Shareholders Mark Grayson and Tony Bennett petitioned fellow Blues to gain support for a discussion on the club's proposed move to Kirkby.

They say they have more than 350 shareholders in favour, enough to force an emergency general meeting on the stadium plans.

Story by Caroline Innes

AN exhibition of priceless footballing memorabilia is coming to Liverpool to mark Capital of Culture.

Uefa's Only A Game? display tells the personal stories of some of Europe's best-known players and uses football to highlight the 50th anniversary of the European Union.

It features a set of giant table-football figures and an interactive sphere which uses teams competing in the Champions League as locations for a hi-tech geography lesson

Story by Ben Turner

WAYNE Rooney's agent Paul Stretford has been fined £300,000 and given an 18-month ban by the Football Association.

Today Streftord described the verdicts of the FA's disciplinary commission as "a travesty" and said he will be launching an immediate appeal.

The sanctions follow charges brought by the FA against Stretford, founder of Proactive Sports Management.

Story by James Pearce

FORMER Everton manager Howard Kendall knows all about the importance of a good assistant.

His double act with Colin Harvey guided Everton to the most successful period in the club's history.

As players in the 1960s, the midfielders formed part of the Blues' revered 'Holy Trinity' alongside Alan Ball and two decades on the duo proved to be equally formidable when it came to coaching.

Harvey was already at the club when Kendall took over at Goodison as player-manager in 1981. He progressed from youth team coach to managing the reserves and in 1983 he was promoted to first team coach.

Story by Nick Coligan

LIVERPOOL councillors are joining forces in a new bid to block Everton FC's move to Kirkby.

They are set to agree a cross-party call to lobby cabinet minister Hazel Blears MP to "call in" the £400m Destination Kirkby scheme for detailed investigation.

Government officials are currently examining the Blues and Tesco's proposals for Kirkby town centre after they were backed by Knowsley council last month.