Wembley dream lives on for Everton

Article by e-Everton Correspondent Kenneth Jarvis

FA Cup weekends are horrible when your team has been knocked out the competition, with nothing to look forward to all week and comments from other teams fans sarcastically asking “So who are you playing this weekend”. On the flip side, still being in it is magical with that hope that this year will be the year you can win it. Everton find themselves thankfully in the latter position and in hope that by Sunday evening, they'll be in the draw for the quarter final.

When the draw was made you couldn't help but be very happy. Out of the top 6 teams in the Premier League apart from Everton, only 2 of them will head into the quarter finals which represents a great chance for Everton to, at the very least, get back to Wembley. For those of you who don't know, Everton last won a trophy in 1995 so we are long overdue.

When the draw was made, Swansea were in free fall and looking like an easy route into the next round. With the sacking of Laudrup the club has managed to at least get some confidence back with was helped by a convincing victory against rivals Cardiff. Having also managed to comeback to get a draw against Stoke, 4 points in 2 matches represents and optimistic start for Garry Monk.

The debacle in midweek at Goodison Park meant that at least Everton got a rest where Swansea didn't. The extra 3 days should be an advantage for Everton, especially as it gives a chance for further recovery times for the plays who have recently come back from injury.

The Everton PR machine went into overdrive again after the last postponement of the fixture. It was quite clear from 4pm onwards that the winds were going to cause serious problems to the fans getting to the fixture and more importantly, to their safety. It would have been quite an interesting spectacle to match a football match in certain conditions, and it obviously wasn't long ago that Tim Howard scored his freak goal against Bolton in conditions that were significantly better. It should not have taken chimneys collapsing and tiles falling off the Winslow pub on Goodison Road for them to see that the conditions were too severe but the decision was eventually made by the police much to the dismay of Everton fan Ric Wee. I'm guessing most have hear the story as Everton managed to cover up any discussion on the timing of the decision to give Mr Wee and evening he wouldn't forget. Having supported Everton for 30 years, the Malaysian was finally able to get tickets for his first match but was denied by the winds. Everton tracked him down and he got to meet Martinez and Baines and get a stadium tour the next day. The point has been made that many Everton fans like myself, pay to see Everton week in, week out and never receive such treatment but it was nevertheless a nice news story and I was personally happy to see Everton in the news for good rather than bad they day after. It will be discussed early next week when the fixture will be re-played.

The fixtures that were played saw Tottenham and Liverpool get victories which means that the race for 4th looks a bit distant at the moment. Recent weeks have shown how quickly the league table can change though and Everton just need to focus on picking up as many points as possible. The first port of call in that quest though is Chelsea away next weekend.

In regards to the fixture at hand, Everton have to be confident of getting to the next round. Last time Everton played a team slipping down the Premier League table in the FA Cup, they lost at home 3-0 to Martinez' Wigan side so the now Everton boss will be better placed than anyone to warn the players about possible complacency. Sunday could see the debut of Lacina Traore, Martinez said he wasn't quite ready last weekend but should be ready to be unleashed in this fixture. As ever in the cup, the only aim is to get to the next round. Win this one and get a good draw then we really will start thinking it's our year.

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