Match Preview

When Everton first ascended to third in the Premiership, few thought we would be able to stay there, not least the long-suffering Goodison faithful.  The prospect that they would be able to stay in touch with the free-spending leaders from London looked equally remote — to be honest, I thought Arsenal would be out of sight by now � but, since losing that 49-match unbeaten record, the Gunners have been struggling for form.

So, it is with enormous satisfaction that we Blues can look at the Premiership table and see the name of Everton still in third and just four points off the top.

Of course, this season is looking a lot like the 2002-03 campaign, only better.  Unfortunately, when the Blues travelled to St James Park at the same time of year two years ago, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat that ended their six-match winning streak and precipitated a run of just one win in the following 9 games.  David Moyes will be hoping for revenge for that day when his ten men were cruelly beaten by two late strikes.

While still getting to grips with the new management of Graeme Souness, Newcastle remain a potent side and this will be a tricky fixture for Everton that will call upon all their recent defensive strength and probably some luck in front of goal.

Thankfully, Moyes can call upon his full-strength line-up once more and the familiar 4-5-1 gameplan will no doubt be employed in a similar way to the Birmingham game, relying on the defence to soak up Geordie pressure and the midfield and attack to get the job done at the other end.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Stats

This will be the 149th meeting between Everton and Newcastle United in all competitions, and the 74th at Newcastle.  This match will be the 23rd meeting in the Premier League and the 12th at St. James� Park.

Everton's full record against Newcastle United is:

Our record away to Newcastle is:

The last match between the sides was on 3 April this year when Newcastle won 4-2 in last season�s corresponding fixture, with the Everton goals coming from Thomas Gravesen and Joseph Yobo.  Yobo�s goal was his first for Everton.

There have been 8 Everton hat-tricks against Newcastle United.  The last was Tony Cottee�s debut effort on 27 August 1988.  Bill Dean got the first 4 Everton hat-tricks against Newcastle, with the last one being a four-goal haul in the 1932 Charity Shield game � which remains as the most number of goals scored by a single player in the history of the competition.

The most common victory for Everton is 1-0 which has happened 12 times in Everton's 58 victories.  Newcastle's most common victory is also 1-0, which has happened 15 times in their 60 victories. The most common draw between the teams is 0-0, which has occurred 11 times in the 30 draws between the sides, with a 1-1 draw being a close second, having occurred 10 times.

Everton's record for 28 November is:

This is the first time these sides have met on this day.  The last match on this day was in 1998, when a Danny Cadamarteri brace secured a 2-1 victory at Charlton Athletic.

Fred Rouse was born on this day in 1881 in Cranford.  Signed from Stoke City in 1906, Fred made just 10 appearances for Everton, as well as scoring 2 goals, before he was sold to Chelsea in October 1907.

Also born on this day in 1965 in North Ormesby was Peter Beagrie.  Peter was also signed from Stoke City in November 1989 before being sold to Manchester City in May 1994.  Peter was then re-signed by the Blues from Bradford City on loan in March 1998 before returning to Bradford in May that year.  During this two stints with the club, Peter made 144 appearances for Everton whilst somersaulting 15 times.

Bill Dean was in the England side that was beaten 2-1 by Wales on this day in 1927 in the Home International Championship.

Billy Bingham scored a goal in Northern Ireland�s 2-0 victory over Poland in a European Championship qualifier on this day in 1962.

Mike Lyons won his solitary England �B� cap on this day in 1978 in a 1-0 victory over their Czechoslovakian counterparts.

Milestones that can be reached in this game:

�          David Moyes will take charge of his 100th Premier League since becoming Everton manager.  David�s current Premier League record is P-99 W-39 D-23 L-37 F-127 A-139.  His overall record, at present, puts him seventh in the all-time list behind Howard Kendall, Harry Catterick, Colin Harvey, Joe Royle, Gordon Lee and Billy Bingham.  Full analysis: 100 up

�          If Duncan Ferguson starts the game he will be making his 150th start for Everton in the Premier League.

�          If Duncan Ferguson makes another substitute appearance, then he will move into second place in Premier League substitute appearances for the club with 42 appearances from the bench.  The leader is Danny Cadamarteri on 54 substitute appearances.

�          If Everton score then the first goal will be the 150th goal scored in all competitions since David Moyes became manager.

Steve Flanagan

Honours even

A sublime free kick by Lee Carsley was enough to preserve Everton's fabulous record of just one away defeat in the Premiership as he cancelled out David Bellamy's early goal and ensured that the spoils were shared at a wet St James' Park. It was a touch of the exotic from an Irishman in the British bulldog mould which had his countryman, Shay Given, rooted to the spot.

The elegance of Carsley's strike was perfectly at home in a match that featured as many neat touches and flowing moves as bone-crunching tackles as the players made the best of the increasingly slick surface. A couple of players could count themselves fortunate not to have received their marching orders from referee Neale Barry, who was lenient when it came to cards but spot on with almost all the important decisions in and around the penalty area.

David Moyes had the luxury once more of being able to field his first choice IX with the now-familiar 4-1-4-1 formation anchored around Carsley's resolute defensive midfield duties and the support in attack from Gravesen, Kilbane, Osman and Cahill. While the Blues had the first chance of the game when Marcus Bent's looping header drifted wide of the upright, it was Newcastle who found their stride the quicker.

After Lee Bowyer had tried his luck from 20 yards but fired high and wide, a lightening one-two between Bellamy and Patrick Kluivert sent the Welshman racing clear and he bent a terrific shot around the advancing Nigel Martyn to open the scoring after only 4 minutes.

Everton were rocked uncharacteristically back on their heels as the home side probed with click passing and interchanges in the midfield. Olivier Benard tested Martyn in the 13th minute with an awkwardly bouncing free kick before the enterprising Kluivert dinked the ball into the path of Jermaine Jenas but he was denied superbly by Martyn who narrowed the angle and palmed the shot wide for a corner.

The 21 year-old Magpie went even closer 10 minutes later when he scissor-kicked a loose ball off the crossbar as Newcastle continued to press and Everton looked second best for much of the first half. In fact, it wasn't until Alan Stubbs had cleared a Kluivert shot that may or may not have been going in off the line that the Blues emerged from their shell with a brief flurry before half time.

Stubbs had a double effort but saw both shots blocked and from the resulting corner, the defender saw his goalward header hit Cahill and the Australian unfortunately sent a backheel the wrong side of the post. Tony Hibbert then went into the book on the stroke of half time for a foul on Benard, joining Cahill on a yellow card.

Neither side made any personnel changes at half time but the Blues were a markedly better side after the interval. And they might have had a penalty two minutes into the second period when the niggly Taylor appeared to shove Cahill over in the area but his incredulous appeals were in vain. A minute later, Titus Bramble was yellow carded for a very heavy challenge on Kevin Kilbane, a sign things to come as the players tested the officials' resolve.

Although Everton had improved, Newcastle remained a very real threat going forward, exemplified when Kieron Dyer finished a superb run by firing into the side-netting from a tight angle in the 51st minute. Three minutes later, though, the visitors were level.

Marcus Bent was felled just outside the area by Aaron Hughes and after the number of potential shooters was eventually reduced to two, Kilbane stepped over the ball and Carsley curled a perfect shot over the wall and into the net. 1-1.

The Magpies responded when Bellamy turned inside and fired off the outside of the post from 20 yards. A minute previously Bent had been booked for dissent protesting the referee's lenience for a foul on Osman and when the striker was fouled himself eight minutes later without being awarded a free kick, Hibbert clattered through Benard in retribution. He was probably fortunate to escape a second yellow.

With 15 minutes left, the Blues could and should have turned the game on its head when Gravesen put Bent in the clear with a perfectly-weighted through-ball that drew Given out of his area. Although Bent easily rounded the 'keeper, he slid the ball the wrong side of the empty goal from 18 yards out. In hindsight it was a bad miss but credit to him for making the chance in the first place with a great run.

The home side continued going forward and after the referee had rightly turned down Newcastle appeals for a penalty when Dyer collided with Kilbane in the area, Kluivert presented Bellamy with the perfect opportunity to steal the points with three minutes to go but, from the centre of the goal, he fired off Alessandro Pistone's back. Shola Ameobi thankfully headed the resulting corner over the crossbar.

The final chance of the match fell to Everton when Osman showed more deft footwork to engineer a snapshot from the edge of the box which Given did well to turn around the post and preserve parity for Newcastle.

Before the game, most Everton fans would have taken a point from one of the Premiership's most enterprising but unpredictable sides. In hindsight, the Magpies had the better of the possession and more chances but the Toffees had the best chance to take the points. A draw was probably a fair result.

Lyndon Lloyd