Recently by Nigel Martyn

IT was clear David Moyes had his players fired up to take on Manchester City on Saturday. The way City conducted their pursuit of Joleon Lescott back in the summer still rankles at Goodison.

It certainly gave the game extra spice and there's no doubt what happened gave our players some added motivation.

I know the manager slammed City in his programme notes, but the players had a go back at the big-spenders in the best possible way by taking the three points with our best performance of the season.

The players went out there and delivered for the manager.

THE lads will be really buoyed by both their result and the performance at the Emirates on Saturday. Their satisfaction, though, will be tinged with disappointment at having been so close to getting a memorable victory only to concede two goals from deflections.

They were deflections that on another day could have went over the bar or wide, but in the end a win wasn't meant to be.

Of course James Vaughan had a lovely chance to put the result beyond doubt by making it 3-1. But if he had scored it would probably have been controversial because Denilson was on the floor injured when Tim Cahill played James in.

I'M absolutely delighted to see James Vaughan back in action for Everton and doing what he does best - scoring goals. The striker has had a nightmare few years with one setback swiftly followed by another.

But Saturday's strike against Carlisle was his second in as many games and it's great to see him with a smile on his face again.

When I was at Everton, James and I had a spell on the sidelines together.

EVERY so often you will come away from a game when a save has been more important than a goal and that was certainly the case for Everton on Sunday.

Had the Blues suffered last-gasp heartache against Tottenham Hotspur, after working so hard to get back into the contest, there is no telling what damage it might have inflicted to a precariously balanced season.

IT'S been a difficult few weeks for Joseph Yobo. He had a thigh problem which ruled him out of a couple of games, then a bang on the head against Wolves which saw him sit out three matches.

When he came back he found Tim Cahill had claimed his role as stand-in skipper, then after overcoming the physical pain he had the emotional trauma of Sunday to deal with .

But knowing Joe as well as I do, I can guarantee he will bounce back with a run of form.

IT'S another massive week for Everton with the trip to Hull ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby. You would hope for a repeat of the Carling Cup result at the KC Stadium to ease the pressure ahead of the weekend.

It'll be difficult but Hull always look like conceding. If we can nick a goal and stay as tight defensively as we have been in recent years, we can win up there.

ANOTHER transfer window is looming - so predictably another bright young star at Everton has been linked with a move from Goodison Park.

This time it's Jack Rodwell.

But while it goes without saying that Jack leaving Goodison would be a disastrous move for the Blues, I also think it would be a terrible switch in terms of the lad's development.

Jack is flourishing at Everton.

ONCE again Louis Saha woke up on Sunday morning to King Louis headlines. Without being disrespectful, just six months ago he was getting labelled with a very different tag.

The old 'injury prone' description was being trotted out and there were suggestions from some that he wasn't the type of player to put his body on the line.

So it should be pointed out that Saha didn't just score a superbly taken goal at West Ham, he played for almost an hour despite carrying a calf injury.

AND so we are into the month that contains the fixture every Evertonian looks forward to more than any other during the course of a season.

But if the Merseyside derby is going to be memorable experience for all Blues, we have got to emerge from this mini-slump with all guns blazing; things are difficult at the moment and the situation is not getting easier.

TONIGHT will be one of those nights when everyone has to stand up and be counted for Everton Football Club. But you know what? This club is very good at doing that.

It goes without saying that the schedule Everton have been asked to accept is hugely unfair.

Unfortunately it underlines once again how influential the great God television is in football today.