Martyn plays down Euro chances

NIGEL MARTYN insists talk of Champions League football has been banished from the Everton dressing room despite David Moyes’s side now being firm favourites to clinch a top four Premiership spot.

Everton’s emphatic 3-1 win at Aston Villa on Saturday, with the aid of two goals from Leon Osman, means they will enter the final quarter of the campaign eight points clear of Liverpool who have only one game in hand.

The Merseysiders continue to defy the doubters who are waiting for them to crack after the loss of first Wayne Rooney and then Thomas Gravesen.

The way they demolished Villa, a side with their own aspirations of securing a top six finish, was strong evidence they will last the pace.

But Martyn, who has just signed a new one-year contract extension, is adamant that playing against the cream of Europe is still a dream which is firmly on the back burner.

He said: “It is too early to say whether we can last the distance. We’d like to think we could but there is still such a long way to go really.

“An eight-point advantage is nice to have but there are a lot of games and points to play for and we could very easily slip up. No-one is thinking of Champions League football. You can’t afford to contemplate what you might achieve. You’ve really got to stay focused on what you are trying to do and not let your eye get taken off the ball.”

The return from suspension of Tim Cahill and the fine form of on-loan newcomer Mikel Arteta gave Everton a fluency in midfield which they never looked like relinquishing.

Martyn said: “With the way we passed the ball around I would have said it was the performance of the season at Villa. I thought our midfield was awesome - not just the passing but the movement off the ball was superb and we created some great chances.”

Villa manager David O’Leary described his side’s performance as the worst in his two years in charge and says his side have to fire on all cylinders to compete in the Premiership.

He said: “Every game is hard for us. We are a team not of individuals. We are a team of a good honest bunch of lads. We’ve got to play as a team. We haven’t got a Thierry Henry who can do a bit of magic. All of us have got to be at it together. That’s our strength.

“We are a mid-table team who can either drop down from tenth to 12th or go up to sixth like last season if we get some results, but to get that we’ve got to be all together, working hard.

“We can’t carry anyone and we can’t depend on someone to produce an individual piece of magic. It’s a team thing and the whole team had a bad day.”